Rest in Peace, Jeannie Martin

 Donna Jean Burford Martin was born 05 April 1951

 and passed away on Christmas Eve 2024 at the age of 73.

Jeannie was the daughter of Bernice and Dorothy Burford

Bernice was a brother of my grandfather Lester Burford

Here is a picture of Jeannie with her older sister Sue Burford. Easter 1959.

This is the only other picture I have of Jeannie Burford

December 24

Alexander Oscar Burford, Jr. married Helen Virginia Lockard 24 December 1885

PHOTO: Alexander Oscar Burford, Jr. with his first wife Helen Virginia Lockard and their children Raymond, Edith, and Hazel

PHOTO: Edith, Hazel, Raymond Burford

From my book When We Were Irish --

Alexander Oscar Burford was born in 1858 and died in 1929. He married Helen Virginia Lockard in 1885 and had three children, Raymond, Edith, and Hazel. Helen Virginia died in 1897 of typhoid fever. Alexander’s second wife was Lora Gibson. They had ten children, Adelbert (“Deb”), Helen, Ishmael, George, Killough, Bernice, Lester, Neil, Juanita, and Judy. Lester Burford was my grandfather.   

Notes from Cleffie Hicks Burford: 

Alexander Oscar Burford worked at the post office in Judsonia, Arkansas.  Part of his job was to take outgoing mail out onto the platform and hang it on the specified place for pickup by the train, and he retrieved the bags of incoming mail.  On October 7, 1929 Alexander Oscar misstepped and fell backwards off the platform.  He landed on his back and the back of his head.  Later he went home and lay down to rest a while. He died while he lay there.    

Wathada’s notes: 

I want to go to the library in Judsonia, and maybe to the newspaper to see where I need to go to find the obituary of Daddy's father.  He died in Judsonia on October 28, 1929 -- the day before the stock market crashed.  I've always said his death is what caused that crash and started the Great Depression. Now a thing like that ought to have been in the paper!!!  

Notes from Dorothy Moore Burford:   

Helen Virginia Lockard was the first wife of Alexander Oscar Burford Jr. They had three children, Raymond, Edith, and Hazel.  Helen Virginia Lockard was not raised by her parents (Lemuel Lockard and Amy Gibson Lockard), but was raised by her uncle, Smith Gibson (Amy's brother about 6 years younger than Amy) and his second wife, Emily Standley  

Helen Virginia Lockard Burford was a weakly person and was not able to take care of her children, so when Lora Gibson was 14 years old, she went to stay with the family and take care of the children and they paid her for doing that job.  She lived with them from then on.     

Helen Virginia Lockard Burford died of typhoid fever. Her cousin, Asa Gibson had typhoid fever and she brought him to her house so she could take care of him.  Asa recovered, but Helen caught it from him and she did not survive.  

Wathada’s notes: 

Aunt Dorothy told me that Grandma (Lora Gibson Burford) had gone to stay with Alexander and his first wife when she was 14 years old and lived with them from then on.  I asked her why she had gone to live with them when she was 14, and she said because Helen Virginia (Alexander's first wife) was always sickly and was not able to take care of her children.  Grandma had gone to live with them to take care of the children.  That would have been in 1891 or 1892. Raymond (the oldest) would have been 5 years old then. Most likely it was around the time of the birth of the last child (Hazel) who was born in January 1892.  They paid Grandma for taking care of the children.    

Author’s note: About a year and a half after Helen Virginia died, Alexander married Lora Gibson.  

* * *

Here are all the pictures I have of Raymond Burford

cropped from photo below, taken at a Burford family reunion in 1958

PHOTO L-R: Raymond, Judy, George (don't know who is in the background)

PHOTO L-R: Raymond, Juanita, Jim (Juanita's son), Ella Irby (George's mother-in-law), Florence (Deb Burford's wife)

PHOTO: Ruby and Raymond Burford

Here is the only picture I have of Edith as an adult -

Edith is marked. 

Here is a tagged copy of this group photo -

(Thanks to Myra Burford Luker for these pictures.)

* * *

Here are all the pictures I have of Hazel 

The teacher on the right is probably Hazel (not 100% certain)

PHOTO: Hazel (right) - this picture was taken at the same family reunion in 1958 as the photos of Raymond (above). To the left of Hazel are Juanita and her sons Jimmy and Jerry Hombs.

December 23

David Raymond Burford married Elizabeth Jane Pittman 23 December 1939

PHOTO: David Raymond Burford. I don't have a picture of his wife E.J. Pittman.

Raymond was the firstborn child of Alexander Burford and his first wife Helen Virginia Lockard. The rest of the Burford brothers were sons of Alexander and his second wife Lora Gibson. So there was large gap between Raymond and the three youngest sons Bernice, Lester, and Neil. Raymond's son David was the same age as Lester. The other brother in this photo is George, who was 10 years older than Lester.

* * *

Nina Katherine Naftzger Hurlbut died 23 December 1971, age 76

PHOTO: Cecil Myrick Hurlbut and his wife Nina Katherine Naftzger.

Cecil's mother was Etta Thomas, sister of my great-grandfather Charles Thomas.

* * *

Paul Herdman Jones was born 23 December 1900

Paul was a physician. He had an extensive medical career in his hometown and in the Army during World War II. The Herdman family is related to the Treat branch of our family tree by the marriage of Belle Treat to Ulysses Grant Herdman. (Belle was a sister of my great-grandfather Marcus Treat.)

* * *

Seth William Gard died 23 December 1910, age 81

PHOTO: Seth William Gard with his wife Eliza Jane Helpman

The Gards are ancestors of my great-grandmother Lora Gibson Burford.

December 22

 I don't have pictures of the birthday people today, so instead I'm going to post pictures of people posing with their Christmas trees. It seems like that accidentally became my "thing" this year...

Wathada, me, Missy (the dog), Rick 1962 Bangor MI

Christopher and Casey 1985 or 86, Fairhope AL (Thompson Hall Road)

Me, 1994 Fairhope AL (Rosa Court)

Alan Kessler about 1968 (?), Fairhope AL (?)

Christopher Carrigan 1980, Searcy AR (McRae Street)

Casey and Christopher 1982, Searcy AR (Lape Ave)

Christopher 1981, Searcy AR (Lape Ave)

Christopher 1982 or 83, Searcy AR (Lape Ave)

Keith and Christopher 1981, Searcy AR (Lape Ave)

Me, Rick, John, Mom, 1965 or 66, Hartford MI

Donald and Oma Dell Hawley at my house 1994, Fairhope AL

Jack and Ruby Barnett, Searcy AR (not sure what year - sometime in the 1970s probably)

Karen and Mike Griffin, Riley and Sophie 2003, Michigan

Leslie, Darren, Karen ??year?? La Mirada, California (?)

Lori and Mark Burford, 1966 or 1967 Benton Harbor MI

Red and Cleffie, 1980-something (?) Downey CA

Rick, Dianne, John  1997 Watervliet MI

Annie Hicks 1967-ish, Watervliet MI

Me 1993 maybe, Fairhope AL (Rosa Court)

Ricky and Dianne 1958 or 59, Bangor MI

Now there's a little story that goes with this one. Mom and Dad were across the street at Ashel and Marian Miller's house. I decided to snoop under the Christmas tree, and told Ricky to watch out the picture window and let me know when he saw Mom and Dad coming. Well, at the time, we didn't know that Rick's eyesight was so bad he was considered practically legally blind. So... not a good choice to be the lookout! (I don't remember getting caught, so I guess it worked out okay.)

December 21

 Taylor Renee Beukelman was born 21 December 1995.

Taylor is the daughter of Leslie Renee Burford and Dave Beukelman.

PHOTO: Dave and Leslie and Taylor Beukelman

Leslie is the daughter of Morris and Becky Burford

PHOTO: Morris and Becky and Leslie, 1969

Morris is the son of my grandparents Lester and Cleffie Hicks Burford

PHOTO: Cleffie with Wathada (my mother) and Morris, 1939

Four generations

PHOTO: Cleffie, Morris, Leslie, and Taylor

December 20

All but one of today's featured people are related to my great-great-grandmother Adaline Carter Arnold.

This group photo features Adaline and some of her siblings, with their offspring. (It was captioned by one of Margaret Rhoades' children.)

* * *

James Arthur Dunn was born 20 December 1885 in Missouri

 (picture cropped from group photo above)

Arthur was the son of Mary Elizabeth Carter

Mary Elizabeth was a sister of  Adaline Carter Arnold.

* * *

Arbon V. Arnold died 20 December 2004, age 83

Arbon was the son of Marlie and Birdie Arnold

Marlie was a brother of my great-grandmother Annie Arnold Hicks (daughter of Adaline Carter Arnold)

PHOTO: cousins, Annie's children and Marlie's children

PHOTO: Arbon Arnold and his wife Johnnie, 1986

* * *

John Martin Carter married Amy Lorene Tamsett 20 December 1903

John Carter was a brother of  Adaline Carter Arnold

* * *

Melinda Paralee Carter was born 20 December 1866

Paralee was a sister of Adaline Carter Arnold

PHOTO: sisters Adaline, Ellen, Paralee

PHOTO: Paralee Carter and her husband David Owen

* * *

Thomas Ewing Cartee was born 20 December 1866 in Missouri

Tom was the husband of Matilda Carter

Matilda was a sister of Adaline Carter Arnold

PHOTO: Tom and Tilda Carter Cartee

* * *

Juliet Lough Rice died 20 December 1893, age 71

PHOTO: Oliver Shurtleff Rice and his wife Juliet Lough

Juliet was the daughter of Prudence Gibson 

Prudence was the great-great-aunt of my great-grandmother Lora Gibson Burford