Brown, Owen P., 1860-1942, Merchant & Alderman

Posted on by March 28, 2024

Although a proper obit could not be located for Owen Peterson Brown, he appears to have been born in Township 12 Range 3 of Johnson County near Vienna. This is where his farming family was located in the 1870 federal census. In the census, his father Robert 41 and mother Mary 36 were living in a farm home. Owen was 9 and had 4 siblings along with four other young people, likely relatives.

When the 1880 census was taken the family were living in Elvira, Johnson County and Owen 19 and his brother Austin 12 were working as farm laborers on his father’s farm.

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Scobey, Elbert R., 1879-1945, Mortician, Alderman & Commissioner

Posted on by March 22, 2024
Bert Scobey, 1879-1945
Scobey Funeral Home Ad, 1925, 215 W Main St.
Scobey Funeral Home Ad, 1929, 400 Public Square
Scobey Funeral Home Ad, 1933, 415 E. Main Street

Elbert Ray Scobey who went by “Bert” was born January 3, 1879 in Crab Orchard Township. An article found later in life described his trip to the Plumville area as visiting his place of birth which would place him north of Crab Orchard. His parents were John Scobey and Amanda Caroline Pulley and were a farming family.

In the 1880 census the family was still located in Crab Orchard Township farming. His parents, John and Amanda were 49 and 41 years of age. Elbert was the youngest of three children still in the home at the age of 1. He attended the local schools in his youth and later attended Crab Orchard Academy. From 1897 to 1900 he taught in local public schools.

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Hunt, Thomas H., 1873-1947, Miner, Alderman & Commissioner

Posted on by March 18, 2024

Thomas Hiram Hunter appears to have been born in Southern Township south of Marion on August 8, 1873 to Leon Hunt and Mary Hudgens. This is where the 1880 federal census located his parental family living as farmers. In the census, Thomas was listed as 8 years old with 4 siblings.

On July 22, 1896, 22 year old Thomas married 20 year old Nettie Parker, daughter of Pinkney Parker and Mary Norman (or Noorvars?). Four years later in the 1900 census, the couple were renting a home in Marion and already had two children, Leon aged 3 and Tom aged 1. Thomas was employed as a coal miner.

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Youngkin, John H., 1875-1932, Miner, Alderman & Commissioner

Posted on by June 19, 2024

John Harrison Youngkin was born in Makanda, Illinois on April 4, 1875 to John R. Youngkin and Paralee York. By the 1880 federal census, the family was living in Grassy Township in Williamson County as farmers. In the census, John R. was 32 and Paralee was 24. Their children were Elmer A. 6, John H. 5 and Louella M. aged 3.

When the 1900 census was taken, John’s mother Paralee had passed away and the family was living in Marion. John’s widowed father was 52 and John H. was 25. John’s siblings at the time were Ella 23, Mary 19 and Stella aged 7. The family was renting their home and both John and his father were working local coal mines for income. Not long after the census was taken in 1900, John H. married Dottie Johnson in Marion on July 4, 1900. Dottie was the daughter of William Johnson and Bella Conley.

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Borton, Louis W., 1883-1916, Salesman & Alderman

Posted on by March 21, 2024

Louis Wetzel Borton, son of Reuben Borton & Mattie Simmons, was born in Marion on May 31, 1883. His father was a Marion miller and manufacturer of essential oils in addition to serving as a county commissioner and city alderman. Since the 1890 census doesn’t exist there is a gap in his younger years but he is found for the first time in the 1900 federal census at age 19 living with his 65 year old grandmother, Mary Simmons, and 39 year old widowed mother Mattie in Carbondale, Illinois along with his younger brother William B. Barton attending school. The house was also host to five boarders. The temporary jump to live in Carbondale can be explained by the death of his father, Reuben, in September of 1889.

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