John and Della Whitney came from farm families with deep roots in Ohio that reached back to before the Civil War. During the early 1900s the couple lived close to the Poplar Ridge Church of the Brethren in Defiance, Ohio, and served as custodians of the church building and grounds. In 1910, they followed other Brethren families west, purchasing a farm near Portis, Kansas. In 1918, they purchased 160 acres of farmland near Haxtun and began growing alfalfa, sorgum, and grass for pasture. The couple raised five children and remained on the farm until the 1930s when they moved to Longmont. There they owned and operated a grocery store until John’s death in 1948. Their third daughter, Jessie Lee, attended the University of Colorado and received a teaching certificate before returning to Haxtun and marrying Lyle Scott. Their son Wayne purchased the farm from his grandmother Della and today owns and operates the farm with his wife Doris.