Etta Marcum Biography

Biography for Etta “Maryetta” Marcum (Grandmother)

Edward on the left, with Etta and Ed, not sure who the baby is. Taken about 1934, during the Great Depression. This is their house.

Edward on the left, with Etta and baby Ed, taken about 1920.

Etta was born on May 16, 1875, in Glasgow Junction, Barren, KY.[1] She died on February 12, 1951, at the age of 75 in Miami, Ottawa, Oklahoma, at her son Jimmy’s house.[2] Etta is buried in Web City Cemetery, next to her second husband Edward.[3]

Her parents are James Marcum and Nancy Jane Brown. James was born about 1835 in Campbell County, Tennessee, and died in 1917 in Wright County, Missouri. Nancy Jane was born in 1840 in Wayne County, Kentucky and died about 1882 in Glasgow Junction, Barren, Kentucky.

Etta married John Alleman on October 20, 1893, in Carterville, Jasper, Missouri. Her name is listed as Ada.

They lived in Webb City at that time.[4]

John and Etta with their first 3 children.

John Allemann and Etta “Maryetta” Marcum had the following children:

Julie M Allemann, born about 1894, Missouri; married James M Todd, June 23, 1910, Neosho, Newton, Missouri; died March 12, 1945.
James “A” Jimmie Allemann, born October 7, 1896, Webb City, Jasper County, Missouri; died February 23, 1975, Miami, Ottawa, Oklahoma.
Nanie Ethel Allemann was born in December, 1899 in Missouri. She lived in Seneca, Newton, Missouri in 1900. She died on June 9, 1902 at the age of 2.
Alice Allemann, born 1903, Missouri; died in 1977 in Carthage, Jasper, Missouri.

Etta and Edward Markham were married on 22 Oct 1914 in Carthage, Jasper, Missouri.[5]

Edward and Etta had one child:

Theodore Edward (Ed) Marcum, born 28 Feb 1919, Chitwood, MO; married Lucille Jessie Farris, 4 Feb 1939, in Miami, Oklahoma; married Dorothy Maxine Hughes, 29 Apr 1956, in Miami, Oklahoma; died 6 Feb 1987, Topeka, Kansas.

Narrative:

Etta was born in Glasgow Junction, Barren, Kentucky. At the age of 18, in 1893, she was in Webb City, Jasper, Missouri getting married to John Allemann. She was with her Marcum family in Glasgow Junction in 1880. Her mother died there in 1882 and her father remarried there in 1884. Her father and his second wife also moved to Missouri sometime between 1884 and 1900, but they went to Wright County, which is not close to Jasper County. What prompted her to go to Jasper County is unknown, but she spent the remainder of her life in that area.

Etta and John must have divorced sometime between 1900 and 1909. They were together on the 1900 census and then she was living by herself in 1909. A divorce record has not been found. She went on to marry Edward in 1914. Edward and Etta had Ed (Theodore Edward, my dad).

Etta could not read and write according to census records. She was a member of the Smelter Hill Gospel Workers Church. There is no record of her working, she was a housekeeper and would have been raising her children. She was a big woman, being close to 6 foot tall. This height was passed down to several of her descendants. Pictures of her show her smiling, which was not always the case in pictures of that timeframe.

Life during the Great Depression (1929-1939) must have been difficult. Etta and Edward moved their family during this time and he was a farmer at least part of the time. The picture of their house above would have been taken during this period and shows that they did not have a lot of money. But there are no mortgage records or any sign of debt. Also, there are no court records which indicates that Etta and Edward were good, law-abiding citizens. They were often renting their home, but did own property on two occasions. They did move around a lot as shown below.

Etta’s husband, Edward, died in 1944. At that time, they lived at 802 N. Harlem in Joplin (today this location is part of a large Eagle Picher Company plant). This is only a couple of blocks from the Gospel Workers Church. This is where they went to church and is where Edward’s funeral services were held. Then Etta moved to 521 N. Maiden Lane, which was right behind the church. The church was founded in 1905 and was rebuilt as a bigger church in 1956.[6] Today, there is no 521 N. Maiden Lane, this location is the back part of the church. I think Etta’s house was behind the church prior to 1956, then was torn down and a new bigger church was built that included the lot where Etta’s house was.

She was admitted to the hospital on December 8, 1950,[7] and released on December 29. So, she must have been sick before passing away on February 12, 1951.[8] Her obituary states that she had been staying with her son, Jimmy, for several weeks. Jimmy lived in Miami, Oklahoma. No will has been found.

Etta lived in the following places:

1875 – She was born in Glasgow Junction, Barren, Kentucky.

1880 – The family was still in Glasgow Junction.[9]

1893 – Etta and John Alleman lived in Webb City, Jasper, Missouri. Source is their marriage cert.[10]

1900 – They had moved to Seneca, Newton, Missouri. John was a Railroad Section Head. They rented their home.[11]

1909 – Etta was living by herself in the area of Chitwood, Jasper County, Missouri.[12]

1912 – She was in Webb City, Jasper, Missouri on Rt. 3.[13]

1914 – Etta was living by herself in the area of Chitwood, Jasper County, Missouri.[14]

1919 – According to Ed’s (Theodore) birth certificate, Etta and Edward were in Chitwood. Edward was listed as being a miner.[15]

1920 – Etta and Edward were in Galena township and owned a home. Edward was a laborer at a Cooperage works. They owned a home and did not have a mortgage.[16]

1926 – They had moved to Hockerville, Oklahoma. This was a mining town close to Picher.[17]

1930 – They were now in Buffalo, McDonald County, MO. Edward was a farmer and was renting.[18]

1932 – Their son Ed graduated from 8^th grade at Neosho, Newton County, MO.[19] Buffalo township is close to Neosho, their house must have been pretty close for Ed to be able to go to school there.

1935 – They lived in Joplin, Jasper County, MO. This is according to the question on the 1940 census that asked where did you live 5 years ago.[20]

1937 – They are in Joplin, Rt. 3.[21]

1940 – Still in Joplin, Galena township on Rt. 3. They owned a farm worth $100. His occupation is listed as Old Age. He was 72 at this time.[22]

1941 – They were in Joplin, Rt. 3.[23]

1944 – When Edward died in 1944, they lived at 802 N. Harlem in Joplin, according to his death certificate. His “usual occupation” was listed as miner.[24]

1946 – Etta as a widow was living by herself at 802 (directory says 807, but this is probably incorrect) N. Harlem in Joplin.[25]

1947 – She is living by herself at 521 N. Maiden Lane in Joplin.[26]

1949 – She is still living by herself at 521 N. Maiden Lane in Joplin.[27]

1950 – Etta has remained 521 N. Maiden Lane and is living alone as a widow at age 74.[28]

1951 – When she died in 1951 she had been staying at her son’s, Jimmy Allemann, house for several weeks in Miami, Ottawa, Oklahoma.[29]