Daily AncestorGoodwife
Goodwife, usually shortened to Goody, was a polite title for a woman in England and colonial America, below Mistress in rank.
Goodwife, or Goody, was a courteous form of address for a woman, used in England and the American colonies. Her husband was Goodman. A woman of higher standing was called Mistress instead.
The title tells you about social rank, not about a relationship. By the mid 1700s it had largely fallen out of use outside Scotland.
As seen in a recordTestimony in a 1690s court record
Goody Hart and her daughter were present
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Goodwife." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/goodwife. Last checked 2026-10-01.