MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS

STORY OF WILBURN AND CORA V. [GODBEY]BRITTON

Wilburn J. & Cora V. {Godbey} BrittonWilburn Jones being the only brother to stay in Crawford, here the story……(from "Missions in the Mountains" written by Mrs. H. W. Darst, daughter of John Britton , Scott Brittons brother) In 1875 the family of Wilburn Jones Britton was making plans to move west to seek their fortunes. Wilburn wanted to go west with his family, but he had a problem. He had fallen in love with Cora Godby. Cora was small, high-spirited, and young- only fifteen years old. Wilburn wanted to marry her, but her parents would not consent to the marriage, if he intended to carry out his plan to go west. Wilburn promised, " If you will let Cora become my wife, I will stay behind." They consented. When they were married, Wilburn kept his part of the bargain. Early in the spring of 1875, Wilburn's father, his mother, his sisters and his brothers , with their families, loaded all their belongings into covered wagons to head west.Wilburn never saw his father, mother, or sisters again. Many years later he saw two of his brothers who came back to Missouri. The day that Wilburn's brother, John (young John was named for his uncle), returned from the west, Wilburn, although blind, was on his knees weeding the garden. John rode up to the garden gate and asked, "Could you keep a traveler overnight?" Wilburn recognized the voice- after forty years- and said, " I have never turned a brother away from my door." The brothers had a great reunion. Much talking was needed to fill the gap of a forty-year absence from each other. They seem to have made an impression There is a Britton Texas ,

that flourished up until the 20's with lots of "Britton's" but I guess the wanderlust caught up with them because there's none there now. But they did leave a nice cemetery.

Wilburn J. Britton, born 29 August 1849 in Cuba, Mo., Crawford County, MO; died 12 March 1927 in Crawford County, MO. He was the son of Wilburn J. Britton and Susan Turner. He married Cora Victoria Godbey 08 July 1875.

Cora Victoria Godbey, born 15 March 1860 in Cherryville Mo.; died 23 May 1939. She was the daughter of Gabriel T. Godbey and Mary Lucy Cole.

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