Henry Goodnight, Revolutionary Soldier of Giles County, Tennessee, Giles County, TNGenWeb (TNGenNet)

HENRY GOODNIGHT, according to his Revolutionary War pension application (No. S38743), was born in Aug 1758, and during the Revolution served in the Continental Army in the North Carolina Continental Line in the Light Horse Brigade under a Captain Pfeifer. His application, dated 26 May 1827, and filed in Giles County, Tennessee, also included his statement that he was a "cultivator of the soil" (farmer) and had a wife, Elizabeth, aged 72, and a son, David, aged 24. North Carolina seems to have lost many of the records of these units, having had records of Captain Pfeifer alone, and Henry had to apply several times and have affidavits sent by others who knew of his service, and finally ended up appealing his case to his then-representative (later U.S. President) James Knox Polk:

Although he had originally applied in 1827, the 1835 Federal Military Pension Rolls show that Henry's pension wasn't started until 10 May 1832. He is listed in the rolls as Henry GOODNIGHT of Giles County, Tennessee, with service as a private in the North Carolina Continental Line, his annual allowance $96.00, with the total amount received since his pension started being $175.73.

In 1806, Henry GOODNIGHT, Jr., John GOODNIGHT, and Thomas MERCER (among others) appeared in a petition of Duck River residents in 1806 asking for the establishment of Maury County Tennessee, and Henry and John GOODNIGHT (but not Thomas Mercer) were among the signers of an August 1807 petition submitted to the Tennessee Assembly for the creation of Maury county.

A Henry GOODNIGHT, Jr. served in Dyer's Regiment of Cavalry and Mounted Gunmen Tennessee during the War of 1812, and this is believed to have been Henry's son, Henry (Henry GOODNIGHT Sr. did not mention any other service beyond his Revolutionary War service in his pension applications in which he was asked to list all military service.)

Henry and John GOODNIGHT are not found on the 1812 Giles County Tax List, but the 1820 Giles census, p. 13, includes both: Henry GOODNIGHT (100101-01001) and John GOODNIGHT (210010-22000), and in 1830,

In 1830, David is the only GOODNIGHT on the Giles County census (page 150), with his household shown with 1 male 70-80 (presumably Henry Sr.?), 1 male 20-30, 1 male under 5, 1 female 20-30 and 1 female 30-40. Henry GOODNIGHT, Jr. is on the Lauderdale County, Alabama Census in 1830 (listed by his father-in-law Philip HUGGINS, although later census records show all known children born in Tennessee).

In 1840 Henry GOODNIGHT, pensioner, age 79, appears in the household of David GOODNIGHT on the 1840 Giles County, Tennessee Census, p. 92

In 1850, David's is still the only GOODNIGHT family on the Giles Census (District 18, HH020-020). He is listed as a laborer, 52 years of age, and born in Kentucky. Also in his household are (all born in Tennessee) Eliza, 51, William G., 20, Josiah H., 19, Elizabeth Ann, 17, Sarah C., 16, David F., 14, Margaret C., 11, and Narcissa, 7.

According to the DAR Patriot Index, Centennial Edition, Henry's wife, Elizabeth, was nee Chisholm, and he died in Missouri (the source unknown). Henry GOODRIGHT, Jr. was on the 1850 Census of Van Buren County Arkansas.