Thomas D. Marcum Obituary
Col. T. D. Marcum was born December 17, 1840, a native of Lawrence County, Kentucky. His father was Steven M. Marcum a Kentuckian by birth, belonging to one of the oldest pioneer families of the state. Coming here from Virginia, his mother was Jane Damron and also a Kentuckian by birth. They had twelve children, Col. Marcum being the eldest.
He joined the army in 1861 and shortly thereafter became a captain. After the civil war he studied law and was admitted to the bar in Lawrence County and in a short time period became a successful lawyer.
In 1865 he was married to Mary Bromley. In May of 1875 Col. Marcum was nominated to the democratic state ticket for Registrar of Land Office and at that time was the youngest man ever nominated to state office. He lived to be the last and only one who witnessed Gen. James Garfield sworn to his commission as Brigadier General in the Civil War. The General-Headquarters at that time was in Pikeville, Ky., in a house owned later by the Bowles heirs. The oath was administered by John Charles, Justice of the Peace of Pike County.
The Captain was a delegate to the first State Convention held in Kentucky after the Civil War which convened in Louisville in May, 1866, and nominated Judge Alvin Duvall for Clerk of the Court of Appeals and was a Delegate to every Democratic State Convention held in the State since the War except three.
In 1879 he left Frankfort and located in Catlettsburg and founded the Kentucky Democrat, a newspaper which soon became a power in local and political affairs in this section. He was assisted in running the paper by his soon, Fletcher Marcum. and after 15 years he sold the Democrat to Friel and Sherlock, turning his attention to life insurance in which he was very successful until his death in 1921.
The Captain completed his home on Broadway in Catlettsburg in 1884 and it remained in the family until 1944.
We doubt whether the people of Catlettsburg give Col. Marcum full credit for what he has done for them. When the bill passed the lower House of Congress early in December, 1900, providing for Federal Court to be held in Ashland, the people of Catlettsburg turned at once to Col. Marcum to lead the fight before the Senate in behalf of Catlettsburg. He spend 11 weeks, at his own expense in Washington, but won his fight in the Senate, notwithstanding that Senator Lindsay of this state was for Ashland. Col. Marcum lead the fight in 1909 when Ashland tried to get enough votes to move the county seat to Ashland and had Catlettsburg lost that fight the fine Federal building and County Court Hose, both erected since 1909 would today be in Ashland, and Catlettsburg, instead of being the good and growing city it is, would be like Barboursville, W.Va., a little station on the C&O Railroad.
Another contest between Catlettsburg and Ashland occurred when Catlettsburg boys made application for the instituting of a Lodge of Elks in that city. Ashland Lodge made a strong protest against the granting of a dispensation for the new lodge. Col. Marcum was a member of the Ashland Lodge, but was loyal to his home boys and lead the fight for them. He filed a brief with the Deputy Exalted Ruler for Kentucky, who happened to be a life long personal and political friend of Col. Marcum, and of course Catlettsburg won and the handsome three story brick building with its five store rooms, corner Division and Center St. in which is located the Elks Lodge and Club room, would not be there today had it not been for the work of Col. Marcum. We repeat, "Do the people of Catlettsburg fully appreciate what he did for their welfare."
Source: Ashland Daily Independent, Nov. 1924; contributed by Jerry Daniels
Oldest Member of Prominent Tri-State Family, Succumbs At Catlettsburg Home
Captain Thomas Damron Marcum, 81, one of the best known men of the Tri-state region, died at his home on Broadway in Catlettsburg at 9:30 o'clock last night, after an illness of one week.
Captain Marcum was born in Lawrence county, Kentucky, five miles from Louisa, December 17, 1840. He was the oldest surving son of the late Stephen N. and Jane Damron Marcum.
He served in the Union Army throughout the Civil War as Captain of Company K., Fourteenth Kentucky Infantry.
He was the first Democrat to be elected to a state office in Kentucky after the war. He was chosen in 1875 to fill the position of registrar of lands.
During the first Cleveland administration he served as inspector of Indian lands. His interest in politics never lagged and he continued to be active through- out the campaign which closed early this month. During this campaign he served as chairman of the Democratic committee in Boyd county.
For thirty-one years prior to his death he had been general agent for the New York Life Insurance Company. He was active in business until the day before his last illness compelled him to keep his bed.
He was married on January 19, 1865, to Mary Bromley, of Wayne county, W. Va. She died eleven years ago. They are survived by three children, who are, J. F. Marcum, of South Point, O., Mrs. Alonzo Mims and Mrs. E. C. Walton, of Catlettsburg. Captain Marcum also leaves four brothers, these being, J. H. Marcum, John S. Marcum and Lace Marcum, prominent residents of Huntington, and four sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Cahill, of New York, Mrs. Morgan Baker, of Huntington, Mrs. John Dotson, of Fort Gay, W. Va., and Mrs. R. L. Simpkins of War, W. Va.
Captain Marcum was a thirty-second degree Mason, an Elk, and a member of the Baptist church.
Source: The Herald-Dispatch, November 24, 1921
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