Harriet Conant

Harriet Conant Goodnough (1815-1838) was among the very first settlers to arrive in Des Plaines in 1834. She migrated to Des Plaines with her husband Daniel, parents, and siblings. Harriet's descriptive letters sent to a sister and close friend provide a rare glimpse into life on the Des Plaines prairie and give insight into the difficulties of frontier life.

Clearing their land for farming kept Daniel Goodnough away from the cabin most of the day, and their nearest neighbor lived a mile away, which left Harriet to lead a rather solitary existence. The closest post office was fifteen miles away in Chicago and the lack of regular mail deepened Harriet's sense of isolation. As more settlers arrived in Maine Township in the late 1830s, the Goodnoughs gained closer neighbors and Harriet Goodnough struck up a friendship with new neighbor Harriet Rand and her sister.

Harriet Goodnough died in 1838 at age twenty-three after a short illness. Less than a year later, Daniel Goodnough sold his land claim to Stephen and Esther Thacker and returned to Vermont with his infant son.

Conant family
Eben Conant (1777-1870) Fanny Clifford (1778-1848) Rebecca Mariah Clay (1808-1863) Famnnie Amelia Conant (1810-1891) Rev. Augustus Hammond Conant (1811-1863) Harriet Mercy Conant (1815-1838) Some family members are omitted for space reasons.