Treasure Chest Thursday – Death Certificate of Alvin Godwin

Alvin Godwin (1879-1950) was my 2nd great-grandfather, the father of Orville Godwin who was murdered in Tulsa in 1956.  Alvin was married in 1899 to my 2nd great-grandmother, Lou Ella Davis Godwin of Ash Flat, Arkansas.  They had two children, Lorine and Lawrence “Orville” Godwin born in 1903 and 1905.  Lou Ella and the children left Alvin early on. Alvin remained behind on the family farm with his parents, David and Zilphia Pulley Godwin. He died in a rest home in Springfield, MO in 1950. His remains were removed to the family cemetery in Saddle, AR where a single small block inscribed with “Alvin Godwin” marks his grave.

I learned the following from this death certificate:

His residence: Trotten Rest Home in at 809 Garfield Street, Springfield, MO
He was widowed
He was born January 27, 1879 in Saddle, AR which matched my records
He died November 17, 1950
He was a retired farmer, he did not serve in the armed forces
His cause of death was acute hemorrhage and cancer to the face….hmmm that sounds like it must have been pretty painful
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Up until just recently, we had never seen a photograph of Alvin Godwin. However a cousin, Jo, recently sent us a photo of Alvin sitting with his parents, David and Zilphia and two females. This picture was probably from the 20s or 30s because David Godwin died in 1928.

Picture (L to R) of David Godwin, his wife Zilphia Ann Pulley Godwin, unknown female, Alvin Godwin, & unknown female, taken 1920s. Original privately held by Jo Nicholson, Mammoth Springs, AR, digital image emailed to me 2010.