Born December 15, 1778, in Granby, Hartford, Connecticut. He married Pauline "Polly" Dutcher in 1804, with which he lived in New York. In 1836, Mr. Goddard moved his family west, passing through Chicago and crossing the Mississippi River before settling in Clinton County, Iowa. He served the people of Clinton County in the House of Representatives of the Fifth Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory. He died March 29, 1860 in Spring Township, Scott County, Iowa.