Charles A. Goodrich
Encyclopedia
Reverend Charles Augustus Goodrich (1790–1862) was an American
author and Congregational
minister, who popularized the motto "a place for everything and everything in its place".
in 1812, studied theology and was ordained in 1816 and became pastor of the 1st Congregational Church in Worcester, Massachusetts
. In 1820 he moved to Berlin, Connecticut
, and in 1848 to Hartford
, where he held a pastorate. He was also a member of the Connecticut Senate
. Goodrich was associated with his brother Samuel
(who published as Peter Parley) in writing books for the young. He was the author of several books: View of Religions (1829); Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of independence (1829); History of the United States of America (1852-5); Family Tourist (1848); Family Sabbath-Day Miscellany (1855); Geography of the Chief Places mentioned in the Bible (1855); Greek Grammar (1855); Child's History of the United States (1855); Bible History of Prayer (1855); Great Events of American History; Outlines of Geography; and Universal Traveller.
: "Have a place for every thing, and keep every thing in its proper place. The phrase was published in an article called "Neatness" which Goodrich published in The Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio
), in December 1827. The idea that everything should have a place, and that everything should be returned to this place subsequently appeared in later texts:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
minister, who popularized the motto "a place for everything and everything in its place".
Life and works
Goodrich graduated from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1812, studied theology and was ordained in 1816 and became pastor of the 1st Congregational Church in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. In 1820 he moved to Berlin, Connecticut
Berlin, Connecticut
Berlin is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,866 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, and served by the Amtrak station of the same name...
, and in 1848 to Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, where he held a pastorate. He was also a member of the Connecticut Senate
Connecticut Senate
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...
. Goodrich was associated with his brother Samuel
Samuel Griswold Goodrich
Samuel Griswold Goodrich was an American author, better known under the pseudonym Peter Parley.-Biography:Goodrich was born at Ridgefield, Connecticut as the son of a Congregational minister...
(who published as Peter Parley) in writing books for the young. He was the author of several books: View of Religions (1829); Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of independence (1829); History of the United States of America (1852-5); Family Tourist (1848); Family Sabbath-Day Miscellany (1855); Geography of the Chief Places mentioned in the Bible (1855); Greek Grammar (1855); Child's History of the United States (1855); Bible History of Prayer (1855); Great Events of American History; Outlines of Geography; and Universal Traveller.
Epigram
Goodrich is known for having the first printed citation of the epigramEpigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
: "Have a place for every thing, and keep every thing in its proper place. The phrase was published in an article called "Neatness" which Goodrich published in The Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
), in December 1827. The idea that everything should have a place, and that everything should be returned to this place subsequently appeared in later texts:
- In 1841 the phrase was used in a modified version in an item headed "Brother Jonathan's Wife's Advice to her Daughter on her Marriage", in the Hagerstown Mail, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
: "A place for everything and everything in time are good family mottos."
- In Masterman Ready; or the Wreck of the Pacific, in 1842, Frederick MarryatFrederick MarryatCaptain Frederick Marryat was an English Royal Navy officer, novelist, and a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story...
wrote, "In a well-conducted man-of-war every thing is in its place, and there is a place for every thing."
- It appears also in a book printed in 1857 by D. Appleton & Co. of New York with the same title: A Place for Everything and Everything In Its Place".