Howard Lavern Pentecost was born October 17, 1921 in Williamson County, in what is now the Ordill area, which is now off limits to the general public, to Robert Houston Pentecost (1878-1962) and Martha Naomi Frey (1887-1978). Continue reading
Tag Archives: WWII
J.C. Mitchell was born in Marion on February 2, 1925, the son of Everett Edward and Margaret Helen (Hartman) Mitchell.
One of Mitchell’s great-grandfathers, William N. Mitchell, first moved to the Williamson County area near Corinth about the year 1830. He was a school teacher at the time. He later studied surveying and when Franklin County split in two and formed Williamson County in 1839, Mitchell ran the survey line between the south boundaries of Franklin County and the present north boundary of Williamson County. He also served in the Civil War as Captain in the Union Army. He was a postmaster and after service during the Civil War was County Clerk of Williamson County. Continue reading
Dr. Alonzo Newton Baker, M.D. was born May 28, 1904 at 1310 W. Main in Marion, Illinois to Dr. Virgil Baker and Nora L. Neber. Alonzo was likely named after his grandfather Alonzo P. Baker, civil war soldier and pioneer county doctor who helped influence the formation of early professional Southern Illinois medical care. Continue reading
Donald Houston Bethel was born November 12, 1919, in Ozark, Illinois, in Johnson County, the son of Jewell Guy Bethel Sr. (1896-1970) and Elma Mae Houston (1900-1991).
Although his obituary states that he was born in Ozark, Illinois only one month after his birth he and his parents were listed in the 1920 census as living at Harrisburg in Saline County. Continue reading
Bill L. Bainbridge was born July 8, 1922, in Marion, to Lawrence and Lottie Mae (Eyre) Bainbridge. Having been born into a family of merchants, Bill was a WWII veteran who spent his life in the family jewelry business and was the great-grand-son of J.B. Bainbridge, an early pioneering Marion merchant. Continue reading