BIOGRAPHY - JESSE P. MARSH
JESSE PULASKI MARSH, deceased, was a native of Harrison County, Ind. He
was born December 4, 1829, and died January 19, 1891. He was reared to
agricultural pursuits but in after years engaged in running a flat-boat on
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, carrying merchandise to New Orleans. He was
generally successful in his business ventures. He possessed a liberal
education and was known as a gentleman of integrity and honor. He was the
fourth child in a family of four sons and six daughters, whose parents were
William and Sarah (Armstrong) Marsh. All the children are yet living with
the exception of two.
On the 5th of November, 1854, Mr. Marsh married Miss Margaret Fowler,
daughter of Edward and Elizabeth (Davis) Fowler. Seven children were born of
this union, two sons and five daughters: William H., of Melvin, who is
married and engages in making hydraulic wells; Laura A., at home; Mary F.,
wife of P. W. Worth, a hardware merchant of Buckingham, Ill.; Edward T., who
is engaged in the jewelry business in Melvin; Mrs. Koscie Clinebell; Lizzie,
wife of Clark E. Woodword, a resident of Chicago; and Cordelia H., wife of
Rev. Henry Beck, an evangelist residing in Jackson, Minn.
In his political affiliations, Mr. Marsh was an old-line Whig and when the
Republican party was organized, he became an ardent admirer of its
principles. He was a gentleman firm in his convictions and very determined
in manner. He held tlie office of Justice of the Peace, of Laconia, Ind.,
for eight years, and Judge Walter Q. Gresham prosecuted cases in his court.
Mr. Marsh and his family came to Ford County in the fall of 1874, and were
honored and respected citizens of the community from that time. Both were
earnest members of the Methodist Church of Melvin, and he was a Master Mason
and a leading member of Lodge No. 179, K. of P., of Melvin, Ill.
Mrs. Marsh was the fourth in a family of five sons and three daughters, four
of whom are still living: Mary, wife of William Frakes, a farmer residing in
Indiana; Margaret, wife of our subject; John W., who served in the late war
as one of the boys in blue and is now married and follows farming in
Corydon, Ind.; and Rachel, wife of John Love, also a soldier of the late
war, now residing in New Amsterdam, Ind.
Mr. Marsh was called to his final rest on the 19th of January, 1891, after
he and his loving wife had traveled life's journey together for thirty-six
years. He was interred in Melvin Cemetery, under the auspices of the Masonic
fraternity, and a beautiful monument has been erected to mark his last
resting place. Mrs. Marsh still resides with her daughter Laura in their
comfortable home in Melvin, where she is surrounded by her loving children
and her many friends.
Extracted 14 Dec 2017 by Norma Hass from Portrait and Biographical Record of Ford County, Illinois, published in 1892, pages 198-199.
