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- The death of Mrs. WHITFORD,
May 31, following so soon upon that of President
- WHITFORD,
was a great shock to the people of Milton and vicinity. And yet
so entirely did she live in his life and labors that when his
work was done it seemed as though there was nothing left for
her but to pass on with him.
- Mrs. [Ruth R.] WHITFORD was
the daughter of James HEMPHILL and Sarah
- DENSMORE HEMPHILL, who came from New Hampshire to Western New
York seventy years ago. She was educated in Alfred Academy, afterward
Alfred University, and entered upon the work of teaching. About
1850 she was employed in an academy at Shiloh, N.J., of which
William C. WHITFORD was, at the time, principal. There
they were married, March 23, 1852, - 50 years ago. After this
she taught for two or three years [at] a private school in New
Market, N.J., known as the "Seminary," while Mr. WHITFORD
was completing his theological education, and in 1856 they came
to Milton which has since been their home, and the field of their
united, untiring labors.
- The funeral, in spite of a severe storm
which arose about the time of the service, was
- largely attended, and was conducted
by Dr. PLATTS who was assisted by Rev. A. L. McCLELLAND.
The music, beautiful and appropriate, was furnished by Dr. STILLMAN
and his College Choir, the floral offerings were rich and beautiful,
and were furnished by the students and alumni as well as by personal
friends both in and out of town, and the church was draped, in
fitting tokens of the sorrow which all hearts felt, by Mrs. BLISS,
Mrs. BOSS, and Mrs. J. H. BABCOCK, the entire arrangements
of all details being, as nearly as possible, the same as those
at President WHITFORD's funeral, made by the same loving
hands, and expressing the same universal esteem and sorrow.
- Mrs. WHITFORD was a descendant,
in the second generation, of the Revolutionary
- patriots, her grandfather having served
as a soldier during the entire period of that struggle for liberty,
and she inherited their noblest spirit of patriotic loyalty.
- She had four sisters and five brothers
who lived to become heads of families. The
- sisters have now all passed away, and
also two of the brothers. One of the remaining brothers now lives
in Pennsylvania, one in Oregon, and the other, William HEMPHILL,
still keeps a home in the town of Fulton, some four miles west
of Milton, where he has lived most of the time for the past forty
years. Of the four children born to Elder and Mrs. WHITFORD,
only one, M. C. WHITFORD, this village, remains, he and
his little daughter, Maude WHITFORD, being their sole
survivors. To them the heartfelt sympathies of a large circle
of friends go out in this great double affliction. [Thursday
edition, p. 1]
-
- Courtesy of Jon Saunders
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