Person:Melissa Benjamin (1)

The funeral services of the late Mrs. Burdick were held at the family residence in Carbondale on Wednesday, the fifteenth inst., Rev. Whiting and Rev. Morse officiating. The remains of the deceased were taken to the cemetery at Nortonville, their old home in Jefferson county, for interment. They were accompanied by H. W., Dr. And Mrs. D. B. Burdick.
A friend contributes to the Carbondale Astonisher and Paralyzer the following sketch of the deceased:
“The announcement in your paper of the last issue of the death of Mrs. M. Burdick, the wife of V. M. Burdick, deceased, on Sunday evening, the 12th inst., marks the closing period of a life that is worthy of our kindest regards and admiration, a life so full of years of usefulness, pure, full of Christian love, abounding in self sacrifice and devotion to make those about her happy.
Born April 26th, 1807, she was the youngest child of one of the oldest families of Western New York. Mr. And Mrs. Carious Benjamin, who located and founded the present beautiful city of DeRuyter, the birth-place of the subject of this sketch, Melissa Benjamin. Mr. Benjamin was an enlisted soldier in the Revolutionary war, and served in Gen. Washington’s command. The last fifty years of his life he drew a pension for valued services rendered. He died in 1850, in the ninety-third year of his age; his wife, though full of years above the allotted three score and ten, had passed away some time prior to his death.
Mr. and Mrs. Burdick, for a quarter century after their marriage, which took place December 29th, 1825, continued to reside at their birth place. In 1850 they emigrated west, and located at Elgin, Ill., then a small village, now one of the finest Illinois cities. In 1866 they removed to this State, locating a stock ranch in Atchison county. The health of Mr. Burdick had failed, he died the following spring. The mother and the two youngest of the family, H. W. and Dr. Burdick, of this city, took up their residence in Topeka, where they continued to live until they come here in 1881. Hon. D. B. Burdick, the eldest son of the family, has been identified with the history of this county since its organization in 1857. The eldest, a daughter, died in this county in 1857, and fills an unknown grave in the old cemetery at Burlingame. Dr. E. S. Burdick, of California, with those mentioned above, constitutes the remaining family to mourn the loss of a noble woman, a Christian mother.
“Let me die the death of the righteous.
Let my last end be like His.”
The lat V. S. Burdick, who died at Pardee in 1876, was a son of the deceased noted above, was a man highly respected, and at the time of his death was a deacon of the Seventh Day Baptist church at Pardee, in this county. His two beautiful daughters, Stella and Agnes, are residing at the old homestead.
V. M. Burdick, deceased, as noted above, was a Christian of high standing in this community.
Dr. E. L. Burdick, the next son, was a physician at Valley Falls, and had an extensive practice at that place and in the western part of this county prior to his removal to California in 1876.

In Carbondale, Kansas, April, 1885, Mrs. Melissa Burdick, wife of Dea. V. M. Burdick, deceased, in the 78th year of her age. She was born in DeRuyter, N. Y., April 26, 1807. She experienced religion in her early years and joined the Seventh-day Baptist Church, and continued in that connection until 1868, when she united with the First Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. She was a consisten Christian woman, and a noble mother. The funeral services were held at the family residence at Carbondale, and the remains were buried in the cemetery at Nortonville, by the side of her late husband. Her remaining family are Hon. D. B. Burdick, H. W. Burdick, Dr. I. D. Burdick, of Carbondale, and Dr. E. L. Burdick, of California. Her last sickness was borne with Christian faither and fortitude. She longed to meet the dear ones gone before, and the dear Saviour who comforted the disciples with the assuring words, "I go to prepare a place for you."