George Diepiriye Goodhead was the eldest son of King Pepple (Perekule) I of the Kingdom of Bonny, and originated from the house founded by Ibolu (Ibulu*), He was noted as a child of King Opubo born out of wedlock. The George Goodhead house was first known as Indian queen; as those "were two traders who ascended its chieftaincy.
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It was common for house names to transform, often reflecting the signing of treaties by a chieftain. So, George Goodhead was earlier known as Indian queen, then Ukonu, George Goodhead and later again Ukonu which was closely associated with King Opubo of Bonny during his lifetime, and was an ally and supporter of the Anna Pepple group (made up of more than 10 houses: Wariso, Kuke, George goodhead (Ukonu), Iruanya (Uranta), Ibifa, kiepirima (Toby), Epelle, Kala Ndassa, Tom Taylor, Wogu Dappa, Strong face etc) against the Manila Pepple group in Bonny.
Political relevance in Grand Bonny Kingdom
Chief George Diepiriye Goodhead was a prominent chief of the Anna Pepple house and took an active part in maintaining the rulership of King Pepple Dynasty; and once championed a failed attempt against the regency of Chief Maduka (Madu) in the mid 1830s; but was imprisoned by Madu on a later issue following trade misunderstanding over collection of the comey the Europeans paid. During the travails of Chief Goodhead, Chief Omuso (Jack) Brown of Finima, who later led a successful coup against Maduka for William Dappa Pepple to assume the reins of Bonny leadership, rallied support for him. Chief George Goodhead has been expressly presented as very significant and prominent in the evolving politics between the Anna pepple and Manila pepple group of houses of the ancient kingdom of Bonny, and was revered as rich and important, equal in status to King Halliday and Chief Jack Brown during his time.[3]
Chief George Goodhead was a signatory to the 23rd January 1854 treaties, between Great Britain and the Native Princes and chiefs of the west coast of Africa, relating to commerce, and the slave trade.
Migration to Opobo (18701872)
Following a trade dispute between Bonny and Opobo, and subsequent arbitration, on 3 January 1873 the Chiefs of Bonny and Opobo signed a treaty under which "six markets on the Imo were assigned exclusively to Bonny, and all members and houses claimed by Jaja as part of the Anna Pepple group and who are still in Bonny were to be returned to Opobo, most of them, for example Wariso and George Goodhead had already made their way to Opobo, the most important remaining ones were Kuke (Cookey), and Oko Epelle and their people. Note that "Kuke had with George Goodhead sought asylum at Juju town (Finima)" during the great tussle between the Anna Pepple and Manila Pepple groups in Bonny.
Chief George Goodhead migrated and arrived Opobo between 1870 and 1872, soon after Jaja's arrival thus was amongst the fourteen out of the eighteen houses that left with Jaja from Bonny and making him and his family one of the foremost settlers of present-day (George Goodhead House) Opubo-Kala-Ama (Opobo) in the new territory.