JOHN WILLIAM GODFREY
Birth: 2 Aug 1825
Death: 5 Aug 1897
(age 72 years, 0 months, 3 days)
John Godfrey was born in Knox
County, Tennessee. He married Anzaline Barker in Lafayette County,
Missouri. They moved to Parker County, Texas. John and Anzaline had
one son, William J. "Bill" Godfrey and were raising another child John
M. Francis. Anzaline died 4 Feb 1859 in Parker County, Texas. John
married Mary Henderson Lafferty on 21 Aug 1860. Mary finished raising
the children. John Godfrey was a Methodist minister.
Godfrey's Chapel Methodist Church had its beginning near Goshen west of Springtown. In 1854 John Godfrey had joined with a group of Christian believers in establishing public services and became a member of an organized pioneer church, where Indians were plentiful. Later the Reverend Pleasant Tackett, Samuel Leonard, Joshua Barker, Reverend John Godfrey and wife helped with carrying on the Christian religion by organizing the church at Goshen.
In a few years, we suppose, John Godfrey wanted a church nearer to his home; he was successful in obtaining a little over three acres of land in 1884 from James Edward "Jim" and Eliza Anna (Dobbs) Clark. The deed read: for use as a church parsonage school or burial ground. A small building was erected and was used for 9 years as a place of worship. The small congregation decided to move the building to a place more accessible to the county road.
In 1893 William M. Dobbs and Nancy Ann (Mitchell) Dobbs gave 1 - 1/2 acres 9 miles NE of Weatherford on the upper Denton Rd. This plot was to be used as the Clarks had stipulated in their deed. They deeded it for all time to come to the Methodist Episcopal Church South and to trustees John W. Godfrey, for whom the church was named, W.J. Godfrey, John's son and E.W. Signer. After the small building was moved from the Clark land to the Dobbs place, the crowds increased until the building had to be enlarged about half it's original size. The building remained here until the early fifties when it was disbanned because very few of the members remained in the community, and vandals were abusing the building and the contents, so it was sold and moved away. In 1956 Godfrey chapel property was attached to the Couts Memorial Methodist Church. A granite marker was placed at the site declared this place "Holy Ground" Mrs Jessie McAnnally Cumming remembers John Godfrey and as a small child sat at his feet listening intently at his stories.
The Godfrey Chapel Church was the center of activities in the community. The church had a revival each year in August under a bush arbor, with straw on the ground. This meeting lasted for ten days to two weeks. There were two services each day, everyone rescheduled their work so as to be able to attend as many services as possible. People came from miles around to attend these meetings. Most everyone in the early days, before cars, traveled in a wagon, hack, or a buggy and each family had a certain place, or a tree to tie their horses or mules as the case might be. The preacher preached from one to one and one half hours. Then we remember the big dinner on the ground, the last Sunday of the meeting, with all the best food the ladies could prepare. Methodists are known for eating chicken and there was always plenty, with the best pies and cakes too. Although we only had church services the fourth weekend of the month there was always an active Sunday School at the Chapel and even though the classes all had to meet in the same room, we each had our own niche.
One Sunday after church everyone had gone home, the church caught fire in the roof; the men and boys of the community rushed with buckets to the hand pump and saved the church. We will never forget the shouting by two saintly women, Grandma Mary Godfrey and her sister, Grandma Margaret Kutch Ward. Mrs. Ola Sharpe was a granddaughter of John Godfrey and lived in the community, attended church and Sunday School with her family. Her husband and all children were members of Godfrey Chapel which makes this place hold many precious memories for this family. Some of the early families in the church were: Godfrey, Kutch, Ward, Barker, Hayes, Lafferty, Coker, McAnally, Sharpe, Burns, Murphy, Howell and Cumming. We have a record of the ministers from 1874 to 1949 when the services were discontinued. .....
Family names on the role at the time of disbandment were: Cumming, McAnally, Sharpe, Ward, Wright, Grand , Ritch, Woody and Ruland.
From articles written by: Mary Ruth Sharpe & Mary Josefina Lafferty Wilson
Photo From Kimberly (Woody) Boretsky (pictured are John Godfrey & Mary Henderson Lafferty)
Godfrey's Chapel Methodist Church had its beginning near Goshen west of Springtown. In 1854 John Godfrey had joined with a group of Christian believers in establishing public services and became a member of an organized pioneer church, where Indians were plentiful. Later the Reverend Pleasant Tackett, Samuel Leonard, Joshua Barker, Reverend John Godfrey and wife helped with carrying on the Christian religion by organizing the church at Goshen.
In a few years, we suppose, John Godfrey wanted a church nearer to his home; he was successful in obtaining a little over three acres of land in 1884 from James Edward "Jim" and Eliza Anna (Dobbs) Clark. The deed read: for use as a church parsonage school or burial ground. A small building was erected and was used for 9 years as a place of worship. The small congregation decided to move the building to a place more accessible to the county road.
In 1893 William M. Dobbs and Nancy Ann (Mitchell) Dobbs gave 1 - 1/2 acres 9 miles NE of Weatherford on the upper Denton Rd. This plot was to be used as the Clarks had stipulated in their deed. They deeded it for all time to come to the Methodist Episcopal Church South and to trustees John W. Godfrey, for whom the church was named, W.J. Godfrey, John's son and E.W. Signer. After the small building was moved from the Clark land to the Dobbs place, the crowds increased until the building had to be enlarged about half it's original size. The building remained here until the early fifties when it was disbanned because very few of the members remained in the community, and vandals were abusing the building and the contents, so it was sold and moved away. In 1956 Godfrey chapel property was attached to the Couts Memorial Methodist Church. A granite marker was placed at the site declared this place "Holy Ground" Mrs Jessie McAnnally Cumming remembers John Godfrey and as a small child sat at his feet listening intently at his stories.
The Godfrey Chapel Church was the center of activities in the community. The church had a revival each year in August under a bush arbor, with straw on the ground. This meeting lasted for ten days to two weeks. There were two services each day, everyone rescheduled their work so as to be able to attend as many services as possible. People came from miles around to attend these meetings. Most everyone in the early days, before cars, traveled in a wagon, hack, or a buggy and each family had a certain place, or a tree to tie their horses or mules as the case might be. The preacher preached from one to one and one half hours. Then we remember the big dinner on the ground, the last Sunday of the meeting, with all the best food the ladies could prepare. Methodists are known for eating chicken and there was always plenty, with the best pies and cakes too. Although we only had church services the fourth weekend of the month there was always an active Sunday School at the Chapel and even though the classes all had to meet in the same room, we each had our own niche.
One Sunday after church everyone had gone home, the church caught fire in the roof; the men and boys of the community rushed with buckets to the hand pump and saved the church. We will never forget the shouting by two saintly women, Grandma Mary Godfrey and her sister, Grandma Margaret Kutch Ward. Mrs. Ola Sharpe was a granddaughter of John Godfrey and lived in the community, attended church and Sunday School with her family. Her husband and all children were members of Godfrey Chapel which makes this place hold many precious memories for this family. Some of the early families in the church were: Godfrey, Kutch, Ward, Barker, Hayes, Lafferty, Coker, McAnally, Sharpe, Burns, Murphy, Howell and Cumming. We have a record of the ministers from 1874 to 1949 when the services were discontinued. .....
Family names on the role at the time of disbandment were: Cumming, McAnally, Sharpe, Ward, Wright, Grand , Ritch, Woody and Ruland.
From articles written by: Mary Ruth Sharpe & Mary Josefina Lafferty Wilson
Photo From Kimberly (Woody) Boretsky (pictured are John Godfrey & Mary Henderson Lafferty)