Neville Goddard Divorce For Adultery And The Separated No Dependents Military Record Explained
23 Jul Neville Goddard: Divorce for Adultery and the “Separated, No Dependents” Military Record Explained
Read also: Neville Goddard: Marriages, Children and Family Tree: Research Notes
Reconciling Public Record, Personal Testimony
A reader of Cool Wisdom Books asked:
“In his lecture he clearly mentions that he slept as if he was sleeping with his wife and daughter. Also it was mentioned that his son was also serving with the marines. How come his military records say separated and no dependents. he was enlisted after marriage.”
Possible answer.
By the time Neville enlisted on November 12, 1942, he had:
- Divorced his first wife, Mildred Mary Hughes, in February 25, 1942 (see marriage certificate)
- Fathered a son, Joseph Neville Goddard, born May 19, 1924 in New York City
- Married his second wife, Catherine Van Schmus, on February 27, 1942
- Daughter, Victoria Goddard, born June 28, 1942 (four months later)
So why would the U.S. Army record him as separated with no dependents?
Bureaucracy vs. Reality
Military classifications during WWII were often imprecise. The code “7 – Separated, no dependents” was used broadly.
It could refer to men who were divorced, widowed, estranged or simply appeared unmarried on paper.
In Neville’s case, several factors probably played a role:
- His daughter had just been born four months prior.
- His marriage certificate, though dated February 27, 1942, wasn’t filed by the City Clerk until October 21, 1943
- His son Joseph had just turned 18 in May 1942 and was likely serving with the Marines in Guadalcanal, no longer a minor dependent. But there is no draft record until 1946.
Neville’s Own Words
In one of Neville’s lectures, he recounts a moment with his commanding officer:
“For your sake, Goddard, I am very, very sorry. I know exactly how you feel. You want to be with your wife and your little girl. Your son is in Guadalcanal with the Marines and you are now almost thirty-eight. And so, I know, but I would like to go through this war with a man just like you at the side. So, I can’t say that I am sorry for myself. I’m sorry only for you.” I didn’t say one word to him, to the colonel. I didn’t oppose it. That was the decision of Caesar. Now, I looked into the perfect law, the Law of Liberty, and I persevered in that law. And I slept that night as though I slept in my own home in New York City on Washington Square, where I lived on the 7th floor. I lived on that floor and it was a very large apartment, with two bedrooms, a lovely, big living room, a dining room, a huge kitchen, and a foyer.
And I slept in that place just as though I were there, not in the army. I fell asleep in that state, having done all the normal things that would make me feel this arrangement is perfect. I rearranged the structure of my mind. Instead of seeing twenty-five men around me, sleeping upstairs and knowing that twenty- five were down below in the next area, I slept in my own bed with my wife in her bed and my little girl in her crib in the corner.” Reference lecture: Neville Goddard Lectures: “Rearrange the Mind”
This quote, spoken by a superior officer, confirms:
- Neville had a wife and young daughter at the time
- His son was actively serving in WWII
- He was 37 years old aligns with his enlistment age
It was most likely a contradiction in paperwork. Marriage certificate was filed in 1943 almost 20 months later.
Guadalcanal was a major campaign from August 1942 to February 1943. Joseph, born in May 1924, would have been 18 years old when the campaign began, making him eligible for service. But the only draft card we can find at the moment is in 1946 when he was 21. This is record in 1946 with alt name Lineville for SS #
As for the adultery: