Category Archives: Businesses

Marion Businesses

Baker, Dr. Virgil A. Baker 1876-1930, Baker and Baker

Posted on by October 7, 2013

Dr. Virgil Aaron Baker was born on April 3, 1876, in Grassy Precinct, Williamson County, Illinois.  He was the son of Dr. Alonzo P. Baker and Martha Jane Matheney, and brother to Dr. Griffin J. Baker.  

The 1880 census, found Virgil at the age of 4 living with his parents in Grassy Precinct of Williamson County where he was born, sharing space with five siblings. The Baker family lived in the very southwestern corner of the county, roughly where the southern tip of Devil’s Kitchen Lake is located now. Continue reading →

Baker, Dr. Griffin J. 1870-1925, Baker and Baker

Posted on by October 7, 2013

Mary Lee Baker 1929Dr. Griffin Jonathon Baker was born March 14, 1870, in Grassy Precinct, Williamson County, Illinois, among the spurs of the Ozarks.  He is the son of Dr. Alonzo P. Baker and Martha Jane Matheney, and nephew of his namesake, G.J. Baker. Sr., M.D. of Anna, Illinois.

He comes of a family of physicians of good reputation, and widely known for their professional skills. Very naturally he took to “the healing art” as a duck to water, and his education was intended to prepare him for that noble profession. Continue reading →

Sanders, James W. 1923-1990, Sanders & Associates

Posted on by October 22, 2013

James W Sanders 1923-1990Marion has had its share of heroes over the years. The subject of this work is World War II and how one of our local citizens answered the call.

We had a family here in Marion that sent four of its sons to the service and only one survived. In Williamson County we had two sons from Paulton that died in prisoner of war camps. We have other families that sent four and five of their sons to the effort. The first casualty of the war from Marion was a man who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan and he is still entombed in the Battleship Arizona. Continue reading →

Illinois Ordnance Plant, Ordill

Posted on by January 24, 2014

Illinois Ordnance Plant
Illinois Ordnance Plant
Illinois Ordnance Plant
Illinois Ordnance Plant
Illinois Ordnance Plant

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The handwriting must have been on the wall for U.S. involvement in World War II prior to 1939 when war broke out in Europe. News articles from 1938 noted our vulnerability in placing our air corps bases and armament stockpiles in coastal locations. In those times, Southern Illinois had 61 percent of the population on welfare, one of the highest in the nation and more people in this end of the state were out of work than those working. Continue reading →