According to his Social Security death record, Elias Anderson McIntosh was born January 23, 1871 in Johnson County. His parents were Benjamin McIntosh & Sarah Swindle. In the 1880 census, his family was located in Southern Township of Williamson County and working as farm laborers. In the census, 9 year old Elias had two siblings Willie 5 and Eddie aged 2.

On February 14, 1891, 21 year old Elias who was listed as living in Creal Springs and working as a farmer married Julia Ann Carter, the 17 year old daughter of Solomon W. Carter & Eliza Ann Harold.

Oddly enough, when the 1900 census was taken, 29 year old Elias was still found living with his family but they were located in Murphysboro, Illinois. His father was working as a carpenter, Elias was listed as working as a grocer, while his 22 year old brother Edward was a horse trainer. Elias is shown as single and there is no mention of his wife Julia.

When the Local U.M.W.A. Union #2216 was chartered on January 3, 1903, Elias became the secretary of the union with a membership of 150 in 1904. This union at the time were working for the Carterville Coal District.

There isn’t much doubt that Elias and Julia lived in Marion by this time because he was listed in a Marion Street Directory for 1907 as living at 1305 W. Cherry Street and working as a weighman at a coal mine. A thorough search of census records turned up nothing for 1910, but he served as alderman for the city of Marion under Mayor J.C. Mitchell in 1909 and 1910.

In April 1909, Julia deserted the marriage and went to Bellingham, Washington to work. In February 1910, Elias filed divorce proceedings against her claiming her desertion, the theft of money and that she had had an adulterous relationship with another man. Julia protested the claims and counter claimed that she left the marriage because of his “intoxicated nature” and physical and mental abuse. Keep in mind that this is long before Illinois established “no fault” divorce and claims of abuse usually had to be excessive to establish a claim. In the divorce, Elias mentioned that he owned an empty lot in Marion amounting to $200 but was making fairly good money working as a coal miner. The divorce was finally granted in July of 1911 dissolving the marriage.

On May 9, 1917, Elias, then 46, tried on marriage again and married 34 year old Mrs. Flora Throgmorton in Herrin, Illinois. That marriage however, was also doomed. In May 1918, Flora filed for divorce under the grounds that Elias was violent and abusive. She stated that he attempted to choke her and she had to flee the house by jumping out of a window to escape him only to have him continue to harass and threaten her. The divorce was granted May 30, 1918.

Elias was found in the 1920 census to be living as a divorcee in a boarding house on Pine Street in Zeigler, Illinois with a large number of other coal miners undoubtedly working the Zeigler mine.

Elias tried marriage again for the third time later that year on May 20, 1920 and was wed to Lutie G. Davis. The couple moved into a home at 111 N. Pine Street in Zeigler, Illinois so that Elias could continue working the mine there. When the 1940 federal census was taken, 69 year old Elias was still working at the mine and claimed an income of $1,100 for the year, stating that he had worked 26 weeks out of the year in 1939. When asked about his education he claimed 4 years of college and that his home value was set at $2,000.

In the 1950 census, Elias 80 and Lutie 72 were still living on Pine Street in Zeigler and were retired with no income.

Elias passed away at the age of 82 on July 19, 1952 and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Marion. After his death, his current wife Lutie moved to Marion and lived at 303 E. Marion Street where she lived until her death in February 1959. She was buried next to Elias at Maplewood Cemetery.

(Sources: Federal Census records, Marion Street Directories, Marion City Cemetery Records, Williamson County Marriage Records, Social Security Death records, FindaGrave.com, 1905 Historical Souvenir of Williamson County, Williamson County Vital Records, Williamson County Divorce records. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on March 7, 2024)