Gootee Family Page
Welcome to The Gootee Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring six generations of Gootees in the line of Jean Gautier (John Gootee) of France.
7. Sarah "Sally" Gootee --The mother of Sally Turner and first wife of Garretson Turner, Sally Gootee (or Gouty) was born ca. 1792, the oldest of six children of Mr.& Mrs. Abel Gootee. Sally and Garretson Turner were married in Caroline Co. MD on Jan.3,1812. (Caroline County, Maryland Marriages, 1774-1815, p.55) She gave birth to eleven children and died in 1833, at the approximate age of 41 years, in Caroline Co. MD. Per Find-a-grave, Sally A. Gootee is buried in the Denton Cemetery in Caroline County, Maryland. Her children were: Zebediah (b.ca.1813), Zachariah (b.ca.1815), Maria (b.ca.1819), Zebediah, Richard (b.ca.1820), Elizabeth (b.ca.1822), Henry (b.ca.1824), William (b.ca.1826), Eliza Ann (b.ca.1828), Mary Jane (b.1829), Margaret (b.ca.1831), and Sarah "Sally" Turner (1833-ca.1852/3). I have 29 Gootee DNA matches, with eight to Sally (the largest ones at 28 cM and 33 cM on 1 segment.) As Sally's birth year coincides with her mother's year of death, it seems likely that her mother died as a result of the pregnancy.
8. Abel Gootee --The father of Sally Gootee, Abel Gootee was born ca.1765-70, probably in Caroline Co. MD, the third of five children of John and Elizabeth Gootee. Abel married three times, the first marriage being to the mother of Sally, who is thought to be the second daughter of Richard and Sarah Andrew, whose first name has unfortunately been lost (she was born ca. 1765-74 and died shortly after 1810). Many Ancestry.com trees suggest that her name was Rhoda Mary Andrew, daughter of Capt. Richard Reed Andrew and Sarah Smullen, however I haven't found confirming evidence for this. Richard Andrew left a will which names his children but there is no mention of Rhoda Gootee, however he did list a daughter named "Rhodah Bland," who married my ancestor Joseph Bland, as well as Nancy Turner, who is the wife of Thomas Turner and the mother of Garretson Turner (Richard's will was written in 1792 but not probated until 1815 after the death of Abel's presumed wife Rhoda. Could she have been removed from the will since deceased?) Abel and his first wife had six children together: Sarah (ca.1790/94-1833), Arnold (b.ca.1791-1800), Eliza, Maria (b.ca.1800-10), William E. (b.1803) and Nancy (b.1803). Abel’s second wife was Elizabeth Wheadleton, whom he married in 1813 and with whom he had three more children. Abel’s third wife was Esther Brooks (b.ca.1789-90). Abel appears in the Caroline Co. MD censuses from 1790 to 1840. Abel left a will dated April 3, 1841 (Liber WAF #A, Folio 299-301) which mentions his daughter "Sally Turner deceased's heirs." Abel died Aug. 20, 1842.
9. John Gootee (Jr.) --The father of Abel Gootee, John was born ca. 1738 in Dorchester Co. MD, the oldest of four children of Jacob and Margery Gootee. John first married Elizabeth Pritchett (d.ca.1770-74), with whom John had five children: Rhoda (b. after 1755), Abel (b.ca. 1765/70), Britannia (b: ca 1765), Pritchett (b:1765), and Cynthia (b: ca. 1770-1780). Elizabeth was the youngest of ten children of Phunback Pritchett (after 1695-1769) of Dorchester Co. MD, who was the third of nine children of Dr. John and Abigail Pritchett. John Pritchett, who died ca. 1711/12, was a physician in Dorchester Co. MD. John’s second marriage was to Jemima (Brohawn? 1738-1786) with whom he had two more children. In 1773, Caroline County was created from parts of Dorchester and Queen Anne's counties. Sometime in the 1770s John moved from Dorchester Co. to Caroline Co. where he appears in the 1778 Maryland Census for Caroline County, MD and subsequent censuses through 1800. He is listed as owning two tracts or parcels of land in Lower Choptank District Hundred in the 1783 Maryland census. John is also listed in Volume 2 of the DAR Patriot Index. He left a will dated Oct. 28, 1815 which names his children, including Abel and Britanna Willis (the wife of Richard Willis, a couple who are also likely my ancestors). John died in Caroline Co. MD on Aug.4, 1818 (per the Note Book of Silas Nicols, from the notes of Miss Ruth Jones, Family Record, Ancestry.com).
10. Jacob Gootee --The father of John Gootee, Jacob was born ca.1691-6, the sixth of eight children of Joseph Gootee and Elizabeth Insley. In 1721, he married Margery (her surname is uncertain). Some list her as Margery Pritchett, a sister of Phunback Pritchett while a notebook in the possession of Norm Corkran states that in 1721, Jacob married Margery Wingate (who may be the daughter of Thomas Wingate, 1672-1712). Jacob's son, John Gootee is listed in The Oath of Fidelity in Dorchester County (per Albert Levin Richardson on page 115) as one who took the Oath of Fidelity to the State of Maryland in 1778. Also listed is Shadrick Gootee on page 116, Andrew Gootee on page 117, and Jacob Gootee on page 117. Jacob died in 1779 soon after taking the oath. Jacob was the father of five children: John, Shadrack (d.1780--married Elizabeth Brohawn, sister of Jemima), Capewell (d. before 1793), Jabez, and Mary. Jacob died before March 9, 1779, the date of the probate for his estate.
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11. Joseph Gootee Sr. --The father of Jacob Gootee, Joseph was born in 1661 in France (per Maryland Archives naturalization records). He was the second of three children of John and Margaret Gootee who immigrated to Dorchester Co., Maryland from France. Around 1689/90 Joseph married his first wife, Elizabeth Insley (d.after 1711), who was the second of two daughters of Andrew Insley (d.1699) and Margaret Jones (d. before 1698) of Dorcester Co. MD (Elizabeth’s sister was named Margaret). Together the couple had 3 children: Jacob, Ruth (d.ca.1762), and Andrew (ca.1698-1774). After the death of his first wife, Elizabeth, around 1698-1712, Joseph married Ann Harper, with whom he had four more children. Records show that Joseph was a planter. He died in 1716 in Dorchester Co., Maryland, per his will, probated March 13, 1716.
12. Jean Gautier (John Gootee Sr.) --The father of Joseph Gootee, John Sr. was born ca.1645 or before in France. He and his wife Margaret Besson (born in France in 1642 and died May 4, 1699 in Dorcester Co. MD) immigrated from France to Dorchester Co. MD where John died sometime after May 1699. John is mentioned in the Archives of Maryland, Proceedings and Acts of the General Assemply, 1693-1697, (Vol. 19, p. 211) dated May 8-22, 1695. John arrived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1662, sponsored by Antoine LeCompte, a gentleman and large landowner in Maryland. John was a cordwainer (shoemaker) and was married to Margaret Besson. In 1666 Margaret and their son, Joseph, arrived in Maryland. Margaret completed her servitude (indenture) on February 6, 1679 and at that time her husband, John, was granted fifty acres of land, which they named "Callais", located between what is now, Egypt Road and Little Blackwater River. (Eventually, "Callais" contained 450 acres). John and Margaret Gottee (sic) and Stephen Beeson (Ettiene Beeson) were naturalized on April 19, 1671 and listed as "Citizens of France." The Gootees had three known children : The oldest was John Gootee Jr. who was born in France and died in Maryland in 1699. John is believed (but not proven) to be the John Goute(sic) that arrived in New Kent, VA., at the head of the York River, east of Richmond, Va. on 5 March 1654, twelve years before his father. There is no record of marriage for John. The second son, Joseph, was born in France ca. 1661 and died in 1716 in Maryland. Joseph was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Insley, daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth Insley. This union produced 7 or 8 children. John Gootee and his brother Joseph, were naturalized along with two of Josephs sons, Joseph and John, on 22 May 1695.
Note: Some trees on Ancestry.com list the parents of Margaret Besson as Stephen Etienne Besson (born in 1620 in France and died on Sept.15,1673 in Dorcester Co, MD) and Perrine Boutin (born ca.1619 in Champtocé sur Loire, Maine et Loire and died May 21,1691 in St Georges sur Loire, Maine et Loire). Stephen’s parents were Jacques Besson (b.ca.1595 in France) and Michelle Rompillon (b.ca.1597). Ancestry trees also list (without supporting evidence) the parents of Jean Gautier (John Gootee) as Gabriel Gautier (born in 1582 in Saintonge, France; died in 1619 in Saintes, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France) and his wife, Jeanne Chardavouenne (1580-1619). Other sources (with minimal supporting evidence) list John's parents as Michel Gautier, born on Feb.3, 1600 in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France and Perrine Blanchett of France who died in 1684.
The majority of the Gootees from Dorchester County and Caroline County, MD are descended from Joseph’s son, Jacob and his offspring, Capewell, Jabez, and Shadrack. Jacob’s son, John, changed his name to Gowty and moved to the Caroline County area. Around 1800, the Gootees started to move and claim land in the west and in the South. For instance, Andrew Gootee’s grandsons, Joseph Wheland and George S. Gootee, accompanied by Joseph’s family, decided to go to Kentucky and settled near Springfield, Washington Co, Ky. Thus, there are many Gootee/Goatee/Gowty/Gouty families now located primarily in Maryland, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.
Note: Special thanks to genealogist Bob Gootee for the use on this page of information he collected over the years pertaining to the Gautier/Gootee family, as well as the genealogy website of Curtis Lynn Older.