56. Perry Green Marquis
was born on Dec 10 1896 in Flannigan Township, Hamilton County, Illinois. He
was born on a Thursday. Perry was named after his grandfather Perry Green Marquis.
His grandfather was the one referred to by his family as the "Old Sire."
Perry moved to Elgin from McLeansboro, Illinois in 1920. Uncle Perry lived at
186 South State Street and also 532 South Street in Elgin, Illinois. Information
about Perry comes from Delayed Record of Birth, Hamilton County, Illinois, Dated
July 7, 1959. Affidavit by Perry's sister, Susan Katherine Huffstutler. Perry's
name sake taken from the Family of Alexander Rhodes Marquis and Hannah Mae Pennell,
written in 1988 by Della Marquis Gruthoff. He was a machinist in 1960 in Elgin,
Kane County, Illinois. The newspaper obituary of Perry G. Marquis records that
Perry worked as a machinist for 35 years at W.R. Meadows Company, Inc. (His
brother N.A. also worked there.) He was Baptist in 1969 in Elgin, Kane County,
Illinois. Perry was a charter member of Grace Evangelical Church of Elgin.
He died on Jun 15 1969 in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois. Uncle Perry died on
a Sunday (which was Father's Day that year) in Sherman Hospital of leukemia.
He lived 72 years, 6 months and 5 days. His obituary in the Elgin Courier-News
states: "Perry G Marquis, 72, of 532 South St. died Sunday in Sherman Hospital
following a lingering illness. He was born December 10, 1896 in McLeansboro,
Hamilton County, Ill., the son of the late Alexander and Hannah May Pennell Marquis,
and had resided in Elgin since 1920. He was employed by W.R. Meadows Company,
Inc., of Elgin for the past 35 years and was a charter member of Grace Evangelical
Church of Elgin.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Ellen Schrieber Marquis, a daughter, Nancy Ellen
Marquis at home; a stepson, attorney James A. Hudgens of Arlington, VA; two Grandchildren;
three sisters, Mrs. Ira Huffstutler, Mrs. Frank (Myrtle) Jordan and Mrs. Della
Gruthoff, all of Elgin; three brothers, William H., Charles L., and Lyman E.
of Elgin. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother N.A. Marquis, and
a sister, Mrs. Eileen Wiechert."
He was buried on Jun 17 1969 in Bluff City Cemetery, Elgin, Kane County, Illinois.
Memorial card for Perry G. Marquis states that Funeral services were held at
Stout Funeral Home on Tuesday at 1:30 pm. Officiating was Rev. J. Kenneth Nielson
of Grace Evangelical Church.
Uncle Perry was known as a good jokester and was always telling stories. One
of the more notable stories deals with family history. Perry supposedly told
that a Nancy Green from somewhere in New York went to Paris, France to study
(or something) and met a Frenchman. They fell in love and Nancy convinced her
new husband to move back with her to the United States. Upon learning that Nancy
had married a foreigner, her family gave her money, land, etc. and banished her
to the west into Hamilton County, Illinois. The tale was told that the Marquis
family had a very recent "French Connection" through Nancy and her
husband "Alexander Napolean" from France. Interestingly enough, Perry's
tale has (or had) convinced many a Marquis family member (including this researcher)
and he probably would laugh at us all as big as I remember "Unk" laughing.
The actual French connection is yet to be found, but the names and places are
all a part of the Marquis family ancestory: 1) Marquis is of course a French
name; 2) Green was taken from his grandfather and is believed to be from a man
named Heady Green, a New York Railroad Owner; 3) the Marquis family did move
west to Hamilton County , but they actually came from Indiana; 4) Alexander is
his father; 5) Napolean is his brother. A rather simple but elaborate tale,
one that the younger Marquis generations all believed.
It is not hard to imagine that such tales were told because Unk and his family
would go each Saturday evening to his brother Lyman's house where they would
gather for fellowship. Unk would bring Root Beer and Ice Cream for everyone.
Patricia Marquis Robbins recalls what fun it was to have stories over a Root
Beer Float. One can easily see how on special occasions while growing up, we
did have fun , and still do to this day, over a Root Beer Float. Thanks, Unk,
for a tradition!
Helen Huffstutler Ferreira adds: "Aunt Della had still another version...
Hers was that a women by the name of Hetty Green was a big wheel in a New York
Railroad." That she actually made the French connection.
He was married
to Ellen Schrieber (daughter of Fred Schrieber and
Maggie Schrieber) on Nov 18 1944 in Kane County, Illinois. Perry and Ellen
were married on a Saturday. Perry was age 47 and Ellen was about 35 years old
when they were married. Their marriage date is documented on Perry's Delayed
Record of Birth, Hamilton County, Illinois, Dated July 24, 1959.
Ellen Schrieber was born on Mar 3 1910 in Southern
Illinois. Ellen has four sisters named Fern, Vachel, Ruby, and Mary. She also
has a brother Ray Schrieber. Ellen was previously married to a man named Albert
Hudgens and had a son James A. Hudgens by that marriage. Perry Green Marquis
and Ellen Schrieber had the following children:
72 i.
Nancy Marquis was born in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois.
He was married
to Lela Garvin on Mar 22 1918 in Posey County, Indiana. He was divorced from
Lela Garvin in 1939 in Hamilton County, Illinois. Lela
Garvin was born on May 16 1898. Perry Green Marquis and Lela Garvin had
the following children:
73 i.
Twin Daughters Marquis was born in Hamilton County, Illinois. She died in
Hamilton County, Illinois. The twin babies were stillborn. Helen Huffstutler
Ferreira writes: My mother Katherine Marquis Huffstutler, indicated that Perry
and Lela have twin daughters buried in Hamilton County and I think it might be
Cartwright Cemetery. In any case, the story was that Lela made request to Perry
some years later that he order a marker for their graves but it is not known
whether their graves are marked.
Return to Table of Contents