James F. Goodwin (b. ca. 1835) was a farmer from Berwick, York County, Maine. He served as a private in Co. G, 17th Maine Infantry. His letters are directed to his father, James Goodwin (b. ca. 1804) and a sister, Olive J. Goodwin (b. ca. 1842), who is referred to as Olive J. and Jennie O. Goodwin. James F. Goodwin survived the war, and in the 1870 Census is listed as head of a household that included his widowed mother, Sarah (b. ca. 1805), his sister Jennie, and a younger brother, Charles Wesley (b. ca. 1845).