Josephine Louise (Burdick) Whitford 1852-1906 
Categories: Alfred, New York, Farina SDB Church Constituent Member, 1866, Farina, Illinois, Rev. Willard D. Burdick Officiating, The Sabbath Recorder Obituary
"The Sabbath Recorder", Vol 62, No 36, p 569, Sep. 3, 1906.
  Josephine Louise Whitford, daughter of Russell W. and Amelia Vincent Burdick, was born at Alfred, N. Y., Aug. 6, 1852, and died at her home at Farina, Aug. 10, 1906.
  She was married to Edgar M. Whitford, Sept. 18, 1871, by Eld. Leman Andrus.   To them were born ten children, three of whom died in early childhood.   The others are living at Farina.
  Mrs. Whitford was baptized by Eld Nathan Wardner in 1864, and was united with the Second Alfred Church.   In 1865 she came with her parents to Farina, and at the organization of the Farina Seventh-day Baptist Church, became one - the youngest - of the constituent members.
  She exhibited in a former illness, and in her last sickness, a cheerful resignation to the will of God.
  Farewell services were held at the home on Sabbath afternoon, August 11.   Prayer was offered by Eld. Charles A. Burdick, and her pastor read and commented on the 23d Psalm, which he had read to her during her sickness, and which had both strengthened and comforted her.     W. D. B.

Census: 1880 La Clede, Fayette Co., Illinois: age 27

"The Sabbath Recorder", Vol 106, No 1, p 29, Jan. 7, 1929.
Edward Maxson Whitford, the second of six children born to Catherine Coon and Asa Maxson Whitford, was born at Adams Center, N. Y., March 23, 1849, and died at Farina, Ill., Friday, December 14, 1928, at the age of 79 years, 8 months and 21 days. Of his father's family one brother, Adelbert, of Milton Junction, Wis., survives. When a young man, he joined the Seventh Day Baptist Church of Adams Center, N. Y., and upon his removal to Farina, he united with the church of that faith, of which he was a member at the time of his death.
He came to Farina in 1867, engaging in agricultural pursuits which he followed until failing health forced him to retire from active service.
In 1871 he was married to Josephine Louise Burdick, who passed away August 10, 1906. Ten children were born to this union; three, Walter, Oliver and Flora C., preceding him in death. The surviving children are Mrs. E. G. Crosley, Mrs. C. A. Davis, O. J. Whitford, A. M. Whitford, and E. L. Whitford, all of Farina; Mrs. Mary Ware of St. Andrews, Fla., and Mrs. Lois Torres of Ann Arbor, Mich.
In 1910 he was married to Mrs. Helen Irish at Magnolia, Miss., who also survives him.
During his active life at Farina Mr. Whitford was known as one of our progressive farmers. He probably brought the first pure bred Shorthorn cattle to this community. He was a pioneer in the strawberry business, probably the first to use, and the inventor of, the present ticket system as a record of payment. He became interested in fruit trees, and for years he has been known as the propagator of the Whitford Orchard. It is at this orchard that one of the few chestnut groves of the Middle West can be found. He was one of the first of this locality to establish the ten hour day for the farm, and was an advocate of a fair wage for employees.
In a public way, he served for several years as director of the Gove school district. He helped organize the Fruit Growers Association, and the Building and Loan Association of Farina, and served several terms as mayor and member of the village board. During his life he did much for the advancement of his profession, and has left the community the better for his living in it. He was well known throughout Southern Illinois, as an authority on matters pertaining to fruit and nut production, and among his more intimate associates, as a four-square man. He has passed on, but his works will follow after him.
Aside from the members of the family already mentioned, there are fifteen grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and many other relatives and friends who revere his memory.
Funeral services were conducted at the home Sunday afternoon, at two o'clock, by pastor C. L. Hill, and burial was made in the Farina cemetery. C. L. H.

Census: 1880 La Clede, Fayette Co., Illinois: age 31, farmer