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.  

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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.)

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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.