For today’s “In Remembrance” we celebrate the marriage on 5 Apr 1866 of Wesley and Isabella (Odom) Gordon, Michael’s 4x GGP on his mother’s side of the family. “West” (as Wesley was known) was likely born in Virginia around 1838, but his birth location is listed as Mississippi and Tennessee in various records throughout his life. Isabella was born around 1850, also likely in Virginia, although she’s listed as being born in Mississippi in some records.

West and Isabella were married in DeSoto County Mississippi just under a year after they took their freedom once the Civil War ended, however they likely were betrothed prior to that as their oldest child Cora was born also enslaved about 1864. By 1870 West and Isabella are farming a sharecrop just North of Nesbit, MS in the extreme Northwest part of Mississippi. In-fact their farm was likely less than 10 miles from both Arkansas and Tennessee (Memphis was only 8 miles away). All records for the couple indicate they lived in this area, if not the same rented farm, for their entire lives. West had passed away by the time of the 1910 US Census and Isabella is listed as still living on a rented farm with many of the same neighbors.

They had 11 children (we know of), 5 boys and 6 girls. Many of them stayed in the NW Mississippi/Memphis area, but many of their grandchildren moved North in the Great Migration, including Cora’s son Ira White who moved to Hartford, Connecticut.

West passed away between 1900 and 1910, and Isabella survived until 1923. She passed away in DeSoto County, MS.