Daniel was born September 17, 1783, at the Goble homestead near Prosperity, PA. His parents, Ebenezer (6) Goble and Joanna Lindley had settled with their parents in the Upper Ten-Mile Creek area in 1773.*
Daniel, the first-born and oldest son, was 27 years of age when his father wrote an elaborate agreement protecting the rights of the younger son, John D. Goble, who was then age 15. This agreement, dated in 1810, stated the rights of John when he attained the age of 21. Ebenezer must have felt that his health was failing. He wrote his last will in 1812 and subsequently died in 1813.*
On May 15, 1814, at age 31, Daniel married Elizabeth Dille (b. 1798), age 16, in Belmont County, Ohio.* (According to Census Records, there were several Dilles living just across the Ohio River from Washington County, PA.) Daniel and Elizabeth had seven children: Ebenezer, b. 13 September 1815 [m. Mary Ann Maguire]; John Lindley, b. 5 April 1817 [m.1W: Catherine Elizabeth Isabel/Isible, 2W: Nancy C. Lambright, 3W: Sarah Jane Davis]; George Washington, b. 20 March 1819 [m.1W: Margaret Fenton, 2W: Laura Ackley, 3W: Jane Allison]; Jane, b. 27 July 1821 [m.1H: Allen Braucher, 2H: Dr. Charles M. Godfrey]; Daniel, b. 16 August 1823 [d. 13 December 1823]; Doud, b. 23 September 1824 [m.1W: Grizelda McConnell, 2W: Susannah Bissicomer, 3W: Sarah A. Miller (Dunlap)]; Josephus, b. 18 June 1827 [m.1W Mary Ann Neace, 2W. Sarah Hamilton].*
Daniel lived on the Goble homestead, farming and running a tavern. "Taverns" at that time were actually combination hotels-and-restaurants, and Daniel reportedly kept this for "many years," perhaps continuing a business his father had begun.*
On May 17, 1829, Elizabeth Dille Goble died at age 31, only two years after the birth of her last child, Josephus. A notice in the "Examiner" in Washington, PA, on May 23, 1829, reads: "Died on Sunday last of a tedious illness, Mrs. Elizabeth Goble, wife of Daniel L. Goble of Morris Township. She has left a large family of children to mourn her loss."
Exploration of the Ohio Territory was well underway by the 1830's and there is evidence that several Gobles had already explored and settled in various areas west of Pennsylvania by 1835. Daniel joined these Goble pioneers. Land entries in Ohio show that both Daniel and his oldest son, Ebenezer, made several land purchases in 1834 and 1835.*
On June 4, 1834, Daniel married his second wife, Martha Linn (b. 4 June 1797) in Washington County, PA. *14 He was age 51, she was 37. In late December of the same year, Daniel gathered up family and belongings and left for Ohio. His wagon train consisted of two six-horse teams and one four-horse team. After 18 days of travel they arrived in the area now known as Bluffton, Ohio. Daniel purchased an additional 200 acres of land, built a cabin and established his homestead. Daniel opened the area's first General Store in the front part of his cabin on South Main Street. George, Daniel's third son, regularly made the weeklong journey south by wagon for supplies from Piqua. He went down with rags, hides and pelts, and came back with groceries, dry goods, iron and whiskey. In 1838, the little burgh was named "Shannon" in honor of Ohio's Governor. Daniel was elected the first Justice of the Peace, and was also the first Postmaster, with the Post Office stop being at his General Store/homestead cabin. Daniel later sold some of his property as the town's "first addition" which is now three city blocks along the West Side of Bluffton's Main Street. The little village was not renamed "Bluffton" until 1861.*
Throughout Daniel's time in the area, he and sons Ebenezer, John and George all periodically bought and sold property in Putnam, Allen and Hancock Counties. Richland Township, where Daniel settled, was originally claimed by Putnam County. Daniel frequently appears in various records and histories as "David."
In April of 1846, Daniel wrote his last will and testament and died on 8 October 1846 (age 63 years, 21 days). His grave marker is a large flat ledger stone, broken but still readable in the old Jefferson Street Cemetery in Bluffton, Ohio.
After his death, Daniel's heirs donated another downtown block for the building of the Presbyterian Church, which had met for services for several years in Daniel's barn. They also donated the brick required for the building. Daniel's widow, Martha Linn, married David Fitzgerald, a man from her home county of Mason Co., KY, on 3 November 1856. When she died on 2 April 1873 (at age 75 years, 9 months, 28 days), she was buried next to Daniel, with a matching ledger stone in the Jefferson Street Cemetery.
Efforts have been made over the past three years to get authorization to place an additional small marker at the foot of the broken ledger stones in the old cemetery to honor this pioneer and his wife. So far the Village Administration has not responded to several contacts.
Harriet Foster (11) Harrington, Mildred (10) Goble Foster, Thaddeus Linn (9), John Lindley (8), Daniel Lindley (7), Ebenezer (6), Daniel (5), Daniel (4), Daniel/David (3), Daniel (2), Thomas (1), William (0)
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