Goff family papers

Abstract

The Goff family papers (dated 1787-1970; 9.55 cubic feet; 21 boxes and 1 folder) comprise the correspondence, land surveys and deeds, contracts, accounts, catalogues, and bills of the Goff family of Clark County, Kentucky.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Goff family papers
Date
1787-1970, undated (inclusive)
Extent
9.55 Cubic Feet
Subjects
African Americans -- Employment -- Kentucky.
Business correspondence
Business records -- Kentucky.
Catalogs.
Cattle breeders -- Kentucky.
Clark County (Ky.)
Contracts.
Deeds -- Kentucky.
Employment -- Kentucky
Income tax -- United States -- Forms.
Ledgers (account books)
Letters.
Winchester (Ky.)
Holmhurst Farm (Winchester, Ky.)
Goff, Ben Douglas, 1882-1970
Goff, Benjamin Parsons, 1837-1884
Goff, Bessie Sphar, 1882-1964
Goff, Strauder Douglas, 1858-1922
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by format and subject in ten series: Correspondence, Benjamin Douglass Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff, Strauder Douglas Goff and Elizabeth Goff, Contracts and deeds, Benjamin Parsons Goff, Bills and receipts, Cattle catalogues and sale records, Accounts and ledgers, Newspapers, calling cards, and travel manuals, Material objects, and Photographs.
Finding Aid Author
Amanda Hearn
Preferred Citation
1997MS382: [identification of item], Goff family papers, 1787-1970, undated, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collection Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
The Goff family traces their lineage to the 11th century in what is now the United Kingdom. In 1790, following his immigration to the United States from England, Thomas Goff (1747-1824) moved outside of Strode Station in Winchester, Kentucky. A tailor by trade, Thomas Goff is often also credited with introducing shorthorn cattle to the region. The family is credited with having one of the first brick buildings in the county after they established their Holmhurst farm in 1808 where they still reside and raise cattle.
These papers primarily follow the lineage of Thiel Goff, father of Thomas Jonas Goff. Thomas Goff would have eleven children, one of which was Strauder Goff (1802-1854) who married Sarah Ann Gay Goff (1817-1851). Together, the couple would have two children, of which, Benjamin Parsons Goff (1837-1884) was the only to survive into adulthood. Benjamin and his wife Anna S. Prewitt Goff (1838-1920) had one son, Strauder Douglas Goff (1858-1922) who married Julia Graves (1862-1884) in 1880. Together, they had one child, Ben Douglas Goff (1882-1970), and after Julia's death in 1884, Strauder married Elizabeth Martin Buckner (1866-1948) in 1894. In 1906, Ben Douglas Goff married Bessie Sphar Goff (1882-1964) and they had one son, Ben Douglas Goff Jr. (1911-1992). In 1938, Ben Douglas Goff Jr. married Margaret White Woods Goff (1912-1985) and they had two children; Ben Douglas Goff III (1943-2017) and Jane Goff Hodgkin (1940-2006).
Source:Legacy.com, and Legacy. "Ben Goff Obituary (1943 - 2017) - Winchester, Ky - Lexington Herald-Leader." Legacy.com, January 31, 2017. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kentucky/name/ben-goff-obituary?id=9034108. The Newsletters of Thiel Goff (included in collection)
Scope and Content
The Goff family papers (dated 1787-1970; 9.55 cubic feet; 21 boxes and 1 folder) comprise the correspondence, land surveys and deeds, contracts, accounts, catalogues, and bills of the Goff family of Clark County, Kentucky. These papers are primarily related to the personal lives of the family members (predominantly Benjamin Parsons Goff, Strauder Douglas Goff, and Ben Douglas Goff) and their business as breeders of shorthorn cattle on their Holmhurst Farm. There are also material objects from the family; including fountain pens, a pipe, a shaving kit belonging to Nelson Vanmeter Prewitt, and a morphine kit. There are also newsletters detailing the family genealogy (descendants of Thiel Goff) as well as booklets of independent research on the Goff family lineage and history.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.

Contents of the Collection

Correspondence, 1816-1970

Scope and Contents

The Correspondence series (dated 1816-1970) consists primarily of letters between the Goff family, including Ben Douglas Goff, Bessie Sphar Goff, Strauder Douglas Goff, Jane Hodgkin, Doug Goff, and other family members and friends. Themes include business correspondence, Jane Goff's letters detailing her time at school, Doug Goff's letters from school, letters between couples while traveling, and discussions of stock purchases. This series also contains contracts, deeds, land surveys, and papers from members of the Goff family.

1828-1853

  • Box 19, folder 3
To top

1867-1879

  • Box 1, folder 1
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1880-1889

  • Box 1, folder 2
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1906-1930

  • Box 1, folder 3
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1940-1970

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Bills, letters, and receipts, 1816-1885

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Business letters and contracts, 1910-1919

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Cattle records, receipts, and taxes, 1901-1906

  • Box 1, folder 7
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Contracts, letters, and receipts, 1825-1880

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Letters and papers, 1880-1911

  • Box 2, folder 2
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Letters and receipts, 1896-1899

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Letters and receipts, 1901-1906

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Letters and receipts, 1901-1907

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Empty envelopes, undated

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Letters and receipts, 1839-1867

  • Box 3, folder 1
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Letters and receipts, 1893-1898

  • Box 3, folder 2
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Letters, contracts, and survey, 1925-1955

  • Box 3, folder 3
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Letters, calling cards, papers, and travel diary, 1962-1969

  • Box 3, folder 4
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Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff, 1876-1968

Scope and Contents

The Ben Douglas Goff (1882-1970) and Bessie Sphar Goff (1882-1964) series (dated 1876-1968) consists primarily of accounts, tax forms, cards, contracts, and bank statements from the couple. They had one son, Ben Douglas Goff Jr. and a granddaughter, Jane with whom they corresponded frequently. There are a number of get-well cards addressed to Bessie Sphar Goff who was sick in the hospital in 1951. It also contains their accounts and records from Clark County National Bank, as well as insurance information for Holmhurst farm.

Letters to Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff from their son Doug, 1930-1931

  • Box 3, folder 5-8
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Ben Goff, 1912-1965

  • Box 4, folder 1
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Bessie Sphar Goff letters from family, 1931-1955

  • Box 4, folder 2
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Ben Goff and Emily, 1951-1968

  • Box 4, folder 3
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Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff letters from Jane, 1955-1956

  • Box 4, folder 4-5
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Letters to Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff from Jane, 1957-1958

  • Box 4, folder 6-7
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Letters to Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff from Jane and Ben, 1958-1959

  • Box 4, folder 8
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Ben Douglas Goff Clark County National Bank account books, 1909-1917

  • Box 5, folder 1
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Ben Douglas Goff Clark County National Bank account books, 1915-1924

  • Box 5, folder 2-3
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Ben Douglas Goff Kentucky farm account book, 1924

  • Box 5, folder 4
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Sphar family accounts, 1924-1962

  • Box 5, folder 5
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Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff holiday cards, 1932-1934

  • Box 5, folder 6-7
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Bessie Sphar Goff checks, 1962-1963

  • Box 5, folder 8
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Ben Douglas Goff memoranda, undated

  • Box 6, folder 1
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Ben Douglas Goff checkbooks, undated

  • Box 6, folder 2
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Ben Douglas Goff income tax forms, 1948

  • Box 6, folder 3
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Ben Douglas Goff Clark County National Bank accounts, 1949-1953

  • Box 6, folder 4
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Bessie Sphar Goff Sympathy cards for the loss of her mother, 1951

  • Box 6, folder 5
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Bessie Sphar Goff get-well cards, 1951

  • Box 6, folder 6-8
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Bessie Sphar Goff Postcards, 1905-1907

  • Box 7, folder 1
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Ben Douglas Goff contracts and wills, 1908-1954

  • Box 7, folder 2
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Ben Douglas Goff insurance and IRS correspondence, 1924-1954

  • Box 7, folder 3
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Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff 50th anniversary cards, 1956

  • Box 7, folder 4
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RSVPs for the 50th wedding anniversary of Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff, 1956

  • Box 7, folder 5
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Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff income tax forms, 1958-1959

  • Box 7, folder 6
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Bessie Sphar Goff bank statements, 1961-1962

  • Box 7, folder 7
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Ben Douglas Goff income tax forms and Louisville insurance, 1876-1950

  • Box 20, folder 2
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Ben Douglas Goff survey map of Holmhurst, November 1921

  • Box 19, folder 5
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Ben Douglas Goff Clark County high school diploma, 1930

  • Box 19, folder 6
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Ben Douglas Goff income tax, 1922-1925

  • Box 20, folder 3
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Ben Douglas Goff and Bessie Sphar Goff income taxes, 1949-1954

  • Box 20, folder 4
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Bessie Sphar Goff sympathy and get-well cards, 1951

  • Box 19, folder 7
To top

Ben Douglas Goff ledger, 1907-1926

  • Box 22, folder 1
To top

Ben Douglas Goff account ledger, 1930-1964

  • Box 22, folder 2
To top

Strauder Douglas Goff, 1813-1924

Scope and Contents

The Strauder Douglas Goff (1858-1922) series (dated 1813-1924) consists primarily of accounts, contracts, bills, and receipts. Strauder Douglas Goff was the son of Benjamin Parsons Goff, and several of the bills and receipts dated to 1813 are from Benjamin Parson Goff's father, also named Strauder. In 1880, he married Julia Graves Goff with whom he had one son, Ben Douglas Goff. After her death, he re-married Elizabeth Martin Buckner in 1894. There are account books and financial statements from the Clark County National Bank. Items of significance include Strauder Goff's certificate of scholarship from Bethany college, a botany notebook, contracts of employment, and a form from the United States consulate in Cairo, Egypt.

Strauder Douglas Goff and Benjamin Parsons Goff letters, receipts, and checks, 1880-1883

  • Box 8, folder 1
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Memoranda, 1880-1899

  • Box 8, folder 2
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Strauder Douglas Goff letters, bills, and accounts, 1881-1886

  • Box 8, folder 3
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Strauder Douglas Goff and Julia letters and receipts, 1881-1909

  • Box 8, folder 4-5
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Strauder Douglas Goff shares of preferred stock and letters, 1898-1921

  • Box 8, folder 6
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Clark County National Bank account books, 1880-1900, 1912

  • Box 8, folder 7
  • Box 9, folder 1-4
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Bills and receipts, 1813-1869

  • Box 9, folder 5
To top

Empty envelopes, 1880-1899

  • Box 9, folder 6-7
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Financial statements, 1813-1880

  • Box 10, folder 1
To top

Botany notebook, 1877

  • Box 10, folder 2
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Contracts and will, 1879-1924

  • Box 10, folder 3
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Accounts, 1882-1889

  • Box 10, folder 4
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Hemp crop ledger, 1891

  • Box 10, folder 5
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Bills and receipts, 1895-1903

  • Box 10, folder 6
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Strauder Douglas Goff and Elizabeth Goff empty envelopes, 1900-1905

  • Box 10, folder 7
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Travel diary, accounts, and checks, 1885-1905

  • Box 11, folder 1
To top

Certificate of scholarship in Bethany College, 1889

  • Box 20, folder 6
To top

Account books and papers, 1890-1895

  • Box 11, folder 2
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Form from the United States consulate in Cairo, Egypt to Strauder Douglas Goff and 1893 commission merchants article, 1893, undated

  • Box 19, folder 4
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Contracts and deeds, 1787-1917

Scope and Contents

The Contracts and deeds series (dated 1787-1907) primarily contains records of Goff family employment, land surveys, and land purchases, including Valentine Sterns land deed, Fayette County, Virginia, signed by Governor in 1787. Contracts include employment, land rental, and sale of enslaved individuals.

Valentine Sterns land deed, Fayette County, Virginia, signed by Governor, 1787

  • Box 19, folder 1
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Goff family accounts and land surveys, 1820-1843

  • Box 19, folder 2
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Goff family land deeds, 1822-1877

  • Box 11, folder 3
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Goff family contracts and receipts, 1832-1917

  • Box 11, folder 4
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Goff family contracts, deeds, and land surveys, 1880-1886

  • Box 11, folder 5
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Goff family contracts, deeds, and land surveys, 1890-1907

  • Box 11, folder 6
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Benjamin Parsons Goff, 1855-1893, undated

Scope and Contents

The Benjamin Parsons Goff (1837-1884) series (1855-1893) primarily contains records, accounts from Clark County National Bank, and letters related to Benjamin and his wife Anna Prewitt Goff (1838-1920). The son of Strauder Goff (1802-1854), Benjamin was the father of Strauder Douglas Goff (1858-1922) who is included in several of the accounts and receipts. Many of the envelopes are empty but addressed to the couple, and the correspondence is priamrily related to business with the Shorthorn Breeders Association.

Benjamin Parsons Goff account books, 1855-1884

  • Box 11, folder 7
To top

Benjamin Parsons Goff account ledger, 1866-1874

  • Box 12, folder 1
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Benjamin Parsons Goff and Strauder Douglas Goff records and letters, 1874-1893

  • Box 12, folder 2
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Benjamin Parsons Goff Clark County National Bank account books, 1878-1881

  • Box 12, folder 3
To top

Benjamin Parsons Goff and Strauder Douglas Goff receipts, bills, and tickets, 1880-1889

  • Box 12, folder 4-5
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Benjamin Parsons Goff and Anna Prewitt Goff empty envelopes, 1885-1889

  • Box 12, folder 6
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Benjamin Parsons Goff and Strauder Douglas Goff sale book, undated

  • Box 12, folder 7
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Bills and receipts, 1798-1903

Scope and Contents

The Bills and receipts series (dated 1798-1903) primarily features records of payment from businesses and frends, also relating to cattle and insurance documents, from Thomas Goff, Strauder Goff, and Benjamin Parsons Goff, as well as other members of their family.

Thomas Goff and Strauder Douglas Goff bills, receipts, and records, 1798-1853

  • Box 12, folder 8
To top

Goff family, 1801-1879

  • Box 12, folder 9
To top

Thomas Goff, Strauder Goff, and Benjamin Parsons Goff, 1811-1882

  • Box 13, folder 1
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Thomas Goff, 1813-1844

  • Box 13, folder 2
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Goff family, 1814-1826

  • Box 13, folder 3
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Goff family, 1826-1881

  • Box 13, folder 4
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Goff family, 1833-1839

  • Box 13, folder 5
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Goff family, 1836-1866

  • Box 13, folder 6
To top

Goff family, 1849-1858

  • Box 13, folder 7
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Goff family insurance, bills, and receipts, 1864-1867

  • Box 13, folder 8
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Goff family, 1870-1879

  • Box 13, folder 9
To top

Goff family, 1872-1878

  • Box 13, folder 10
To top

Goff family, 1903

  • Box 13, folder 11
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Cattle catalogues and sale records, 1871-1902, undated

Scope and Contents

The Cattle catalogues and sale records series (dated 1871-1902, undated) primarily consists of records and catalogues describing the various shorthorn cattle for sale during a given auction. Holmhurst, the Goff family estate, had their own private catalogue as some of the leading cattle farmers in the region.

Goff family cattle sales and Sayre catalogue, 1871-1878

  • Box 13, folder 12
To top

The Holmhurst Herd Private Catalogue, 1875-1888

  • Box 13, folder 13
  • Box 14, folder 1
To top

Shorthorn cattle sale catalogues, 1881-1902

  • Box 14, folder 2-4
To top

Shorthorn cattle records, undated

  • Box 14, folder 5
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Accounts and ledgers, 1820-1959, undated

Scope and Contents

The Accounts and ledgers series (dated 1820-1959, undated) primarily contains personal abd bsuiness accounts, ledgers, and memoranda from Ben Douglas Goff, Strauder Goff, and other members of the Goff family. There are two Howe Scale ledgers recording the weights of cattle, as well as account books without names. No information could be found on the relation between the account books of Thomas Long and James McCourt and the Goff family.

Leather bound account book, 1820

  • Box 14, folder 6
To top

Account books, 1860-1934

  • Box 14, folder 7
To top

The Central Kentucky Fair, Seventh Annual Exhibition, 1885

  • Box 15, folder 1
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Accounts ledger, 1887-1890

  • Box 15, folder 2
To top

Ben Douglas Goff and Strauder Douglas Goff Clark County National Bank account books and checks, 1888-1925

  • Box 15, folder 3
To top

James A. McCourt and Thomas Long accounts and checks, 1895-1935

  • Box 15, folder 4
To top

Account books without names, 1895-1938

  • Box 15, folder 5
To top

Accounts, journals, and booklets, 1939-1959

  • Box 15, folder 6
To top

Account books without names, undated

  • Box 15, folder 7
To top

Howe Scale ledger, undated

  • Box 16, folder 1-2
To top

Memoranda and papers, undated

  • Box 16, folder 3
To top

Newspapers, calling cards, travel, and manuals, 1868-1970, undated

Scope and Contents

The Newspapers, calling cards, travel, and manuals series (dated 1868-1970, undated) is primarily composed of letters to family and friends, papers, books, newspapers, maps, and travel brochures from the Goff family. Items of significance include newspaper clippings of Jane Goff's wedding announcement and newsletters to the descendants of Thiel Goff (containing family trees and a comprehensive history of their ancestors).

Miss Julia M. Graves empty envelopes, 1878-1880

  • Box 16, folder 4
To top

Travel brochures and newspapers, 1868-1951

  • Box 20, folder 1
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Letters and papers, 1880-1967

  • Box 16, folder 5
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Newspaper clippings, 1882-1963

  • Box 21, folder 4
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Manuals and diaries, 1883-1890

  • Box 16, folder 6
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Newspaper clippings, 1885-1917

  • Box 21, folder 1
To top

The California Farmer newspaper, 1889

  • Box 21, folder 2
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Log Book Notes by Elisabeth Little, 1889

  • Box 16, folder 7
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Advertisements, 1902-1970

  • Box 16, folder 8
To top

Empty envelopes, 1905-1970

  • Box 17, folder 1
To top

Calling cards and papers, 1934-1965

  • Box 17, folder 2
To top

Newsletters to the descendants of Thiel Goff and family history, 1937-1943

  • Box 17, folder 3
To top

Travel, brochures, and catalogues, 1938-1970

  • Box 17, folder 4
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Bulletins and catalogues, 1943-1968

  • Box 17, folder 5
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Map of Kentucky with annotations, 1956

  • Box 20, folder 5
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United States by John Krout, 1960

  • Box 17, folder 6
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Newspaper clippings Jane Goff wedding announcements, 1961

  • Box 17, folder 7
To top

Books, undated

  • Box 17, folder 8
To top

Calling cards, undated

  • Box 17, folder 9
To top

Maps of London and Chesapeake and Goff accounts, undated

  • Box 19, folder 8
To top

Travel brochures and magazine clippings, undated

  • Box 19, folder 9
To top

Texaco touring map of Florida, undated

  • Box 21, folder 3
To top

Material objects, 1952-1953, undated

Scope and Contents

The Material objects series (dated 1952-1953, undated) primarily consists of items owned by the Goff family, including pens, pipes, a shaving box, and a morphine kit.

Dustpan, undated

  • Box 18, item 1
To top

Spencer Crocker morphine kit, undated

  • Box 18, item 2
To top

Nelson Vanmeter Prewitt wooden shaving box, undated

  • Box 18, item 3
To top

Benjamin Douglas Goff business cards, undated

  • Box 18, item 4-5
To top

Tobacco pipe, undated

  • Box 18, item 6
To top

Fountain pens, undated

  • Box 18, item 7
To top

Benjamin Douglas Goff leather coin purse, undated

  • Box 18, item 8
To top

P.J Conkwright metal ruler, 1952-1953

  • Box 18, item 9
To top

Photographs, undated

Illustration of cow, cabinet card, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
To top

Julia's portrait tintype, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Unidentified Black man and white man on boat with large caught fish, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Unidentifid boy child on porch, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Unidentified man and woman by tree, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Unidentified man and woman, tintype, faded, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Unidentified man's portrait, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
To top

Unidentified two men on a boat with two strings of fish, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Unidentified woman's portrait, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Aerial view of estate and farm, photo postcard, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
To top

Red Deer Lodge, Nestor Falls, Ontario, Canada, photo postcard sent to Mrs. B.D. Goff, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
To top

Unidentified man holding a large fish, taken at studio, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
To top

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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.

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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.

Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.

Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.

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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.

If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.