We heard a story about a very strange monument in the Center Methodist Church cemetery in Newville, Alabama (on Co. Rd. 89) – not far from Abbeville. We found it:
It reads: Our Infant, Godford Corcial, Dau. of J.E. & S.I. Brannan (I think it’s S.I.), 1881
((This is one of those stories you hear that isn’t widely-enough known to be called ‘urban legends’ so Av and I call them ‘rural legends’…))
The story is that the Brannans lost their daughter and when someone was leaving to go to town, they asked this person to order the monument as “infant daughter of J.E. & S.?. Brannon, 1881”.
Also on the slip of paper was a request for “Godfrey’s Cordial” which was an old medicine for colicky infants. When the person placed the order for the monument, there was some confusion (plus I guess their handwriting must have not been very clear) and when the monument was delivered, it showed that the baby’s name was Godford Corcial.
Isn’t that strange!? And sad. Okay – but the next post is about something really wonderful…a downtown that people still actually use! And it’s got all these great neon/vintage signs!