LEVI MARBLE

Levi Marble
(Photo by Ancestry.com contributor Ralph Middlecamp)

Levi Marble gravestone
(Photo by Vernon B. Paddock)

B. May 10, 1790 in Williamsburg, Hampshire County, MA
D. March 4, 1874 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL
Find A Grave memorial (click here)

  • Father: Ephraim Marble born September 9, 1767 in Conway, Franklin County, MA; married (1) Anna Dunham in 1789, daughter of Hezekiah Dunham and Jane (Stewart) Dunham; married (2) Mrs. Betsey Wood on July 3, 1832 in Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH; Ephraim died 1825 or 1835 in Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH; buried in Bedford Cemetery, Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH

According to “For King or Country” Volume II, Orange County California Genealogical Society. 1976. page 169:

“2. EPHRAIM MARBLE was born 9 Sep 1767 at Conway, Mass.  He married (banns 4 May 1789 Anna Dunham, daughter of Hezekiah and Jane (Stewart) Dunham of Edgartown of Martha’s Vineyard.  About 1797 they moved to Ontario Co, NY and at an unknown later date (probably between 1820 and 1830) they moved to Bedford in Cuyahoga Co, Ohio.  Anna died shortly before 1832 and Ephraim m 2) Mrs. Betsey Wood.  He died some time between 26 Aug 1834 and 17 Mar 1835 (the dates when his will was drawn and probated).  The children of Ephraim and Anna were:

          –   Levi Marble b 10 May 1790.
          –   Solomon Marble b 20 Feb 1796.
          –   Thomas Marble b Jun 1798, m. Catherine Winfield.
     3.  –   Fanny Marble b 20 Mar 1801.
          –   Amanda Marble b 12 Feb 1804, m Ethan Wait.
          –   Ann Marble m William Lozier.

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford of Winona, Minnesota. by Donald Lines Jacobus, New Haven, Connecticut. 1933, pages 113-115:

“EPHRAIM5 MARBLE

   Born at Conway, Mass., 9 Sept. 1767, Ephraim Marble was a child of eight when the Revolutionary War broke out, and was still under sixteen years at the declaration of peace.  In 1776 his eldest brother died as a soldier in the patriotic army.  During these hard years of war, Ephraim doubtless remained on his father’s farm in Conway.
   His marriage to Anna Dunham of Williamsburg, Mass., was published 4 May 1789, and took place soon after.  She was daughter of Hezekiah and Jane (Stewart) Dunham of Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, where she was born 14 June 1767, and removed with her parents in early girlhood to Williamsburg.  Her father, and her grandfather Daniel Stewart, were soldiers in the French and Indian War.  She was descended from many of the early families of the Vineyard, a fact which gave rise to the tradition among her descendants that the Marble family was of Vineyard origin.
   Hezekia Dunham of “Edgertown” bough from Elihu White of Hatfield, lot #25 laid out to Dea. John White’s heirs in that tract in Williamsburg called Hatfield, in the three-mile additional grant, in the southern half, being 28 acres, on 12 Sept. 1774.  Hezekiah later (4 Apr. 1788) purchased land bounded on his own land, and was then called of Williamsburg.
   In 1791 Ephraim received a deed from his father for 40 acres in Conway which were a part of the paternal homestead.  The original of this deed, which was not recorded until 1796, is still in possession of the family.
   About 1797 the family removed to Phelps, Ontario County, N. Y.; and the younger children were born there.  Phelps is some twenty miles south of Sodus, in Wayne County, where Ephraim’s son Levi married and lived for a time.  His son Thomas remained in Phelps, but in 1833 joined the family in Bedford, Ohio, perhaps being drawn there by his mother’s death and his father’s failing health.
   Just when Ephraim and other members of the family settled in Bedford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, we have not learned.  A daughter was married in Phelps in 1819, and the removal probably took place at some time between 1820 and 1830.  According to Mr. Converse Marble, Ephraim had a cooper shop near Cleveland, and died of the cholera during the epidemic of 1832.  But he did not die until 1835, as appears by the probation of his will, a full copy of which follows.
   Less than three years before his death, he had married a second time, his bride being a widow, Mrs. Betsey Wood.  His first wife, Anna Dunham, probably died in Bedford not long before 1832, as Ephraim’s will directed that a gravestone be set up to her memory.  If this provision was carried out, the stone must have been broken when the graveyard was moved from its old location to the present one, for no stone exists to-day either for her or for Ephraim.
   The biography of a grandson, published in 1891, is authority for the statement that Ephraim’s trade was chair making, and that a chair of his manufacture, then seventy years old, was in 1891 in possession of his grandson, Hon. George Wait of Grant Township, Lake County, Ill.; also that he was a member of the Baptist Church, and a strong Democrat in politics.

   “I, Ephraim Marble of the county of Cuyahoga in the State of Ohio do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say.
   First: It is my will that my funeral expences and all my just debts be paid.
   Second: I give, devise and bequeath to my first beloved wife, Anna Marble a good and respecable grave stone to be erected to her memory out of the expence of my property.
   Thirdly: I give and devise to my second wife One hundred dollars and one Milch cow and go back to Henry Wood to live or stay with my son Thomas Marble if she chooses, but I would choose to have her to stay with my son Thomas.
   Fourthly: I bequeath to my son Thomas Fifty acres off of No. Lot No. 14 in the town of Bedford of off the West side and that my son Thomas shall pay the balance due on said lot out of the moneys due me.  It is my will that the remainder of said lot be sold and the proceeds of the sail be equally divided amongst my daughter in the following manner viz; that my daughter Fanny who has had one hundred dollars to apply towards her shair of an equal distributions of the proceeds of said sail lot, that all notes and accounts which I hold against my sons are to be given upt and also do hereby appoint my son Thomas Marble my true and lawful executor.
   In testimony whereof, I have hereunto caused my name and seal this day in the year of our Lord August the twenty-sixth 1834.
                 Ephraim Marble (Seal)
             by Elijah Smith
   Signed published and declared by the above named Ephraim Marble as and for his last will and testament, in presence of us who at his request have signed as witness to the same.
   John P. Robison.
   William Morse.”

   The will was proved 17 Mar. 1835 and is filed in Docket A of the Cuyahoga County Probate Court.  On 20 Apr. 1835, Levi Marble was appointed Administrator with the will annexed.  (The son Thomas, named as Executor, had just died.)  Curtis Wells and Newell C. Barnum were sureties on Levi’s bond, and the appraisers appointed were Hezekiah Dunham, George M. Payne, and William Morse.  On 9 June Henry Wood was accepted as a bondsman in place of Dunham.
   The inventory was file 7 Aug. and included notes against Hezekiah Dunham, Ethan Wait, and Robert Trowbridge.  Part of the estate was ordered sold to the highest bidder for payment of debts, and among the purchasers were Catherine Marble and Orrin Marble.”

  • Mother: Anna (Dunham) Marble born June 14, 1767 in Williamsburg, Hampshire County, MA, daughter of Hezekiah Dunham (1740-1824) and Jane (Stewart) Dunham (1840-1773); intention of marriage to Ephraim Marble on May 4, 1789 in Conway, Franklin County, MA; Anna died March 25, 1832 in Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH; buried in the Bedford Cemetery, Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH
  • Wife: Elizabeth “Betsey” (Granger) Marble born March 22, 1791 in Sandisfield, Berkshire County, MA, daughter of John Granger (1764-1812) and Sarah “Sally” (Morse) Granger (1767-1850); married Levi Marble on February 19, 1809 in Sodus, Wayne County, NY; Elizabeth died August 22, 1878 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL (See section pertaining to Elizabeth “Betsey” (Granger) Marble buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery)
  • Children:
    1. Sarah Ann Marble born about 1810 in Ohio; Sarah died in Ohio, unmarried
    2. Amy (Marble) Morse born about 1815 in New York; married Enoch Morse (1807-1883) on February 7, 1835 in Cuyahoga County, OH, son of Enoch Death Morse (1777-?) and Delila (Bartlett) Morse; Amy died March 10, 1890; Amy and Enoch are buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Waukegan, Lake County, IL

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933; page 132:

ENOCH DEATH, b. 14 Dec. 1777; a Judge, lived in Sodus, N. Y. and Allen, Ohio; m. (1) DELILA BARTLETT, who d. 19 Nov. 1830; m (2) POLLY (BARTLETT) TOWER. A son by his first wife was Enoch, b. 12 May 1807, who lived at Fort Hill, Ill., and m. Amy Marble, dau. of Levi Marble, q. v.”

According to the Painesville Telegraph (Painesville OH) October 25, 1883:

“Death of Enoch Morse. Waukegan (Illinois) Gazette.
 On Friday, October 12th, at the ripe age of seventy-six years, Enoch Morse died at his home in this city.  He was a son of the late Judge Morse, of Wayne county, N.Y., and was born in Vienna N. Y., May 12th, 1807.  In 1827 he removed to Ohio, and in 1834 was married to his present wife, who was a daughter of the late Levi Marble, Esq., subsequently a resident of this county.  Mr. Morse was a pioneer in this county, having come here from Ohio in 1839, settling first upon his farm in the southwest part of the township of Avon.  There he lived for some ten or twelve years, when he removed to Waukegan, which has since been his constant home except that he has once or more moved upon his farm for a short time.  During his active years he followed the trade of a gunsmith.  He was successful in his business, and accumulated a considerable amount of property, being the owner, at the time of his death of more than a section of valuable farming land in this county and of a fine homestead in this city.  He was a robust, healthy man up to within two years ago, when he first stricken with paralysis.  Since that time he has sustained two strokes, the last one on Monday last.  The first ones prostrated him quite fully and confined him to the house for a few weeks, but he had regained his strength so far as to be able to walk over town and to do some light work.  Even on Monday last he spent a considerable part of the day about the city, but that evening sustained the stroke which caused his death.  He was conscious until near the close, but did not fully regain the power of speech, and failed throughout the week until Friday, when he died at about 11 o’clock in the forenoon.  He lived respected and gained and retained the confidence and esteem of all who came to know him well through his long life.  His sympathy for those in trouble was quick and practical, and there will be many besides those of his own family who will experience a sense of sorrow at the knowledge of his death.  His wife and two children, Col. C. C. Morse, of Avon, and Mrs. Julia Fredericks, of this city, survive him.  The funeral will be held from the family residence at 2 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. Deceased was a former resident of Painesville, and a brother of our townsmen, Messrs. Chauncey and Christopher Morse.”

According to the McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry IL) Wednesday, April 7, 1886, page 4:

“Fort Hill Precinct – Lake County
I hear that Amy Morse will teach the Summer term at Fremont Center.”

3. Hannah (Marble) King born April 29, 1819 in Willoughby, Lake County, OH; married Chauncy King; Hannah died October 30, 1903 in Fox Lake, Lake County, IL; buried in Sheboygan Falls Cemetery, Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan County, WI.

According to the McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry IL) Thursday, August 28, 1902, page 5:

“Mrs. Hannah King is very low at her home at Sheboygan Falls, Wis.  Mrs. Marble has gone to care for her mother.”

According to the Sheboygan Press (Sheboygan WI) November 4, 1903:

“Death of Hannah King.
   Mrs. Hannah King, widow of the late Chauncy King, died Friday, Oct. 30, 1903 at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Con, Marble, at Fox Lake, Ill., of general debility, age 84 years, 60 months, and 6 days.  The deceased was born in Willoughby, Ohio and moved to Wisconsin in 1949, locating at Oshkosh.  Some 20 years or so later she moved to Sheboygan Falls where Mr. King died about twenty-two years ago, at their home a short distance west of the village on the Dye road.  She has continued to reside here since, except an occasional period when she was at the home of Mrs. Marble.
   She is survived by four children as follows: Mrs. Con. Marble, of Fox Lake, Ill.; and three sons, Levi, Clarence and Walton, of LaCrosse, Wis.
   The remains were brought to Sheboygan Monday, afternoon, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Marble, Mrs. Bottsford, a sister of the deceased, of Waukegan, Ill., and Mrs. Lovejoy, a niece of the late Mr. King, of Genosa Junction, Ill. Clarence King, Mrs. Levi King and Mrs. Walton King of LaCrosse, also met them at the depot in Sheboygan and the remains were taken direct to the Falls cemetery for burial.  Rev. E. E. Dresser made a few remarks at the grave.”

4. George Marble (1820-1820); George died in infancy

5. Delilah (Marble) Seeber born May 20, 1821 in Willoughby, Lake County, OH; married Abraham I. “Abram” Seeber (1814-1897) on January 25, 1841 in Lake County, IL, son of John William Seeber (1766-1851) and Elizabeth (Waldrath) Seeber (1777-1843); Delilah died April 14, 1903, in Waukegan, Lake County, IL (See section pertaining to Delilah (Marble) Seeber buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery) (See section pertaining to Abraham I. “Abram” Seeber buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery)

6. Otis L. Marble born July 5, 1823 in Willoughby, Lake County, OH; married (1) Elizabeth L. Crosby (1828-1855) on October 20, 1853 in Lake County, IL, daughter of Thomas Baker Crosby (1793-1872) and Mary “Polly” (Salls) Crosby (1797-1879) (See section pertaining to Thomas Baker Crosby buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery); Elizabeth died May 16, 1855 in Lake County, IL (See section pertaining to Elizabeth L. (Crosby) Marble buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery); Otis married (2) Mrs. L. Elizabeth “Eliza” (Wood) Coleman (1832-1895) about 1859; Eliza was the widow of Milton Coleman (?-1857) and daughter of Jonathan Wood, also of Lake County, IL; Elizabeth died May 21, 1895 in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, WI; she is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh, Winnebago County, WI; Otis died January 10, 1861 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL (See section pertaining to Otis L. Marble buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery)

7. Marie Antoinette (Marble) Freeman born November 14, 1828 in Willoughby, Lake County, OH; married James Clark Freeman (1828-1904), on August 9, 1850 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL as his first wife, son of Zebulon R. S. Freeman (?-1870) and Susan Freeman (1793-1883); Marie and James had one child: Shepard Freeman born 1853 in Illinois and died January 4, 1918 in Houston, Harris County, TX, spending most of his life in Wisconsin before becoming a government agent on the Keshena Indian Reservation and Menominee Indian Reservation; Marie died June 17, 1854 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL (See section pertaining to Marie Antoinette (Marble) Freeman buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery); James Freeman married (2) Emily E. Granger (1837-1920) in 1857, daughter of Elisha Granger (1795-1847) and Sarah “Sally” (Granger) Granger (1798-1880) and cousin of Marie Antoinette (Marble) Freeman; Sarah was the sister of Elizabeth “Betsey” (Granger) Marble; (See section pertaining to Sarah “Sally” (Granger) Granger buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery); James was Captain of Company D, 32nd Wisconsin Regiment in the Civil War, and pioneer and attorney in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, WI; James Clark Freeman and his second wife, Emily E. (Granger) Freeman are buried in Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh, Winnebago County, WI

8. Mary Helen (Marble) Huson born December 1829 in Willoughby, Cuyahoga County, OH; married Judson M. Huson (1819-1854) as his second wife on June 30, 1849 in Lake County, IL, son of Elijah Huson (1792-1860) and Alzada (Tyler) Huson (1796-1875); Mary died March 18, 1850 of consumption in Lake County, IL; (NOTE: The gravestone indicates 1849 as the year of death but the stone was erected some years after her death and in error); Judson married (1) Rhoda Ann Stafford about 1839; Rhoda was born December 18, 1822 in Dundee, Yates County, NY and died May 22, 1841 in Dundee, Yates County, NY ten days after the birth of her only child, Rhoda Ann Huson; Rhoda was buried at Dundee Old Baptist Cemetery, Dundee, Yates County, NY; he married (2) Mary Helen Marble; he married (3) Catherine B. Alvord on April 21, 1852 in Lake County, IL; after the death of Mary, Judson and his daughter, Ann, from his first wife, lived with his younger sister, Louisa (Huson) Booth (1827-1883) and her husband, Marshal H. Booth (1812-1906) in Wauconda Township; Judson died November 15, 1854 at age 34: (See section pertaining to Mary Helen (Marble) Huson buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery) (See section pertaining to Judson M. Huson buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery)

9. Elizabeth Electa (Marble) Botsford born September 22, 1833 in Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH; married Captain Reuben Smith Botsford (1833-1918) on January 9, 1859 in Fort Hill, Lake County, IL, son of Reuben Lay Botsford (1806-1898) and Nellie Eliza (Smith) Botsford (1809-1894); Reuben was born July 31, 1833 in Albany, Albany County, NY and died August 21, 1918 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL; Captain Botsford was a Civil War veteran officer of Company F, 39th Illinois Infantry engaged in twenty-five battles; Elizabeth died May 27, 1910 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL; Elizabeth and Reuben are buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Waukegan, Lake County, IL

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933; regarding Reuben Smith Botsford, pages 58-59:

   “In 1854, the wider opportunities of the west called the family to Illinois, where an uncle, Jacob M. Botsford had previously settled.  Early in the year the father came, and on August 6, 1854, the rest of the family landed at Dickinson’s Pier, Waukegan.  A farm was secured in Fremont Township, near Fort Hill, and Reuben S. constructed the family home, a structure of wooden blocks. He also manufactured the primitive furniture.  For the next few years he lived with his parents, still working at his trade, and erecting nearly all the pioneer buildings in the vicinity of Waukegan…
   …He was married on January 9th, 1859, to Elizabeth E. Marble, daughter of Levi and Betsey (Granger) Marble, pioneers of Lake county, Illinois, who descended from distinguished ancestry.  This estimable lady was born in Bedford, Ohio, September 22, 1833, and died at Waukegan, May, 1910.  Seven children were born to this couple – three surviving – Otis M., president Botsford Lumber Company, of Winona, Minn.; Nellie E. Persons, and Anna D. Botsford, of Waukegan, Ill.  Seven grandchildren survive, to wit; Mortimer and Reuben Botsford, of Waukegan; Marian, Blanche and Anna Persons, of Waukegan; Martha and Elizabeth Botsford, of Winona, Minn.”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933; page 245:

“The following letter was written to Mrs. Reuben Smith Botsford, from Naperville, Ill., 24 Sept. 1911, by Mrs. Dorothea Morse (Granger) Wever, then aged 81 years:
   “Your mother was the daughter of John and Sally Morse Granger, she being the daughter of John and Johann Dewey Morse.
   This John Morse was in the Army during the War of the Revolution, living then in Mass. near Springfield.  As proof of this, when driven by hunger to go out on a raid for food, with some of his Company, they brought in a beeve, with other things, which when slaughtered, he claimed one of the horns, as a trophy, and made a powder horn of it cutting his name, date &c. on it, with his jack knife.  He carried or wore this powder horn during the rest of the time he was in the Army, at his death, the powder horn and musket he had used, became the property of his son, John Morse of Kirtland, Ohio, at his death the relics descended to John H. Morse, his son, of Painesville, Ohio (who married your grand mother’s sister Mary, they being own cousins) at his death the musket and horn were left in care of his son B. T. Morse of Cleveland, Ohio, for his son, J. Frank Morse, who was then but a youth.
   It is over twenty-five years since I last saw the horn, so have forgotten the date on it.
   My grandmother used to tell how her mother carded the wool, spun the yarn and wove the cloth to make garments for the soldiers of the Revolution.
   That the younger children had to knit sock.  Years have made me forget many little items that would be of interest now.”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933; pages 84-85:

“OBITUARY OF MRS. REUBEN S. BOTSFORD

   The light of glory-gates ajar has fallen upon the face of Elizabeth E. Botsford, and she has journeyed forth to meet her Maker face to face.
   Elizabeth E. Marble was born in Bedford, Ohio, Sept. 22, 1833.  She was the daughter of Levi Marble, a native of Conway, Mass., and Elizabeth Marble, whose maiden name was Granger and whose birthplace was Sodus, N. Y.  In 1838 Levi Marble and family moved to this state.  They were members of a large company of pioneers of Lake County who came by boat to Kenosha and secured government lands in northern Illinois.  Levi Marble located at Fort Hill.  Among these early settlers Mrs. Botsford has a host of friends.  Not many, however, of the pioneers remain, and a few of them have lived in the county as long as did Mrs. Botsford, for she came here over 71 years ago.
   The pioneer home of Levi and Elizabeth Marble was blessed by the birth of seven daughters and one son.  Of this large family Mrs. Botsford was the last to pass away.  She had a vivid memory of early family experiences and cherished the early family ties.  Relatives came to her as to one whose acquaintance was widest and whose store of information about the early days seemed almost exhaustless.
   As a child and young woman Mrs. Botsford received the educational training afforded by the public school and the old Waukegan Academy.  On Jan. 9, 1859, she was married to Reuben S. Botsford, well known in the county since the Civil War shortly after which he was county sheriff.  To Mr. and Mrs. Botsford were born seven children, Charles M., Otis M., Elizabeth, Levi, Nellie E., Anna D., and Reuben.  Of these only three, Otis M. Betsford, Mrs. Nellie E. Persons and Miss Anna D. Botsford, together with their father, survive the mother and wife.
   With the exception of 10 years passed in Dakota, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Botsford was in Waukegan continuously from almost the time of their marriage until she passed away.  Her death occurred Friday, May 27, 1910, when she was 76 years, 8 months and 3 days old.
   In the years of her womanhood Mrs. Botsford made confession of her faith in the Fort Hill Christian Church.  She was a sincere Christian.  Her ideals were high, her life was purposeful and in her home was ever the fragrance of her beautiful character.  She made her home a source of blessing, and many, by reason of the benevolence of “Aunt Lib”, cherish as sacred the memory of her kindly deeds.  All her years she kept a deep trust in her Maker, a loyalty to her Saviour and walked “wearing the white flower of the blameless life.”
   The character of Mrs. Botsford revealed a certain richness of the years, the fruits of the spirit which have ripened as decade after decade passed by.  That fruition of time, the sweetening of the cup of life, that mellowness of character which is the most precious possession of age, was hers.  In her home circle Mrs. Botsford gave token of her energy, her intelligence and her ceaseless love.  Was there toil?  She did not hesitate. Were there burdens?  She was strong.  Was there sacrifice?  She had the courage to endure.  In every place where she came her vivacious cheer brought sunlight, her calmness and serenity gave good heart, her dignity and her ideals were a tribute to the worth of noble Christian womanhood.  To her belonged these “more precious treasures which time cannot supply and the years cannot remove – Friendship, Virtue, Patience, Faith and Love.”  the radiance of her life spoke the message of those last lines by Mrs. Oliphant:

On the edge of the world I lie, I lie
Happy and dying, and dazed and poor,
Looking up from the vast great floor
Of the infinite world that rises above
To God, and to Faith, and to Love, Love, Love.
What words have I to that world to speak,
Old and weary, and dazed and weak,
From the very low to the very high?
Only this – and this is all;
From the fresh green sod to the wide blue sky,
From Greatness to Weariness, Life to Death,
One God have we on whom to call;
One great bond from which none can fall;
Love below, which is life and breath,
And Love above which sustaineth all.
R.L. Handley.

  • Siblings:
    • unknown Marble (1792-1795)
    • Solomon Marble born February 20, 1796 in New York; married Catherine Bingama Converse (1813-1883) in May 1845 as his fourth wife, daughter of James Augustus Converse (1777-1833) and Lucinda (Smith) Converse (1790-1828); Solomon died March 12, 1879 in Waukegan, Lake County, IL (See section pertaining to Solomon Marble buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery) (See section pertaining to Catherine Bingama (Converse) Marble buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery)
    • Thomas Marble born May 26, 1799 in Williamsburg, Hampshire County, MA; married Catharine Winfield (1800-1891); Thomas and Catharine had the following children: (1) Levi W. Marble (1820-1889), (2) Thomas W. Marble (1821-1896), (3) Lucinda (Marble) Palmer (1822-1906); (4) Phebe (Marble) Armitage (1824-1899), (5) Asenath (Marble) Turney (1828-1902), (6) Serephna Jane (Marble) Lemoin-Worley (1831-1920) and (7) Ephram Marble (1833-1885); Thomas died February 2, 1835 in Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH; Thomas and Catharine are buried in Bedford Cemetery, Bedford, Cuyahoga County, OH

According to “American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford of Winona, Minnesota. by Donald Lines Jacobus, New Haven, Connecticut. 1933, page 117:

“iii. Thomas, b. June 1798; d. at Bedford, Ohio, 2 Apr. 1835 ae 36 yrs. 10 mos. (gravestone); came from Phelps, N. Y., to Bedford in 1833; m. Catherine Winfield, b. 20 July 1800, d. 7 July 1891 ae. 90 yrs. 11 mos. 17 days (gravestone); she m. (2) Thomas Burgess, by whom she had four children.” 

    • Fanny (Marble) Westbrook born March 20, 1801 in Williamsburg, Hampshire County, MA; married Peter Westbrook (1797-1851) in 1815-1816 in New York; Fanny died May 15, 1849 in Kalamazoo County, MI

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford of Winona, Minnesota. by Donald Lines Jacobus, New Haven, Connecticut. 1933, page 117:

“iv. Fanny, b. 20 Mar. 1801, d. 15 May 1849; m. in 1815 or early in 1816, Peter Westbrook, b. 30 Sept. 1797.”

    • Amanda (Marble) Wait born February 12, 1804 in Phelps, Ontario County, NY; married Ethan Wait (1800-1844) on November 13, 1819 in Phelps, Ontario County, NY; Amanda died January 8, 1893 in Monaville, Lake Villa Township, Lake County, IL; buried in Grant Cemetery, Ingleside, Lake County, IL

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933; portions of “Obituary Published by the Loyal Legion”, pages 119-120:

“v. Amanda, b. at Phelps, Ontario County, N. Y., 12 Feb. 1804; d. at Monaville, Ill., 8 Jan. 1893; m. at Phelps, 13 Nov. 1819, Ethan Wait, b. at Ashfield, Franklin County, Mass., 23 May 1800, d. in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1844. (NOTE: “But according to a biography of his son George, Ethan Wait started for California in 1849, and was never heard from again.”)  Her obituary notice is printed below.”

 “Newspaper Obituary, Amanda (Marble) Wait
(Sister of Levi Marble)
In Memory of Aunt Wait.

   Died 1893.
   As the Autumn leaves flutter, whirl and eddy to their final resting place on the bosom of Mother earth, what a similitude it is to life.  To them comes death; and to us it comes as certainly.  And this time it has come and taken from our midst one of the oldest and most highly respected settlers, Mrs. Amanda Wait, more familiarly known as Aunt Wait, whose death occurred at Monaville, on the 8th of January, at the residence of her granddaughter, Mrs. Ida Tweed.
   She was a leaf who has worn the emerald, but has now soared away to be sheltered “Safe in the arms of Jesus.”  Aunt Wait, as she was called, was born in Philipstown, N. Y., in 1804, and was the daughter of Ephraim and Ann (Dunham) Marble.  Aunt Wait was the last survivor of a family of twelve children.  Levi and Solomon Marble were her brothers, and among the early settlers of Lake county.  in 1819 she gave her hand in marriage to Ethan Wait who was a native of Massachusetts, where they resided for three years, then removed to Philipstown, N. Y., and subsequently with the four children they emigrated to Cuyahoga county, Ohio.
   Being left a widow in 1844, at the request of her brothers Levi and Solomon Marble, in 1849, she with seven of her children came to Illinois by way of the Lakes, and settle in what is now Grant township.  Two years later she purchased twenty-seven acres of wild land and with the aid of Mr. A. I. Seeber, now of Waukegan, who was then a carpenter, erected a substantial log house where she lived about twenty-five years.  With most praiseworthy fidelity she cared for those dependent upon her until they were able to provide for themselves.
   Levi being the last of the family to marry she kept house for him, while he added to the old homestead at different times, until through their efforts it was made one of the best farms in town.  After Levi’s marriage she gave up the responsibility of housekeeping; but still continued to spend a share of her time at the old home, and the remaining time with her son George and her granddaughter, Mrs. Ida Tweed.
   Aunt  Wait was a natural born farmer, and in her active days took great interest in cattle, horses, sheep and poultry, and loved as she often said to feed pigs and hogs that she might see them grow.
   She leaves a family of ten children to mourn her loss, as follows: Horace Wait, Elgin, Kan.; Jerushy Butler, Boscobel, Wis.; Geraldine Owens, Gurnee, Ill.; John Wait, Chagrin Falls, Ohio; Lorenzo Wait, Kimball, Dak.; Levi Wait, Volo, Ill.; Amanda Dilley, Gurnee, Ill.; Charles Wait, Chicago, Ill.; George Wait, Volo, Ill.; Sarah Hamilton, Chicago, Ill.  Those deceased are Lucinda (Wait) Smith, whose death occurred in the year A.D. 1856.  Then the unusual length of thirty-six years elapsed before another death in the family, when Mrs. Louisa (Wait) Gleason passed away, only a few more months before her mother.  Aunt Wait also leaves about thirty grand children and a number of great grand children.
   The funeral services were held at the Fort Hill Christian church of which she has been a member for the past thirty-five years, Elder Joseph Owen conducted the services, selecting his text from the fifth chapter of Corinthians, and her remains were interred at the Grant cemetery beside those of her two daughters.  And thus passed away one who through her own heart’s pain and sorrow was ever ready to help others in distress.

As her feet were worn and weary,
   And her eyes were dimmed with tears,
And the days were long and dreary,
   With the monotone of years.

As her fainting footsteps faltered,
   In the marshes dark and deep,
With dire grief no time could alter,
   Then he gave his loved one, “sleep.”
                                                             D. G.

    • Serepta Marble born about 1806
    • Anna (Marble) Lozier born about 1807 in New York; married William Lozier (1806-1880); Anna died in 1865; William died October 18, 1880 in Waupaca County, WI and buried in Union Cemetery, Symco, Waupaca County, WI

According to Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties of Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas, Langlade and Shawano. 1895. Chicago. J. H. Beers & Co., page 697:

“WILLIAM LOZIER was born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, in 1834, and is a son of William B. and Anna (Marble) Lozier.  The father was a farmer by occupation, and reared a family of seven children, of whom William is the eldest.  Levi, now of Meadville, Penn., enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment for the Civil war, and after three months was wounded.  Subsequently he joined the cavalry, and served throughout the struggle.  Isaac, also one of the boys in blue, enlisted at Oshkosh, in 1861, in the Third Wisconsin Infantry, and after serving eighteen months in that regiment, was for a similar period with the Pioneer Corps.  He is now living in Waupace township, Waupaca county.  Jane is the wife of Lewis C. Dille, of Symco.  Alice is the widow of William Wood, also an old soldier.”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933, page 136 (Letter written by Elizabeth E. Botsford written March 4, 1878:

“Aunt Ann died eight or ten years ago, she lived near Aunt Wait, left seven or eight children.  They are all married and most of them with Uncle Loziers live at or near New London Wisconsin.  Uncle in his old age is industrious and has considerable property.”

(NOTE: the following are possible siblings but not certain)

    • Susanna (Marble) Wild; married Daniel Wild on March 27, 1836 in Cuyahoga County, OH
    • Welcome (Marble) Ellsworth born about 1812; married Lorena Ellsworth on January 1, 1836 in Bedford County, OH Welcome died about 1893
    • Rachel (Marble) Logan born about 1814; married Robert Logan in Bedford County, OH on May 23, 1834; Rachel died in 1907

Additional Information:

In 1813, Levi enlisted as a teamster (driver of horses of mules) under General McClure, New York Militia.  He transported baggage serving at the Battle of Fort George, NY (May 25-27, 1813) and at Burning of Sodus Point, NY (June 20, 1813.)

According to the War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815:

“Soldier: Numbers: W.O. 16391; Marble Levi; Widow: Marble Elizabeth; Service: Teamster”

According to the 1830 U.S. Census for Chagrin, Cuyahoga County, OH:

“Names of Heads of Families: Levi Marble; Free White Persons: Males 5 thru 9: 1, Males 30 thru 39: 1, Males 40 thru 49: 1, Females under 5: 1, Females 5 thru 9: 1, Females 10 thru 14: 2, Females 15 thru 19: 1, Females 30 thru 39: 1, Under 20: 6, 20 thru 49: 3”

According to the 1840 U.S. Census for Lake County, IL: Names of Heads of Families:

“Levi Marble; Free White Persons: Males 10 thru 14: 1, Males 15 thru 19: 1, Males 50 thru 59: 1, Females 5 thru 9: 2, Females 10 thru 14: 1, Females 15 thru 19: 2, Females 20 thru 29: 1, Females 40 thru 49: 1, Persons Employed in Agriculture: 2, Under 20: 7, 20 thru 49: 2, Total Free White Person: 10”

According to the “U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971” were the following for Fort Hill, Lake County, Illinois:

    • Joseph Wood – March 6, 1838 (Fort Hill, McHenry County, IL)
    • Levi Marble – July 29, 1840 (Fort Hill, Lake County, IL)
    • Samuel L. Woods – March 31, 1841
    • Timothy B. Titcomb – February 5, 1844
    • Levi Marble – November 27, 1844

According to the 1850 U.S. Census in the Town of Avon, Lake County, IL the household members were:

“Levi Marble, age 61, occupation: farming, born in Massachusetts; Betsy Marble, age 59, born in Massachusetts; Otis Marble, age 27, occupation: farmer, born in Ohio; Antionet Marble, age 22, born Ohio; Elizabeth Marble, age 17, born in Ohio; Almeron Walden, age 20, occupation: farming, born in Ohio”

According to “Historical and Statistical Sketches of Lake County, State of Illinois” by Elijah M. Haines, Waukegan, Ill, 1852, page 74:

   “The early settlers of this town were Noah Potter and sons, Churchill Edwards, Delazan E. Haines, Harley H. Hendee, David Hendee, David Rich, Levi Marble, George Thompson, Thos. Renehan, Leonard Gage, Thomas Wels, A. T. Miltimore, Lawrence Forvor, Freeman Bridge, Nathaniel King and William Gray.”

According to “Historical and Statistical Sketches of Lake County, State of Illinois” by Elijah M. Haines, Waukegan, Ill. 1852, page 75:

   “The large and extensive fruit nursery of Levi Marble, Esq., is a matter also worthy of notice; it contains about 50,000 trees of the various kinds of fruit and of choice varieties.”

According to the 1860 U.S. Census in the City of Waukegan, Lake County, IL with a Waukegan post office the household members were:

“Levi Marble, age 71, occupation: Gentleman, born in New Hampshire (sic); Ruben S. Botsford, age 27, occupation: Master Carpenter, born in New York; Charles Botsford, age ½, born in Illinois; Elizabeth Botsford, age 26, born in Ohio; Elizabeth Marble, age 69, born in Connecticut (sic)”

According to the 1870 U.S. Census in the City of Waukegan, Lake County, IL with a Waukegan post office the household members were:

“Levi Marble, age 81, occupation: farmer, born in Massachusetts; Elizabeth Marble, age 79, born in Massachusetts”

According to the Waukegan Weekly Gazette (Waukegan IL) Saturday, March 7, 1874, page 3:

   “Esquire Marble died at the residence of Enoch Morse in this city on Wednesday last, at the advanced age of eighty four years.  About a fortnight since Mr. & Mrs. Marble celebrated the sixty-fifth anniversary of their wedding, he being in quite good health at the time.  From that very day he declined quite rapidly and finally passed quietly away.”

According to “The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois”, Chicago, 1877, page 248:

   “Levi Marble was the first Justice of the Peace who served in what is now the town of Avon.  He was first elected in 1839, and continued in office by re-election without interruption for about thirty years.”

According to “The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois”, Chicago, 1877, page 246:

   “The first Post Office in this town was the Fort Hill Post Office.  It was originally established in what is now the town of Fremont.  About 1840, it was removed to the house of Levi Marble, in the southwest corner of the town, who was appointed Postmaster.”

According to “The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois”, Chicago, 1877, page 246:

   “The first school house in this town was a log building, of hewn logs, and built by the contribution of the inhabitants, in the southwest corner of the town, about the year 1841, on the present McHenry road, at the crossing of the north and south road on the quarter section line, which became known as the Marble School House, from Levi Marble, who lived near by immediately on the west.  The first school in town was taught in this building.  It is believed that a Mrs. Hankins was the first teacher.”

According to the “Fergus’ Historical Series, No. 18, Chicago River and Harbor Convention, an account of its origin and proceedings by William Mosley Hall”, Chicago, 1882, which was written 35 years after the convention was held July 5, 1847 in Chicago.  The convention which so much for the Northwest, especially for Chicago, consisted of representatives of the Whig and Democratic parties from various parts of the early country.  The first section of a resolution to approve the convention sums its purpose:

   “Whereas, the great and rapidly-increasing trade and commerce of the Western Lakes and Rivers, which at the present moment are more than one-half of the foreign commerce of the country, and fully equal in amount to our coasting trade, should command the protection of our National government; And whereas, it is of the first importance to have a concert of action of the friends of this great interest in order to present it to our National legislature in a proper light.”

Included in the list of over 75 delegates from Lake County, Illinois were Levi Marble, Elijah Middlebrook Haines, James Kapple, Elijah Huson, Leonard Gage, Robert Carroll, David Whitney, George Thompson and others that resided in the Fort Hill area.

According to “Launcelot Granger of Newbury, Mass., and Suffield, Conn., A Genealogical History” by James N. Granger. Hartford, Conn. 1893. page 257:

“SEVENTH GENERATION.
BETSEY (GRANGER) MARBLE,

2047   dau. of John; b. 22 March, 1791, at Sandisfield, Mass.; d. 22 Aug., 1878, at Appleton, Wis.; m. 19 Feb., 1809, to Levi Marble of Sodus, N. Y.  They lived at Sodus and Appleton.

Ch.
i  Amy, m. Enoch Morse of Painesville, O. Both died at Waukegan, Ill.
ii. Delia, m. _______ Seburn of Waukegan, Ill.
iii.  Libbie, m. _______ Botsford.
iv. A daughter, m. ________ King of Oshkosh, Wis.”

According to “A History of Lake County, Illinois”. John J. Halsey, LL.D. 1912, page 808:

Township Supervisors
 Year                 Avon Township
1856                 Levi Marble
1857                 Levi Marble
1858                 Levi Marble

According to “A History of Lake County, Illinois”. John J. Halsey, LL.D. 1912. page 593:

“FORT HILL.

The postoffice at Fort Hill was established on July 29, 1840.  This office was originally in McHenry County, and when changed to Lake County, was located in the Town of Fremont, but later removed to Avon Township, where it remained until discontinued on June 14, 1904, at which time the mail was ordered sent to Round Lake. The following named person were appointed and served as postmaster at this office while in existence:
         Levi Marble, appointed July 29, 1840.
         Samuel L. Wood, appointed March 31, 1841.
         Timothy B. Titcomb, appointed February 5, 1844.
         Levi Marble, appointed November 27, 1844.
         Deveraux Goodale, appointed October 2, 1849.
         Alfred Wood, appointed May 1, 1850.
         Orrin Marble, appointed April 12, 1852.
         Geo. Thompson (sic Thomson) appointed February 23, 1853.
         Elijah Stanford, appointed July 8, 1884.
         Caroline E. Coombs (sic Combs), appointed February 3, 1886.”

According to “A History of Lake County, Illinois” by John J. Halsey, 1912, page 820:

   “Levi Marble, was born in Massachusetts in June, 1789, and after a residence in Wayne County, N. Y., came to Avon township in 1837, and gave name to Marble’s corners and the Marble school.  He died at Waukegan March 5, 1874.”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933. page 63:

“…I have heard Levi Marble, Post Master and Justice of the Peace of Avon Township, say that a letter with twenty-five cents due for postage could not be furnished by the consigner.  Many a quarter was lost to him on account of his sympathy and generosity.”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933; portions of “Obituary Published by the Loyal Legion” regarding Reuben Smith Botsford, pages 84-85: from the obituary of Levi’s daughter, Elizabeth E. (Marble) Botsford:

   “…Elizabeth E. Marble was born in Bedford, Ohio, Sept. 22, 1833.  She was a daughter of Levi Marble, a native of Conway, Mass., and Elizabeth Marble, whose maiden name was Granger and whose birthplace was Sodus, N. Y.  In 1838 Levi Marble and family moved to this state.  They were members of a large company of pioneers of Lake County who came by boat to Kenosha and secured government lands in northern Illinois.  Levi Marble located at Fort Hill…”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines” compiled for Otis Marble Botsford by Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut. 1933 in regards to Levi’s sister, Amanda (Marble) Wait, pages 119-120:

…“Levi and Solomon Marble were her brothers, and among the early settlers of Lake County…Being left a widow in 1844, at the request of her brothers Levi and Solomon Marble, in 1849, she with seven of her children came to Illinois by way of the Lakes, and settled in what is now Grant township.  Two years later she purchased twenty-seven acres of wild land and with the aid of Mr. A. I. Seeber, now of Waukegan, who was then a carpenter, erected a substantial log house where she lived about twenty-five years….Levi being the last of the family to marry she kept house for him, while he added to the old homestead at different times, until through their efforts it was made one of the best farms in the town.  After Levi’s marriage she gave up the responsibility of housekeeping; but still continued to spend a share of her time at the old home….”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines”. compiled for Oris Marble Botsford. by Donald Lines Jacobus. Connecticut. 1933. pages 120-124:

LEVI MARBLE
   “Born at Williamsburg, Mass., 10 May 1790, Levi Marble at the age of seven or eight accompanied his parents when they removed to Phelps, Ontario County, N. Y.  He was married, 19 Feb. 1809, to Elizabeth Granger of Sodus, N. Y.  She was a daughter of John and Sarah (Morse) Granger, and was born at Sandisfield, Mass., 22 Mar. 1791.
   After his marriage, Levi settled in Sodus, Wayne County, not many miles distant from the home of his parents in Phelps.  His family understood that he rendered service in the War of 1812, but military service has not been found and it may have been teamster service.
   In 1818 Levi Marble and his family went as pioneers to Willoughby, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.  Here and at Bedford they remained nearly a score of years and played their part in reclaiming the wilderness and building up the town.  His descendants have a copy of an invitation issued in 1836, which reads:
Hail Happy New Year!

The subscribers respectfully solicit your attendance at
A New Year’s Ball, at L. Marble’s Assembly Room, in
Bedford on Monday, January 2nd, 1837, at 1 o’clock P.M.

H. J. Paddock
A. H. Eldred
N. P. Benedict
Bedford Dec. 1836

    In 1837 Levi removed with his family to Lake County, Ill., and he became one of the first nurserymen in northern Illinois.  He settled on a farm in Avon; other settlers soon located near him and Marble’s Corners (or “Marble’s” as it was called for short) became one of the points in this region to which the traveler northward from Chicago was directed.  Mr. Marble’s home was located on one of the main travelled routes in that section, and his hospitality was widely known.
   The post office at Fort Hill (Avon township) was established 6 Mar. 1838, the first postmaster being Joseph Wood.  Levi Marble succeeded him as postmaster, 20 July 1840, serving to 31 Mar. 1841, when Samuel L. Wood became the encumbent.  Mr. Marble served a second and longer term from 27 Nov. 1844 to 2 Oct. 1849.  Orrin Marble, whose relationship to Levi Marble is not known, was the encumbent from 12 Apr. 1852 to 23 Feb. 1853; and Mrs. Caroline E. (Seeber) Combs, granddaughter of Levi, held the position from 3 Feb. 1886 to 14 June 1904, when the office was discontinued and the mail sent to Round Lake.  Mr. Marble also served as the first Justice of the Peace in Avon, being elected in 1839 and re-elected for more than a quarter of a century.
   Mr. Marble was Supervisor for the years 1856, 1857 and 1858 of Avon township.  Marble’s Corners received its name from him, as well as the Marble School, which he built.  The original school-house had been a log building, which Mr. Marble replaced with a brick-lined structure.
   Levi Marble and his son Otis were supporters of the Disciples or Campbellite Church, which was organized 12 Jan. 1856 at the Marble School-House.  Among the original members were Otis Marble and a Mr. and Mrs. Abner Marble.  After worshipping in the school for ten years, a church was built in 1866, a mile to the northward.
   Indicative of the size of the nursery business in which Mr. Marble and his son Otis were interested, his journal shows a total of $1129.69 for nursery stock sold to Otis Marble & Co. of Oshkosh, Wis., between 12 Nov. 1856 and 4 May 1857; and an itemized bill to Otis Marble & Co. on 17 Apr. 1858 for $527.63.
   In February 1874, the sixty-fifth wedding anniversary of “Esquire and Mrs. Levi Marble” was celebrated at the home of their son-in-law, Capt. Reuben S. Botsford of Waukegan, Ill.  A large number of the family friends were present and the afternoon was passed in recounting the events of the early pioneering days.  A newspaper account of this occasion, published at the time, follows:

 A Rare Marriage Anniversary

   Monday of this week was the Sixty-fifth wedding anniversary of Esquire Levi Marble, and his wife Elizabeth, and in honor of the occasion a dinner party was given at the residence of R. S. Botsford, in this city, where were congregated several of their children, grand-children, and a few of their great-grand-children.  The occasion was entirely informal, being simply a re-union of such of the descendants as live in this vicinity, who met to congratulate them; and listen to their recital of early times.
   Mr. Marble is 85 years of age, and was born in Franklin county, Massachusetts, in 1789; Mrs. Marble is 83 years of age, and was born in Southwick, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in 1791.  When about seven years of age Mr. Marble removed with his parents into Ontario county, New York, and Mrs. Marble removed with her parents into the same count and State, when she was about six years of age.  They were married in 1809, and in 1818 removed to Ohio, settling in the vicinity of Chagrin, now Willoughby.  They were among the early settlers of that region of country, and experienced all the trials, and struggles of pioneer life.  In 1838 Mr. Marble again caught the Yankee fever for pushing westward, and came to this county, and located in the south-west corner of what is now the town of Avon, at the spot now so well known as “Marble’s Corners,” situated on the main highway eastward and westward through our county, and known as the McHenry road.  As Mr. Marble piquantly remarks, “There was no roads anywhere in those days,” as none at that time had been laid out.  Mr. Marble has now been a resident of this county for thirty-six years, during all of which time, until four years ago, when he sold his farm, and removed to Waukegan, he has resided on the spot where he first “stuck his stakes.”  He engaged in farming, and established a nursery, which for many years was one the favorite institutions of the county, and brought its owner remunerative returns.
   Mr. Marble has ever stood in the estimation of his neighbors and acquaintances, as a true friend and safe counselor, and has been entrusted with several offices, serving as justice of the peace for many years, supervisor of his town, etc., and always discharged his duties with satisfaction to the public and honor to himself.  Mrs. Marble, who has shared with her husband all the hardships of pioneer life in two States, has been a faithful helpmate in every particular, and fully divides with her husband the high estimation in which they are held by all who have their acquaintance.  They are at present living with one of the daughters, Mrs. A. I. Seeber, in the town of Wauconda.
   They have each lived beyond the allotted span of life, and in thus reaching the sixty-fifth anniversary of their wedding day, they furnish an episode rarely met with.  To all appearances they still possess sufficient healthy, strength and vitality to see another decade pass away, and user in the seventy-fifth anniversary of their wedding.  That they may, is the devout wish of all.
   Before and after the dinner, which was both substantial and sumptuous, the aged couple related to the company some of the incidents of their early pioneer life in Ohio, and in this county.  We took notes of a few of the incidents relating to the latter, which with others we are collecting, we design giving to our readers at some future time.
   In the course of Mr. Marble’s recitals he said: “Old times were sociable times, and you knew all your neighbors, and if you were going anywhere, you took your ox-team, and picked up everybody along and carried them with you.”  “Talk of hard times, now,” said Mr. M., “Why, in those days money was so scarce, that if a man had a tax of a dollar or a dollar and a half to pay, he commenced saving it up six months beforehand.”
   This venerable couple went through years of this sort of hard times in their younger days, both in Ohio and Illinois, but it did not deter them from persevering through, and now in their old age, blessed with all the comforts of life, and surrounded by their children, and children’s children, who do them honor, and hosts of friends who appreciate their sterling worth, they are passing down the few remaining years that are left to them, hand-in-hand, lovingly as when they first pledge their truth.
   Mr. Marble was taken ill shortly after, and died a fortnight later.  His widow survived him more than four years.  They both died in Waukegan, Ill., and are buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery, the land for which was donated by his brother, Solomon Marble and by George Thompson.  Their inscriptions read as follows:

 LEVI MARBLE                                                   ELIZABETH
        DIED                                                                  Wife of
   Mar. 4, 1874.                                                 LEVI MARBLE
  84 Y’rs 9 Mo’s                                             Died Aug. 22. 1878
     & 24 Days                                                  AE. 87 Yrs 4 Mos.
                                                                                      27 d’s

According to the Illinois, Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999; No. 1204, County Court. Lake County, Ill. In Probate in the matter of the Last Will and Testament of Levi Marble, Deceased., A. I. Seeber, Executor., May 25, 1874:

“The last will & testament of Levi Marble of the town of Wauconda in the County of Lake & Sate of Illinois.
   “I give devise & bequeath unto Abraham I. Seeber of the Town of Wauconda in the County of Lake & State of Illinois all of the Property Real and Person of which I shall depart this life the (illegible) of be the same who shares own it may & of what (illegible) name kind or nature it may & that shall remain after the death of my wife, Elizabeth Marble in the event that she outlives me, but in the event that my said wife departs this life before I do then said Seeber shall come into the immediate possession of said property upon my decease.  And I do hereby direct empower & authorise the said Seeber upon coming into the possession of said property Real and Personal to sell the same at such time or times as shall suit him best at Private or Public sale as he shall choose and upon such sale being made to execute good & sufficient deeds for the Real Estate & bills of sale for the Personal property so as fully to carry the same to the purchases & rest in him thereby an absolute & complete title in the property Real & Personal so sold.  It being by express will & wish however that said Seeber secures only such property as shall remain at the event that she outlives me so that my said wife shall be supported & cared for after my decease during her life out of the property of which I shall depart this life the owner of

 I do hereby nominate and appoint the said Abraham I. Seeber sole executor of this my last will & testament & do hereby direct & request that my said executor do not be required to execute bonds as such.

 In witness which of I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty first day of July A.D. 1873
Levi Marble {seal}

 The above & foregoing instrument in writing consisting of one half sheet of paper besides this paper was at the day of the date thereof signed by the above named Levi Marble in our presence & we at his request witness the same as his last will & testament be at the same time informing us that the same was his last will & testament and signed the same as such in his person & in the presence of each other.
W. S. Searle
A I Waterman”

According to “An American Family – Botsford-Marble Ancestral Lines”. compiled for Oris Marble Botsford. by Donald Lines Jacobus. Connecticut. 1933. page 124:

“The following is Mr. Marble’s obituary, from a contemporary newspaper:

 Death of Squire Marble. – It is our sorrowful duty to announce the death of Squire Levi Marble, an account of whose 65th wedding anniversary we published two or three weeks ago.  He was aged 85 years.”