Researched and Written By: Don Goss
Before turning to the branch of the family known in this work as the Danville Goss Connection, it is helpful to look at several notable Goss families who lived in early New England. Whether or not they are directly related to the Danville line, their stories form an important part of the broader Goss heritage in America.
Major General William Goffe (Goss)
One of the earliest and most celebrated bearers of the name—recorded variously as Goffe, Gosse, or Goss—arrived in New England shortly after 1660. He came as a political refugee, and prominent families in Massachusetts and Connecticut sheltered him for many years. His dramatic life later inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The Gray Champion.”
William Goffe was a devoted Puritan and a trusted military leader under Oliver Cromwell, who once said of him that he possessed “rampant spirituality.” During the Commonwealth period, Goffe and Major General Kelsey governed one of the ten military districts into which England was divided. He also served as a judge at the trial of King Charles I and signed the king’s death warrant—an act that forced him into hiding after the monarchy was restored. The people of New England admired him deeply and protected him until his death.
Thomas Goss (sometimes styled Sir Thomas)
Another influential figure in the early shaping of New England was Thomas Goss, born around 1570. His son Samuel was born in 1597. Thomas became a successful London merchant and financier, active in overseas trade. He was one of the Plymouth Adventurers, the group of London investors who supported the Pilgrims.
In 1628 he joined the newly forming Massachusetts Bay Company, which would soon establish Boston and its surrounding towns. Elected Deputy Governor of the company, he hosted many of its meetings in his home on Philpott Street in Eastcheap, London. Several ships in John Winthrop’s 1630 fleet belonged to him.
Thomas Goss played a pivotal role in the creation of American self-government. In 1629, a decisive meeting was held in his own living room—presided over by Goss—where the company voted that its governing authority would not remain in London but would instead accompany the colonists to America. Because the original officers did not intend to emigrate, they resigned, and John Winthrop became Governor. This decision established the first self-governing colonial administration in America and helped lay the foundations of Boston’s political identity and, ultimately, American liberty.
The later connections between Thomas Goss and the Massachusetts Bay Colony are somewhat uncertain. At least one son, Samuel, settled in Watertown and Cambridge, where his family became influential. Some descendants later moved to Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and to Providence, Rhode Island. Reports that Thomas himself came to America in 1644 remain disputed. Many genealogists have attempted to link him to the Danville Goss line.
Reverend Thomas Goss
Another prominent figure was Reverend Thomas Goss, remembered for his role in a well-known ecclesiastical dispute often referred to as the Goss Controversy. He served as minister in Bolton, Massachusetts, and died in 1780. Local tradition holds that he retained certain church and town records that have never been recovered. He purchased land in Bethel, Maine, and descendants are said to have lived in Bethel, Rumford, and Bath.
If Reverend Thomas Goss was related to the Danville Goss family, the connection would most likely trace back through the Puritan-era Goss families of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.