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

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

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

Grider, James V. 1840-1908

Grider James VJames V. Grider is a native of Franklin County. He was born November 3, 1840, and moved with his father’s family into Williamson County in 1844 and into Marion in 1849.

In the 1850 census, James was 10 and living with his father and siblings. His father’s name was William M. Grider and listed himself as a house carpenter. Continue reading

1927, The Tragedy of Ethel and Lory Price

Ethel and Lory PriceMarion’s bloody history has been the subject of numerous books, articles and documentaries. “Bloody Williamson,” Paul M. Angle’s widely read story of our county, is still in publication after more than half a century. Perhaps one of the reasons for the intense curiosity about our past is the baffling contrast between the genuine warmth and friendliness of the people you meet today and the violent heartlessness of some who lived here just one or two generations ago. No story better illustrates this paradox than the tragedy of Lory and Ethel Price. Continue reading