Category Archives: Military

Marion’s Military Involvement

Hartwell, Joseph W. 1839-1903, Marion Mayor & Civil War Veteran

Posted on by July 5, 2017

Joseph W. Hartwell 1839-1903
Joseph W. Hartwell 1839-1903
Joseph W. Hartwell 1839-1903

Marion, Illinois became an incorporated city in 1874 with a mayoral system of government.   Joseph W. Hartwell became the first mayor elected to the town in 1874.  Later he served in several positions in the city and county government:  County Treasurer, 1865; Circuit Clerk 1868-1872; and States Attorney 1875-1880.  In a special election for states attorney in June 1875, he was “an able young lawyer and a man of courage.” He was elected to the vacancy left by State’ Attorney, J. D. F.  Jennings, who had left the county after embezzling $927 from the school fund and was the father of Al Jennings, Joseph W. was then elected to a full term. He also served on the state Board of Equalization in Springfield and U. S. Special Pension Examiner in Fulton, Kentucky. Continue reading →

Whitcomb, Charles H. 1890-1969, Mayor & County Commissioner

Posted on by May 30, 2018

Whitcomb, Herb 1967Charles Herbert “Herb” Whitcomb, mayor of Marion from 1931-1935 during the heart of the depression and two term County Commissioner, was born April 22, 1890 in Paducah, Kentucky to Charles Herbert Whitcomb, Sr. (1860-1896) and Mary Elizabeth Stanley (1863-1932). Continue reading →

McCormick, Raymond L. 1921-2014, WWII Vet, City Commissioner

Posted on by February 28, 2014

Raymond L. McCormick 1921-2014
Raymond L. McCormick 1921-2014
Raymond L. McCormick 1921-2014

Raymond L. McCormick, former Marion City Commissioner, WWII veteran and civic leader, was born on Tuesday, August 2, 1921, in Marion, the son of Ray and Ora (Cothran) McCormick, being one of five children. A Marion directory places the family in a home at 1204 E. Parham Street in 1928. Continue reading →

Mitchell, William N. 1814-1879

Posted on by June 3, 2014

William N. Mitchell was the paternal ancestor of a long line of prominent citizens, he served as Williamson County Clerk, Marion Postmaster, was the fourth and last person to serve as President of an incorporated Marion Board of Trustees before Marion started using the Mayoral form in 1874 and he helped organize and ran on the first ever Republican ticket in Williamson County, not to mention his involvement in the first Republican county newspaper. Continue reading →

1960-62, Old Marion Armory

Posted on by February 13, 2014

In early 2014, the old Marion Armory building at Vicksburg and DeYoung is being remodeled for use as the new Marion Police Department. The armory itself was vacated many years ago, when the reserve unit built a new armory west of the city close to the county airport property. The following is a series of articles related to the old armory land and building. Continue reading →