Mark Woodley Jr. was born December 24, 1873 at Dipton, Durham County, England, and was the son of Mark Woodley Sr. and Maria (Williams) Woodley and was partially educated in England
In early January 1886, Mark aged 12, his parents, then in their mid-40’s, and his 3 year old sister Florence boarded the steamship “Indiana” in Liverpool and arrived in the port of Philadelphia on January 29th. The family made their way to the coal fields of northern Illinois and located at Coal City southwest of Cook County. Mark completed his education in this area while his father worked the coal mines.
In 1895 he was married to Miss Sarah Jackson in Coal City, who also emigrated to the U.S. from England at the age of 3 in 1879 and settled in the same area. The year after she arrived in this country, her father died.
In August of 1896, the couple had their first child, a daughter named Mae Woodley followed by a second daughter in December of 1897 named Ruth Olga Woodley. In July of 1899, they had their third child and first son, named Ralph Emerson Woodley.
When the 1900 federal census was taken, the couple was living in Carbon Hill Village in Grundy County, Illinois on Third Street in a home that they owned free of mortgage. Mark was working as a book keeper for a local coal mine and the couple had their three children living in the home. The ages of the family at the time were Mark 26, Sarah 24, Mae 3, Ruth O. 2 and young Ralph aged 10 months.
Shortly after the 1900 census was taken, the family migrated to Southern Illinois and moved into Marion. In 1902, Mark began working for the Chicago and Big Muddy Coal Company at Marion as a payroll clerk.
On April 12, 1902, the couple gave birth to twins. One was a boy named Floyd Woodley, but he died the same day. The other was a girl named Florence Woodley who, unfortunately only lasted until August of the same year before she perished.
The couple’s last attempt at children came with the birth of their sixth child, Laverne Woodley, a daughter, born in June of 1905.
In the 1910 census, Mark then aged 36 and Sarah then 34, were living at 1007 S. Buchanan Street which they owned free of mortgage. Mark was listed as mine book keeper. Children in the home were Mae 13, Ruth O. 12, Ralph 10 and the youngest Laverne aged 5.
Mark served as Alderman to the city of Marion under Mayor J.H. Burnett in 1911 and again in 1912. He also served as a member of the Board of Trade
On March 7, 1911, as an active member of the First Methodist Church and a member of the board of director’s, Mark was present and seconded the motion for the church to rebuild the older structure that we see today. The motion was passed and Mark served as a member of the Building Committee.
In 1914, the city of Marion bought the lot on S. Market where the city’s new Marion Carnegie Library would be built. The library was built in 1915 and opened to the public on February 29, 1916. The first President of the Library Board of Directors was Mark Woodley, who had been involved from its inception and would remain active throughout his life.
In September of 1918, Mark went to 201 ½ Public Square to register for the WWI draft. He was aged 44 and listed as a naturalized citizen. He listed his current residence as 404 Thorne Place. (This address would later be changed by the city to become S. Virginia Street.) His occupation was mine superintendent for the Chicago and Big Muddy Coal Company in Marion. He was described physically as medium height, medium build, grey eyes and light brown hair.
When the book “Williamson County in the World War, 1919” was written to document the counties involvement in supporting the war effort, Woodley wrote an article in the book entitled “Record of Williamson County Mining Industry in the War.” His daughter Mae, having graduated MHS in 1914, was also active in working with the Red Cross for civilian relief during WWI.
In the 1920 federal census, Mark 46 and Sarah 44 were occupying 404 Thorne Place which they owned free of mortgage. There were two children left in the home, Mae had married, Ralph left to work in Chicago leaving Ruth aged 22 and Laverne aged 15. The couple hosted a roomer in the home by the name of Florence Burnett.
In 1922, their daughter Ruth married leaving the couple one child left, Laverne who was still a student. In this directory, the street name had changed over to S. Virginia from the old name of Thorne Place.
In 1925, the Chicago and Big Muddy mine closed. During the last years of the mine’s operation he was superintendent. He had been affiliated with the Big Muddy Coal Co. for 23 years.
In 1927 when he and his son-in-law Floyd Bracy (daughter, Ruth’s husband) formed the insurance firm of Bracy and Woodley which was dissolved in 1936 when he took over the Roberts Insurance Agency which he operated as a manager in partnership with Miss Mable Todd and Owen J. Cox.
In the 1930 census, Mark aged 56 and Sarah aged 54 were still occupying their home at 404 S. Virginia Street which they valued at $10,000. Mark was listed as a manager of an insurance company.
In the early thirties he headed the Williamson County Emergency Relief Commission as chairman and also served as President of the Marion Township High School Board.
In 1936-37 he served as President of the Marion Rotary club and in 1936 started the annual distribution of “Rotary Awards” to worthy scholars at the Marion High School. Selection was made by vote of the faculty on a fifty-fifty basis of scholarship and school activities. A gold key is given to the outstanding boy or girl in each class for first place and a silver key for second place, plus pins for the next eight in each class. In the case of a tie vote, then both point winners received the same award.
Oddly enough, when the 1940 census was taken, the old address of 404 Thorne Place pops back up instead of S. Virginia, apparently it takes the federal government a few years to catch up. Mark was then 66 and Sarah 64 and valued the home at $6,000.
In June of 1945, the couple lost their youngest married daughter, Laverne (Woodley) Richards, leaving them with three living children out of six.
As a member of the First Methodist Church, he taught the Goodfellows Bible Class for many years and for several years was director of the choir.
Mark Woodley, 84, Marion insurance man, former coal mine operator and public official, died in Marion Memorial Hospital Sunday, at 2:06 p.m., September 14, 1958. Ronald Reed, a later Marion Carnegie librarian would describe Woodley as, ”one of the most energetic and civic minded men to grace the streets of Marion.”
Mr. and Mrs. Woodley would have been married 63 years on November 2nd, 1958, his wife survived.
Surviving also were two daughters, Mrs. Floyd Ruth Bracy, Herrin and Mrs. Arthur (Mae) Lee, DuQuoin. There are six grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
Four children preceded him in death, Mrs. Lee (Peggy) Richards, Ralph Woodley and twins, Floyd and Florence, who died in infancy.
The body was taken from Mitchell Funeral Home to the family residence at 404 South Virginia where it remained until 1 p.m. Tuesday when it was taken to the church to lie in state until 2 p.m. when the casket was closed prior to the funeral service.
Funeral services were held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the First Methodist Church by pastors, Rev. C.V. Tolley and Rev. N.C. Henderson.
Organist, Miss Thelma Ward, accompanied Mrs. Louie Meffert and Mrs. Ray Evans as they sang “Near to the Heart of God,” and “Going Home.”
Casket bearers were Russell Reichert, La Rue Swinney, F.C. Turner, Don Miller, A.W. Duncan and Robert Morrison.
Members of the Clio Club were flower bearers. They were Mesdames Edward Daniel, Karl Federer, Juanita Winters, Dent Ferrell, Ray Cagle, Warder Stotlar, H.D. Norris, D.D. Wright, Carl Wiemken, Ben Box, Albert Kaeser, R.P. Wilson, Oldham Paisley, and A.B. McLaren.
Interment followed in New Rose Hill Cemetery.
Sam’s Notes:
Sarah (Jackson) Woodley was born July 29, 1875 in Whitehaven, Cumberland Co., England. She emigrated with her 25 year old mother, Susan (Hind) Jackson (1848-1924), and two young brothers from Liverpool to New York, arriving on October 8, 1879 at the age of 3. Her father, William George Jackson (1851-1880), died the following year. She died in the Herrin Hospital on January 10, 1968 at the age of 92. Her residence at death was 1213 S. 16th Street in Herrin.
Mrs. Woodley was a member of the First United Methodist Church and the Clio Club in Marion.
Survivors include her daughters. Mrs. Ruth Bracy of Herrin and Mrs. Mae Lee of Duquoin; a sister, Mrs. Ruth Battersby of Frankfort, Indiana; a half-sister, Mrs. James Longstaff of West Palm Beach, Florida; six grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday in the George Van Natta Funeral Home in Herrin with the Rev. E.E. Souders officiating. Burial was in New Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion next to her husband Mark.
Mae (Woodley) Lee was born August 26, 1896. She graduated Marion High School in 1914 and married Arthur Franklin Lee on June 14, 1918, they lived in Duquoin during the 1930 census. They had one child. She died in Evanston, Illinois on May 14, 1975.
Ruth Olga (Woodley) Bracy was born December 3, 1897. She graduated Marion High School in 1915 and married Floyd Parker Bracy (1897-1965) in Marion on December 30, 1922. They had two sons, William Thomas Bracy (June 3, 1927- January 4, 1987), married in 1967 and died in Mexico and James Richard Bracy (November 4, 1930- October 20, 2011) married in 1951 and died in Herrin, Illinois.
Ralph Emerson Woodley was born July 3, 1899 and graduated from Marion High School in 1916. Enlisted in the Navy on May 1, 1918 during WWI. He married Margaret Brooks (1897-1950) in Chicago on January 1, 1921. The had three children. Two of them were Gloria Jane Woodley (1922-1922) and Suzanne Woodley (1923-2003).
Florence Woodley was born on April 12, 1902 and died in August 1902.
Floyd Woodley was born on April 12, 1902 and died the same day.
Laverne “Peggy” (Woodley) Richards was born June 9, 1905 and married Lee Owen Richards (1900-1969) in 1928. They had one child, name unknown. She died in Danville, Illinois on June 29, 1945. She was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.
(Data extracted from a brief article written by Ronald Reed for the 1989 Sesquicentennial History; Marion Daily Republican Obits, September 1958; Federal Census Records; Illinois Death Records; Marion Street Directories; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 11/03/2013)