A little more research:

Walter Goins:

1860 census: Bern Twp, Athens Co. Ohio Mulatto, age 39 born in Va.
Post office: -rmsville day labor no real estate, 200 in pers. prop.
in household: Mary J, 27, mulatto, probably wife, born in Va

Achilles, 11 male, mulatto, born in Va.

Jenny F, 9 female, mulatto, born in Va.

Izaac? sp? 6, male, mulatto, born in Ohio

Henretta, 4, female, mulatto, born in Ohio

Amanda J, 2, female, mulatto, born in Ohio

1880 Census: Bern Twp, Athens Co. Ohio

Walter Goins, 62, Black, born abt. 1818 in Va., Farmer

Thancy or Nancy Goins, 48, wife, born in Va.

Lawrence, son, 16, born in Ohio

Silas, 18 son, born in Ohio

Sherman,son 16, born in Ohio

Riley, son 14, born in Ohio

Lewis, son 12, born in Ohio

Crosten?? Eva, stepdaughter 16, born in Ohio

You can make some general suppositions from these two-and it gives you avenues to verify or deny. First, that Walter moved to Ohio with his wife approximately between 1851 and 1854 when the last child was born in Va. and the first one in Ohio. Second supposition, that his first wife died sometime between 1860 and 1864, possibly at childbirth if Sherman and Lawrence are twins from the first wife. Since there was another child within two years, (as well as the second wife also having a 16 year old child) he may have remarried while the boys were infants, to a woman in a similar situation. As an aside, a nearby neighbor is Wilson Goings, age 65, wife and three adult children, all born in Virginia. Given the age, he may be a close relative-or even father.

Given the time frame of move to Ohio, Walter may have been the descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier who received a land bounty in Ohio. Those Virginia bounties are at least partially posted on the Virginia archives site.

Since he was in Ohio after the war, I would also check for birth and death records of the children, GAR records, etc.

more to follow

Sharon