LeviS. Marlow
Contributed by ChesterH. Neff
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MARLOW, Levi S. Adjacentto the village of Mabel, Schuyler County, Ill., lies the farm of 200 acreswhich for sixty-three years, or during his entire lifetime, has been thehome of Mr. Marlow. Here he was born August 16, 1844, the son ofHanson and Esther (Whiteman) Marlow, the former a native of Kentucky, andthe latter a descendant of Virginian ancestors. About the time ofhis first marriage, in 1825, Hanson Marlow came to Illinois as a pioneerand here he was deprived of the companionship of his wife, here death occurringsoon afterward. Subsequently he was united in marriage with Esther(Whiteman) Ayes, a widow, whose husband had died of cholera. About1826 Mr. Marlow came to Schuyler County, settling at first near Littleton,and about 1837 he came to Camden Township, on Section 22, and here he roundedout the remainder of his long and useful career. At the time he cameto this locality there was little to encourage one to battle with the rudeconditions which existed on every hand, but with the true pioneer spirithe steadfastly adhered to his purpose to make a home for himself and family,first erecting a small log cabin. In the course of time, after aportion of the land had been cleared and the land cultivated, this rudestructure gave place to a more commodious double log cabin, and here, andin the home previously mentioned, all of the four sons were born and reared. Some idea of the scarcity of neighbors at the time Mr. Marlow came to thissection, may be gathered from the fact that when he erected his first housethere were only two or three cabins in Rushville, and but few between hisfarm and Quincy. Mr. Marlows first purchase of land consisted of130 acres, part of the land now included in the old homestead, and in partnershipwith his brother, Alfred, he purchased another farm of the same size, whichthey operated together for a number of years. By purchases HansonMarlow added to his original acreage until he had 160 acres, to which hesupposed he had a clear title, but his claim to ownership was disputedand he was obliged to pay for the land again. As his means permittedhe purchased other land adjoining, until at one time he owned 520 acres. At the time of purchase the greater part of the land was heavily timbered,but with the assistance of his sons he cleared away the timber andunderbrush, and in time waving fields of grain were to be seen in theirstead. As his children grew to maturity, he gave to each a shareof the home farm. The eldest son, Henry, is a resident of Sullivan,Ind.; Hanson who is now deceased, married Miss Nancy Davis, by whom hehad a son and daughter, both of whom are now deceased; the other son, besidesLevi S., is John W., who owns and cultivates a farm in Camden Township. The mother of these children passed away in 1860, and some years laterthe father was united in marriage with Mrs. Nancy Green, who was left awidow about one year after her marriage, and she, too, is now deceased. The death of Hanson Marlow occurred 1863 and was deeply felt in the communitywhere he had made his home for so many years and toward whose upbuildinghe had done so much. Throughout his life he adhered rigidly to thereligious teachings of his parents, and was an ardent member of the MethodistEpiscopal Church. During the early days, before a house of worshiphad been erected, his home was the stopping place for the circuit riderswho came to minister to the people. Hospitality was one of his chiefcharacteristics, a quality which he inherited from a long line of Southernancestors.
Levi S. Marlow wasborn in the double log cabin on the old homestead, August 16, 1844, andall the school training he received was in the district school at Camden,three miles from his home. As soon as he was large enough he beganto aid in the duties which fall to the lot of every farmer’s son, his fatherat that time owning 520 acres, well stocked with cattle. Until hewas thirty years old he worked continuously on the farm, but at this agehe took up work at the plasterer’s trade, building cisterns principally,and also to some extent, worked at the carpenter’s trade. Among hisaccomplishments in the latter trade may be mentioned the First MethodistEpiscopal Church, South, known at that time as the Union Chapel. He gave the ground on which the edifice was erected, $25 in cash, hewedthe frame, and in addition gave sixty days work. The services of the church and Sunday-school have been maintained without interruptionsince the church home was built, church services being held every two weeks,and Sunday-school, class and prayer meetings every Sunday. Thoughnot a member of the church, Mr. Marlow is a liberal giver to its charitiesand is especially active in Sunday school work, and since its organizationhas been treasurer of the Sunday school at Camden. Many of the finesthouses in Camden stand as monuments to Mr. Marlows skill and ingenuity,and taken all in all, he has been a prominent factor in the march of progressin this part of Schuyler County.
Mr. Marlows marriage,in West Quincy, Mo., January 6, 1865, united him with Margaretta Rice,a native of Columbus, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Rebecca Rice, bothnatives of Pennsylvania, whence they removed to Ohio, and still later toMissouri. Their last home was in Illinois, where both passed away,the father dying in 1863. Of the ten children born to Mr. And Mrs.Marlow, Henry A., a farmer in Camden Township, married Mary E. Terrell; Esther became the wife of James Lawson, a farmer of Bainbridge Townshipand had two children one of whom Verna , living: the next died in infancy;George W. by his marriage with Mary C. Corsey, became the father of threechildren of whom one died in infancy; Lena is now four years oldand Guy is a farmer in this locality; Julietta and Jeanetta weretwins, the latter being killed by a runaway horse and former being thewife of William Lawson, by whom she has one son, Ray; Ida May, thewife of Thomas Fitch, has two children, Guy and Carl Frederick; Fannie,the wife of Elmer Carter, of Gray, Stevens County, Wash., has five children Harold, Emory, Lewis, Ernest, and Opal Olive, three having died in infancy; Eva M., was first married to Emery Calvert, by whom she had two children Mabel and Myrtle Ruth; by her marriage with Mead A. Clayton, she hasthree children Roscoe, Emery and Lorena; Carl L., a farmer in CamdenTownship, married Nettie Elliott. Mrs. Margaretta Marlow died November18, 1887, leaving to mourn her loss a family of devoted children, and manyfriends who had learned to love her for her many noble christian virtues. She was a member of Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Marlow was subsequentlymarried to Mary E. Elder, who was born in Buena Vista, Ill., a daughterof Robert and Luanna (Allen) Elder. While she was a mere child Mrs.Marlow was left an orphan, and was reared and tenderly cared for by Mrs.Margaret Eifert, with whom she remained until her Marriage.
Socially, Mr. Marlowis a Mason, belonging to the lodge at Camden. Six times he has beenelected to the office of Justice of the Peace, serving in this capacityfor twenty-four years. Three times he has been elected Collector, and hasalso been thrice elected Assessor. Mr. Marlows long retention inoffice is an excellent indication of the fitness for the trusts in question, and an unmistakable evidence of his popularity in the community.
Biography, , Levi S. Marlow. Reference: Chapter 32, Pages 877-878, Historical Encyclopedia of Illinoisand History of Schuyler County, edited by Newton Bateman, Paul Selby, &Howard F. Dyson; Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908. Submitted by Chester H. Neff, Jan. 2000.
Copyright 2000-2006 C. H. Neff;all rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use of the informationcontained in these pages is strictly prohibited without prior permission.If copied, this copyright must appear with the information.
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