Owen J. Cox was born at Carbon Hill, Illinois on April 18, 1902, the son of James E. Cox and Maude Woodley. Coming to Marion as a child with his parents, most of his life had been spent in this community where he became a prominent figure.
Owen was married at Union City, Tennessee on April 25, 1920 to Elizabeth L. Norman
After working in the coal mines early in his life and spending several years in the advertising department of the Marion Daily Republican Continue reading
Clarence C. Cox was born October 31, 1893 in Grassy Precinct, the son of Thomas A. Cox and Nancy Catherine Rendleman and moved to Marion with his parents when eight years old.
Clarence Cox was always active in athletics. He graduated from the Marion Township High School in 1913 and while in high school captained both the championship track team and football team. Continue reading
On June 1, 1974, 13 year old Frances Buckner, a resident of Creal Springs, was spending time in Marion with her father, Robert Buckner, who lived on the Public Square. They decided to walk down E. Main Street to Small’s Market at 1005 E. Main to buy milk. Frances outpaced her father who had health issues and was last seen about a half a block from Small’s. She wasn’t seen again until five nights later.
Her nude body was found lying in the street in the 500 block of E. Marion Street around 11 p.m. under a street light. Someone had thrown a rock through a local resident’s window to alert them of her presence. Continue reading
Harold L. Chase was born March 23, 1916 in Marion, Illinois to Walter Chase & Altha (Ozment) Muir.
He married Geneva Todd Spence on August 21, 1943 in O’Fallon, Illinois and together they shared over 62 years of marriage. She preceded him in death on January 5, 2006.
On July 30, 1957, Harold and Geneva Chase purchased the historic old home located at 601 E. Thorn Street from Pearl Parks, widow of F.E. Parks, and lived in the home for four decades. Continue reading
When 48 year old, divorcee and mother of two, Virginia Barbaro, failed to show up for work at Tony’s Steak House on Friday, August 17th, 1973, her friends went looking for her. She was discovered to have been murdered at some time in the early hours of that day in her apartment located over Boatright’s Electronics on the public square. Suspicion shifted quickly to an ex-boyfriend, 43 year old, disabled coal miner Boyd Moore, who lived in Christopher. Moore’s body was found that same afternoon not far from his home, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Located near his body was a suicide note confessing to the death of Mrs. Barbaro. Continue reading