Law enforcement in Marion in the 1920’s, during the heyday of the bootleggers and their gangs, was a chancy job. Our city traffic policeman during those times was John H. Smothers. He and his wife, the former Edna Tippy, lived with their three children, Ralph, Paul and Zella, at 702 South Madison Street. Continue reading
Category Archives: People
Ethel Ashby was born on Sunday, March 7, 1920, at Creal Springs, Illinois, to Walter Tanner and Ethel Davenport. Her mother died the day Ethel was born. Due to a fear that the baby would also be lost, Belle and Roy McGowan, aunt and uncle of the child, volunteered to love and care for the little girl at their home in Carterville. Continue reading
Mark Woodley Jr. was born December 24, 1873 at Dipton, Durham County, England, and was the son of Mark Woodley Sr. and Maria (Williams) Woodley and was partially educated in England
In early January 1886, Mark aged 12, his parents, then in their mid-40’s, and his 3 year old sister Florence boarded the steamship “Indiana” in Liverpool and arrived in the port of Philadelphia on January 29th. The family made their way to the coal fields of northern Illinois and located at Coal City southwest of Cook County. Mark completed his education in this area while his father worked the coal mines. Continue reading
Allan Todd, a retired Prudential insurance division manager and former Marion High School teacher, was one of World War II’s most decorated soldiers. He was, so to speak, a hero’s hero whose exploits and feats were written about in Carey Ford’s and Alastair MacBain’s book, “Cloak and Dagger” published in 1946 by Random House and even more recently in the book “Abundance of Valor, by Will Irwin. Continue reading
Richard Gene Wilson (August 19, 1931 – October 21, 1950) was a United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the U.S. military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War. A combat medic, Wilson was awarded the medal for attempting to rescue a wounded soldier at the Battle of Yongju. Continue reading