Lorenzo Dow Hartwell Jr. was born May 6, 1843, in Williamson County, Illinois, and reared on the paternal farm five miles northeast of Marion, Illinois. He was the eighth in order of birth and the seventh boy in a family of twelve children born to Lorenzo Dow Hartwell Sr. and Sicily Hodge. Lorenzo Sr. emigrated from Virginia with his family in 1839. Continue reading
George Washington Pillow began life at Metropolis, Massac Co., Illinois, May 15, 1850. He was the son of Capt. Parker B. Pillow, of Columbia, Tenn. who died in March, 1883, at Shawneetown, to which place he moved in 1852. The mother was Elizabeth Braisier a native of this state and lived at Shawneetown. Continue reading
“It all started in Marion for one actress who was nominated for a Tony Award earlier this year.
Judith Ivey had never been in a play before she moved to Marion in the 11th grade and auditioned for a role in Marion High School’s production of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”
That sparked a successful career in theatre for Ivey, a 1970 graduate of MHS. Continue reading
George Ralph Thurmond was born in Ewing, Illinois on January 6, 1896, the son of Elisha M. and Ida A. Ingram Thurmond. His father, Elisha, taught school and engaged in farming and raising livestock prior to bringing his family to Marion on October 1, 1909 to engage in the monument business by buying the Marion Steam Marble Works (monument makers). Continue reading