Darius Goff
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Darius Goff (May 10, 1809 – April 14, 1891) was one of the foremost textile manufacturers in the United States and a leading citizen of
Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...
. He is known for introducing the manufacture of worsted braids and
mohair Mohair (pronounced ) originated from the Arabic word …هيرand it is a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat (not Angora wool from the fur of the Angora rabbit). Both durable and resilient, mohair is lustrous with high shee ...
plush upholstery into the United States.


Biography


Early life

Goff was born in
Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many ...
into a
textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
–owning family. His father, Lt. Richard Goff, was a partner in the Union Manufacturing Company in Rehoboth, dyeing yarn which would be made into cloth. As a youth, Darius worked in his father's factory, until it closed its doors in 1821. In 1826, at age 17, Goff headed to Fall River to study the
woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...
business with John and Jesse Eddy. His career was temporarily put on hold when he suffered a serious accident. For three years Goff worked as a clerk in a Providence
grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...
while he recovered.


Textile career

After Goff recovered from his injury, together with his brother Nelson he bought the Union Cotton Mill in Rehoboth in 1836. Unfortunately, this mill soon burned to the ground. Goff then turned his attention to the cotton waste business. Darius started contracting with local
cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...
s to take their refuse. By 1847, he started the Union Wadding Company to process cotton waste into a wadded form that was usable by
paper mills A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
, and then he sold this wadding to paper mills to be made into paper. In 1871, that mill burned down. Fortunately, by 1861 Goff had begun the manufacture of worsted braids, first under the name of the American Worsted Co., then in 1864 under the name D. Goff & Son, with his son Darius L. Goff as partner. The braids were often mentioned in the advertisements for the company of Pawtucket. When his other son Lyman joined the company, it became D. Goff & Sons. Goff was determined to produce mohair plush for upholstery, such as the kind used for car seats. Goff sent associates to France and Germany to uncover how the process was done, but they failed to learn the trade secrets. Goff eventually wound up creating his own process through trial and error, becoming the first manufacturer of plush in the United States in 1882.


Other achievements

Goff was also at various times a director of various concerns including The Franklin Savings Bank, the First National Bank, the Pawtucket Street Railroad, The Pawtucket Hair Cloth Co, and others. He was a member of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers. Goff served repeatedly on the Town Council of Pawtucket, and in 1871, he was elected to the Rhode Island State Senate.


Personal life

Goff was twice married; first in 1839 to Sarah Lee, daughter of Israel Lee of
Dighton, Massachusetts Dighton is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,101 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the western shore of the Taunton River in the southeastern part of the state. History Cross ...
; Sarah died early, and she had no children. After Sarah's death, Goff married her sister Harriet. Their three children were Darius Lee and Lyman Bullock Goff, who went into the family business; and his daughter Sarah married Thomas S. Steele of
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
. Goff was a lifelong Republican and since 1848 member of the Pawtucket Congregational Church.


Goff's sons

Goff's sons Darius (1840-1926) and Lyman Bullock (1841-1927) followed their father into the textile business; in 1872, the firm became known as D. Goff & Sons. They are credited for introducing electric power to Pawtucket, as well as founding the Pawtucket Boys Club. Lyman is the namesake for the Lyman B Goff Junior High School in Pawtucket, and for a time lived in the historic Pitcher-Goff House. The brothers were inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1997. Like their father, the Goff sons were deeply involved with the Pawtucket Congregational Church.


Burial

Darius Goff is buried with his family in
Swan Point Cemetery Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments. History The cemetery was first organize ...
,
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
.


Goff Memorial Hall

In 1884 Goff gave money and land for the building of a library and school in Rehoboth. The large, wooden Victorian building was named Goff Memorial Hall. It opened in March 1886. It was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in July 1911. A new brick building was built in 1915 at 124 Bay State Road. The building was named Goff Memorial Hall and it houses Blanding Public Library.


References


External links


Blanding Public Library
€”Goff Memorial Hall
American Textile History Museum
€”The Chace Catalogue: Insurance map and survey of the D. Goff & Son Worsted Braid Mill, including map and engravings of the mill; retrieved 31 May 2014 *
Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goff, Darius 1809 births 1891 deaths American textile industry businesspeople People from Pawtucket, Rhode Island People from Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rhode Island state senators Burials at Swan Point Cemetery 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly