Listed in his grandfather John Goad’s will in 1771 as “I lend to my Son, William Goad, the use of my Cow known by the name of Blossom, with her Increase, till his Son, John, shall come to the age of twenty-one years, and then the property to vest in said John. But if the said John should die without heir, then the said Cow and her Increase to be divided among the rest of my Son William's Children.” (See John Goad Sr’s notes for the full text of this will.)

This suggests that John was the oldest of William’s sons, and under 21 but near enough to adulthood to be expected to reach 21 before the cow stopped giving milk.