David William Good, the subject of this sketch is the largest and most important packer of canned goods in Roanoke County, and operates at Starkey Station, seven miles south of Roanoke, under the name of Shenandoah Packing Company, putting up the famous Shenandoah brands of tomatoes, apples, beans, and sweet potatoes. The business was organized seven years ago with D. Saylor Good, brother of the proprietor, as a partner. One year later, D. William Good purchased his brother’s interest. The Shenandoah Packing Company puts up annually about eleven thousand cases of canned goods, and it is the intention during the present year to increase the output to twenty thousand cases. His post office is Farland, Virginia.

Mr. Good was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, January 15th, 1867 and as a boy worked on his father’s farm and attended the county schools. He afterwards attended Bridgewater College and took a commercial course at a business college in Valparaiso, Indiana. In 1888 he located at Roanoke, where for a period of seventeen years he was engaged in the wholesale and brokerage business. Being eminently successful, he saw greater opportunities in the packing business, and at once established a large sanitary packing plant with ample railroad siding for the conduct of the business, and began putting up meritorious goods of excellent quality, which at all times command the highest prices in the open market.

D. William Good is one of ten children born to Samuel and Sarah (Wampler) Good, his father being a native of Rockingham County, Virginia and of German ancestry. In 1896 he married Jessie Potter, daughter of M. G. and Mahala Potter, of Sheldon, Illinois and who died in 1901. He married secondly, in October 1902, Lizzie Murphy, daughter of John F. and Sarah Murphy, of Amsterdam, Botetourt County, Virginia. To this union the following children have been born: Elizabeth Gertrude, William Frederick, Grace Rebecca and Annie Ruth.

George Garst, in his day, one of the most widely known of Roanoke County’s citizenship, was born in Franklin County, Virginia, November 15th, 1821, being a son of Jacob and Tamsy Garst. He was one of five children born to them, there being three sons and two daughters.

As a young man he chose to be a miller by trade, and began life at the Bonbrook Mills in Franklin County. He then located at the Deyerle Mill in Roanoke County, some three or four miles southwest of Big Lick, now Roanoke. After some years he became the owner of this valuable mill property which is still operated by his son, Jacob Garst.

He married first, Mary Ann Linkenhoker, and to them five children were born: Elizabeth, who died at eighteen years; John Henry, who left home soon after Lee’s surrender and was never heard from; Taylor, who died last year in Patrick County; Fannie, married Jacob Bittenger, resides in Chicago, Julia, married Ballard P. Linkenhoker. His wife died May 21st, 1854.

George Garst married secondly, Mary Frances Lockett on June 14th, 1855. To this union ten children were born as follows: Jacob Benjamin; Jane Anne, married to W. T. Lockett, now deceased; Forest J. and Jack, who reside at Boone Mill, Franklin County, Virginia; Susan Mildred, married to George Haislip, Charles William, resides in Botetourt County, Virginia; Eliza K. Neal, married to James A. Peters, resides in Roanoke, Maggie Lewis, married to W. G. Leslie, both deceased; Robert L. died in Alabama, and Frank Garst, the latter residing with his mother at the old home place.

Jacob Benjamin Garst, who married Sue Peters, has a most interesting family of eleven children, there being eight daughters and three sons. He operates the Garst Mill and a large tomato canning establishment and resides in a modern home near the mill.

Frank Garst married Julia Sink of Franklin County, and seven children have been born to this union, two of whom are dead. Beside the numerous living children of the late George Garst, who died July 3rd, 1890, he is survived by a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The family has been prominent in the development of Roanoke County for more than half a century.