E. M. Gooding
E. M. Gooding, the leading shoe merchant at Lima, where he has been established since 1881, was born in 1858 at Delaware, Ohio, and is a son of the late Mathew Gooding, formerly a farmer at Delaware, where he died in 1902.
E. M. Gooding was reared in his native place and attended school until 17 years of age. He then became a partner in a mercantile enterprise, conducted under the firm name of Beathridge & Gooding, and located at Lewis Center, a small town south of Delaware. The business was continued there for five years, following which Mr. Gooding came to Lima, on November 16, 1881, and established himself in the shoe business at No. 230 North Main street, where he has continued until the present time. He has a fine business location, carries a complete line of goods and enjoys the largest patronage in the city. He has additional business interest and is a representative of the commercial men of Lima.
On September 8, 1886, Mr. Gooding was married to Anna De Grief, who is a daughter of Jacob De Grief, a prominent politician of Tuscarawas County. They have two sons, Fred E. and Joseph D., the former of whom is a student at Hamilton College. The family belong to the Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Gooding is a 32nd degree Mason and Belongs to the Commandery, Chapter and Council at Lima and to the Consistory at Cincinnati. He belongs also to the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the Shawnee Country Club and the Lima Progressive Association.