PIONEERING Quakers and American settlers are the ancestors of one of Herefordshire's oldest farming families.

The Goodwin family's colourful history, including the tragic death of a USA emigrant, has come to light in a new book written by historian, Dr James Whetter.

Discovering Welsh Roots: A History of the Goodwin Family, traces his mother's history, Ella, a farmer's daughter who grew up at Wilmastone, Peterchurch.

Privileged

She had a privileged childhood, living in style with her parents, Ada from Yarpole and Arthur Goodwin - and, later, stepmother Mabel after Ada's early death in childbirth - and sisters Georgie and Violet in a large house with servants and silverware.

Her Welsh roots go back to the 17th century when home territory was Trefeglwys near Newtown. One Goodwin branch became Quakers and played a leading part in the movement, though later most emigrated to America.

A cache of letters Dr Whetter discovered written by his great-grandmother Elizabeth to her sister in America, Alice, sheds light on life in early 20th century USA and a tragic death.

Elizabeth and Alice's brother, Thomas Savage, was discovered dead at the bottom of a 65ft cliff in January 1912.

The grim discovery was reported in The Daily Sentinel. "The mystery of the sudden disappearance of TD Savage was cleared up on Sunday noon, when two little girls who were going for a skate along the south side of the Grand River, found the frozen and mutilated remains of the old man, lying nearly hidden at the base of the 65ft cliff, over which he had plunged on the night he disappeared from the Colombus school, never to be seen again alive."