The Goodin Project

If you recognize the picture above it means that you are somehow related to the Goodin/Joyer family, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption. Even if you don’t recognize that photo, you are here because someone you know does recognize that photo. In either case, I want to hear from you.

WAIT, Let me introduce myself.

My name is Ian McCamey (b1973).

I am the youngest son of Robert “Butch” McCamey (b1950), son of Yvonne “Bon Bon” Goodin (1931-2008), the youngest of Joseph Goodin and Louise Joyer’s sixteen children.

My parents divorced before I could speak, and my brother and I were raised predominately by our mother who was an only child, and whose mother and father were also only-children. Thus, my brother and I were largely unaware of the full size of the Goodin family.

Sure, we had met and spent time with some of our aunts and cousins on the McCamey side, and we were told that Bon Bon was one of sixteen children, but it wasn’t until 1999 when I attended a Goodin/Joyer/Chouisnard family reunion in Sacramento that I was exposed to the full breadth and depth of this vast family. It was an eye-opening experience that ignited an interest in genealogical research for all sides of my family.

Professionally, I have worked in the film and marketing industry for over two decades. I started in visual effects for the Lucas companies and have spent the past ten years in marketing content for the Bay Area tech world. All the while, I consider myself a story teller. Which brings me to the Goodin Project.

SO, WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT?

I believe there is a story here, and I want to capture that. I want to combine my professional background and my personal interest to document the Goodin family. That means recording the stories of the descendants of Joseph and Louis Goodin.

“BUT What DO YOU PLAN TO DO or MAKE?”

To be honest, I don’t know yet.

The end result may just be a catalog of recorded oral histories. Or, it could be a documentary. Or, a podcast. I expect the answer to that to come over the course of recording.

What I do know is that the “original sixteen” have all passed on and the next generation (my parents and their cousins) is slowly shrinking in size as they grow older and pass on. That means that those of us who are third, fourth, and fifth generation descendants are going to eventually be left with nothing but rumor and hearsay.

“BUT THERES A FACEBOOK GROUP AND ANCESTRY. WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?”

Online platforms such as Facebook and Ancestry are incredibly helpful. In fact, my own tree on Ancestry has become incredibly vast thanks to the help of the FB Group and other online tools. However, at the end of the day, these are just tools to present facts. I want to know more than facts. I want to learn and tell the story.

“SO, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?”

Just some time to talk, preferably by video conference such as Zoom. For those that are technophobic (my dad falls in that category) or camera shy (there are several), then it can be as simple as a phone call. Either way, I do want to record the conversation.

“WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?”

Everyone and anyone who is directly or indirectly descended from the Joseph and Louise’s children (the “First Generation”, or the “Original Sixteen”). This means step-children, adopted children, second spouses, grand-children, and every combination that you can think of across Generation Two, Three, or Four (or more). If you know a Goodin, or you know that your parents know a Goodin, then you know how you are related.

“BuT WHAT IF I’M a JOYER/CHOUISNARD/BOULEY or other relative?”

That’s fine, I’d love to talk with you too! No doubt there is much overlap across family story’s and experiences.

“WHAT INFORMATION ARE YOU COLLECTING?”

Only you can determine that. I don’t know where the story will go. But at a basic level I am interested in the stories that are passed down through time and how they have shifted, changed, or been lost across generations.

To start with, I would be asking everyone the same set of basic questions such as —

• What you know or don’t know about the “Original Sixteen” and the migration from Minnesota to California and back (What were you told? What were you not told? What do you have questions about?)

• What was life like for YOU as a descendent of the Original Sixteen? (Did you spend time with the relatives? Did you want to stay away from the giant clan?)

• Are there any legends/stories you were told to you as a kid that never made sense to you? Have you since learned the truth? Is that good thing or bad thing?

• Is there a family story (good or bad) that you think others may not be aware of?

• How much of the Goodin history do you pass on to your children, if at all?

From there, each person’s perspective will be unique. I fully expect the conversation to expand and evolve. For some, I may want to have follow up discussions to clarify and expand on things as details emerge.

“BUT I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING INTERESTING TO SAY”

First, I don’t believe that. I believe that everybody’s story is important.

Second, even if you feel that it isn’t interesting or important, hearing your story will be important to validate and confirm details that are told by others.

YES! SIGN ME UP!