James Henderson Clarida, grandfather of Bill Butler and Mayor Robert Butler, was born March 30, 1876 at Crab Orchard, the son of William J. Clarida and Irena Culbreth. He grew up on a farm and attended school at Pleasant Grove.
In the 1880 census, James H. was 4 years old and sharing space with a sister, Ida J. Clarida, age 6, in the home of his parents on their farm in Crab Orchard Precinct of Williamson County. Continue reading
Milo Erwin was born October 24, 1847 near the village of Crab Orchard, six miles east of Marion. This area had been settled by people from North Carolina, among them a Revolutionary War ancestor of Milo Erwin.
Milo Erwin was the son of Robert P. and Eliza (Furlong) Erwin. Robert P. and his brother-in-law, James M. Furlong, built a steam mill for both grist and lumber at Crab Orchard in 1854; this was the county’s second mill. It was in the center of town and had no doors. Folks who had no desire to pay for grist found it easy to take what they wanted at night; thus the village was nick-named “Steal Easy.” Continue reading
Homer Lee Askew was born August 17, 1913 to Edward Eugene Askew (1882-1972) and Ava Narcissus Johnson (1887-1947) in Tunnel Hill, Johnson County, Illinois. Homer was only one of thirteen children belonging to the large farm family.
In the 1920 federal census, Homer was aged 6, living with his parental family on the family’s Tunnel Hill farmland. Siblings present in the home were Raymond Askew 14, Gomer Askew 12, Allen Askew 10, Beatrice Askew 8, George Askew 4, Mildred Askew 2 and Otto Askew, 8 months old. Continue reading
The following article was printed in the Marion Daily Republican on September 15, 1941, and recounts the history of the home located at 306 E. College Street on the occasion of its demolition.
Historic House Being Razed
Two Story Landmark On East College Street Yields To Wrecking Crew
One of Marion’s oldest residences began yielding to a wrecking crew Monday morning when workmen began tearing down the Mrs. Kate Sutherland home at 306 East College Street. The house, built almost ninety years ago, is one of the oldest and most interesting in Marion’s history. Continue reading
A few of the articles extracted from a special 1929 Progress Edition of the Marion Daily Republican newspaper reflects the state of the city of Marion on its 90th year of existence as follows.
Marion the county seat of Williamson County is the oldest city in the county and as such is one of the most stable cities of the rich Southern Illinois or Egyptian coal fields where it is with its more than one and a half million dollars’ worth of public improvements the home city of 15,000 people. Continue reading