James Goodenough did not think he could bear that loss for so long – not in the misery of the Black Swamp, with its stagnant water, its stench of rot and mold, its thick black mud that even scrubbing couldn't get ut of skin and cloth. He needed a taste to sweeten the blow of ending up here.”
-- Narrator (Part 1: Black Swamp, Ohio, Spring 1838 paragraph 4)

Importance: This is one of the first looks at James Goodenough's character. He is trying to make the best of this situation and he does so better than Sadie, but he is also bitter over his life. He was basically forced away from his home, but he was forced to settle in the Black Swamp when they encountered trouble on the trail west.

James Goodenough was a sensible man, but apples were his weakness. They had been since he was a child and his mother had given him sweet apples as a special treat...
-- Narrator (Part 1: Black Swamp, Ohio, Spring 1838 paragraph 29)