Carrie "Myrtle" (Miner)
Wilkinson Wilson Marckley
(1875-1950)
Carrie
"Myrtle" (Miner) Wilkinson Wilson Marckley was born in 1875, in or
near Omega, Marion County, IL, the daughter of Chance
and Martha (Jones) Miner. She was married three times by the age of 26, and
alternately went by the names "Carrie" and "Myrtle."
Myrtle's first marriage was at the tender age of 16, to 23-year-old Denver E. Wilkinson (1868-1954). He was the son of J. Edward and Temperance Abigail "Abby" (Jones) Wilkinson, of nearby Meacham Twp., Marion County. As Denver's mother was a Jones, it's possible that he and Myrtle were cousins. The wedding took place on May 6, 1891, by the hand of, and at the home of, H.A. Van Deusen, a minister of the Gospel. Myrtle's sister Dora Miner was listed as a witness.
The Wilkinsons had one daughter, Lela (Wilkinson) Flanagan, born on May 26, 1892.
Denver was employed as a carpenter. The
marriage ended within a few years, although there is no record of any divorce in
Marion County. He went on to marry Mary E. Butts (1874-1955).
They had six children, and they lived long lives. Denver died on April 27, 1954, and is buried in the
same Phillips Cemetery as his former father in law, Chance Miner. Mary died on
Jan. 19, 1955. Their grave marker is seen at right.
Myrtle married again on Sept. 29, 1897, to Stephen Wilson (1868- ? ), a 29-year-old teamster residing at Kinmundy, Marion County. He was the son of W.B. and Mary (Pierson) Wilson, and had been married once before, to Anna Blackburn. The marriage ceremony took place at the home of Perry Vandevere, a minister of the Gospel, witnessed by H.B. Vandever and M.C. Fowler. Myrtle's daughter Lelah was sent to live with her grandparents, Chance and Martha Miner, as shown by the 1900 federal census.
The Wilsons' marriage ended quickly. On June 17, 1900, when she was 26, Myrtle married for a third time. Her husband was James Holten Marckley (1866-1958), a 34-year-old blacksmith from the town of Odin, Marion County. (His name also was spelled "Merckley"). Born in Iowa, the son of Thomas and Emma (Foot) Merckley, he also had been married once before. The Marckley wedding took place in Odin, by John Lockart, a minister of the Gospel, with Ben and Anna Moore as witnesses. On their marriage license, Myrtle's parents were listed as "Gancy Miner" and "Martha Jowen."
The Marckleys had three known children -- Dora May (Marckley) Flanagan, who was born on Nov. 27, 1901; James Marckley and Woodrow Marckley.
Little is known about the rest of Myrtle's life. She resided in and around the Odin/Patoka area.
In 1950, at the age of 75, Myrtle passed away. Her obituary in the Salem Republican reported that she had "spent her entire life in Marion County." She was laid to rest in the Peaceful Valley Cemetery in Odin. Today, a small stone marks her grave, and she rests beside her daughter Lelah and grandson Forrest Flanagan. Unfortunately, records of her funeral arrangements at the Wilson Funeral Home were destroyed by fire.
Peaceful Valley Cemetery, Odin, Illinois
Daughter
Lela Wilkinson (1892-1981) married
28-year-old James Lafayette Flanagan (1885-1961). He was the son of Obidiah Benjamin and Melvina (Myers)
Flanagan. Their wedding took place on April 19, 1913 at the home of justice of
the peace George West in Odin, witnessed by Walter and Ora Rippey. The Flanagans
resided in Odin, and
had at least four children -- Forrest E. Flanagan, Alice Tabor, Barbara Brake
and J.O. Flanagan. James was "a farmer and a retired coal miner," said
the Centralia Sentinel. "He was a lifelong resident of Marion
County." James died at the age of 75 on Feb. 24, 1961. Lela survived James by
more than two decades. She passed away on Feb. 22, 1981. At the time of Lela's
death, she and her husband had 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. They are buried
together, beside Lela's mother, at the Peaceful Valley Cemetery.
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Grandson Forrest E. Flanagan (1913-1991) married J. Fern Williams (1918- ? ) on April 28, 1938. Forrest was "an oil field pumper for Nick Barbre Oil Co.," said a local newspaper. "He was a lifelong Odin resident and a member of Odin First Baptist Church." The Flanagans had two daughters -- Nell Pierce and Karen Bierman. Forrest died at age 77, on Jan. 30, 1991, and was interred at Peaceful Valley Cemetery.
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Granddaughter Alice Flanagan ( ? - ? ) married Floyd Tabor ( ? - ? ).
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Granddaughter Barbara Flanagan ( ? - ? ) married Kenneth Brake ( ? - ? ).
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Grandson J.O. Flanagan ( ? - ? ) resided in Cooksville, IL.
Daughter Dora May Marckley (1901-1994) married Fay Flanagan (1893-1982), the son of Benjamin and Melvina (Meyers) Flanagan. The Flanagans were members of the Baptist Church in Odin, and spent their lives in the Odin and Patoka areas. They had three children -- Donald Fay Flanagan, Wanda Branum and Norma Jeane Brown. Sadly, Dora endured the death of her son Donald at age 63, which occurred in 1986 at Lackland Air Force Base Hospital in Texas. Dora outlived her husband by more than a decade. She passed away at the age of 92 on Jan. 12, 1994.
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Grandson Donald Fay Flanagan (1923-1986) married Tarlie Barrett in 1943, during World War II, in Pascagoula, MS. They had one daughter, Patricia Faye Flanagan. Said a newspaper, Donald was "a member of the Church of Christ and was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving in World War II and in Korea. He joined the Navy on Dec. 8, 1942, and retired in June of 1962 as an E7 equipment operator chief. He also worked four years as caretaker at the Peaceful Valley Cemetery in Odin. He was born and raised in Odin and returned to Odin in 1971." After Donald's death at age 63 in Texas, as noted above, his remains were returned to Odin for burial in Peaceful Valley Cemetery.
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Granddaughter Wanda May Flanagan ( ? - ? ) married (?) Patoka ( ? - ? ).
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Granddaughter Norma Jean Flanagan ( ? - ? ) married John Brown ( ? - ? ).
Son James Marckley made his home circa 1950 in Marshall, Calhoun County, MI. In 1981, he lived at Grove City, Charlotte County, FL.
Son
Woodrow Marckley (1914-1984) married Flora Fisher ( ? - ? ). Their wedding took
place on Jan. 18, 1936. In 1950, they lived in Graysville, but later moved to
Salem, IL. The Marckleys had one son, Lonnie Marckley. Woodrow was a "sales
clerk for Salem Energy Company, a member of the Grace United Methodist Church,
the Salem Senior Citizens, the HADI Temple of the Grand Lodge of A.F. and A.M.,
and the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite," said a local newspaper. Woodrow
died of cancer on Sept. 2, 1984, at the age of 70, and is buried at Hillcrest.
Flora outlived him, but her final fate is unknown.
We are grateful to Harold Boyles, president of the Marion County Genealogical Society, for his extensive research assistance at the Society's facility in the Bryan-Bennett Library in Salem, Marion County.
Copyright © 2007 Mark A. Miner