William W. WHITEFORD
WALTER WHITEFORD
". . . . William W.
WHITEFORD was born in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on
June 4, 1852, and is a son of Samuel and Margaret
WHITEFORD, both of whom also were natives of the land
of hills and heather. These parents, in 1856, came to the United
States, locating first in New York City, where the death of the
mother occurred. In 1861 Samuel WHITEFORD
enlisted in the Thirteenth Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry,
with which he served faithfully until the close of the war. He
was wounded in the battle of Fair Oaks, and died in a hospital
at Washington, D. C., in 1865. He was the father of five
children, of whom two are living, the subject of this sketch,
and John W. WHITEFORD, of Fostoria, Iowa.
William W. Whiteford came to Sandwich, Illinois, in 1866 and
was there engaged in farm work until attaining his majority. On
February 5, 1885, he came to Fayette county, Iowa, and located
on a farm one mile from Randalia, and there he was continuously
and successfully engaged in the pursuit of agriculture until
1905, when he moved into the village of Randalia and engaged in
the livery business, in which he is still interested. He was a
thoroughly practical and intelligent farmer, giving a wise
direction to all of his operations, and his fine farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, which he still owns, is numbered among
the best farms in the township. Mr. Whiteford is also a
stockholder in the Randalia Savings Bank. He has in other ways
evinced an interest in the commercial welfare of the community
and was one of the original stockholders and the first president
of the Randalia Creamery Company, being also for several years a
member of the board of directors.
Politically, Mr. Whiteford is an adherent of the Democratic
party, in the success of which he has been deeply interested,
and he has held the office township assessor for eight years
continuously, being the present incumbent of this office.
Fraternally, he is a member of Randalia Lodge, No. 177,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he has also taken a number
of the higher degrees in this order, belonging to the encampment
and canton at West Union. Mrs. Whiteford is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, to which she gives a liberal
support.
On September 22, 1876, Mr. Whiteford was united in marriage to
Eliza CANHAM, a native of England, born on March 7, 1844, a
daughter of Thomas and Rebecca (GROOM) Canham. These parents,
who also were natives of England, brought their family to the
United States in 1852, locating first in New York city. In 1856
they moved to Illinois, where the mother's death occurred in
1900, at the age of seventy-seven years, her husband following
her to the silent land in 1902, at the age of seventy-nine
years. They were the parents of three children, of whom the
subject's wife is the only one living. A brother, Henry, died in
the Belle Isle prison during the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs.
Whiteford have become the parents of four children, namely:
Gertrude is the wife of Fay POTTER and they
have one child, Gladys; Walter W., a grain dealer at Randalia,
is mentioned in a later paragraph; George assists his father in
his business affairs and carries the mail; Charles, who is a
farmer, having charge of the old homestead, married Florence
TATRO and they have two children, Robert Owen
and Charles Leroy. George married Fannie STEELE
and they have a son, Paul.
Walter W. WHITEFORD
was born near Pawpaw, Illinois, on December 27, 1878. He was
reared on his father's farm and received a common school
education, supplementing this by a business course at Hiland
Park. Since attaining mature years he has been engaged in the
grain business, having worked eight years for Gilchrist &
Company of McGregor. He was then for two years with the
Northwestern Life Insurance Company, but in August, 1908, he
engaged in the grain business at Randalia on his own account. He
met with success from the start and is now numbered among the
prosperous business men of the community. Politically, he is a
Republican, while he and his wife attend and support the
Methodist Episcopal church.
In July, 1906, Walter Whiteford married Lulu BEAMER,
a native of West Union, and a daughter of William and Fannie (SANDS)
Beamer. To this union have been born two
children, Elizabeth A. and Margaret M. The members of the
Whiteford family have always stood high in the estimation of
those who know them and they have exerted a potential influence
for the best interests of the community in which they live."
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