Claude and Marie Marcum Family c. 1931

At the time this photo was taken, Claude V. (Mar 7, 1902-Oct 5, 1957) and Marie Marcum (June 10, 1906-Nov 18, 1998), along with their first four children, were living at Shoopman, KY. Claude worked for the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company at Fidelity Mine A in the mid-1920’s. In 1930, at the age of twenty eight, he was mine foreman. When the Fidelity Mine closed in November 1937, the Marcums relocated to Yamacraw.

Claude and Marie were the parents of six children: Kenneth Eugene Marcum (Sept 9, 1924-Apr 8, 1992) who served in the Navy during WWII as a member of the gun crew aboard merchant ships; John William “Bill” Marcum (Mar 30, 1927-Feb 24, 2015) enjoyed a successful career with General Electric, Bell Helicoperter in Iran, and ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia; Sheila Ruth (Marcum) Denney (Jan 26, 1930-Mar 1, 2016) was a beloved teacher in Jefferson Township, OH who began her teaching career in a one room schoolhouse in Kentucky; Barbara (Marcum) Souleyrette (Jun 12, 1932-June 3, 2001) was a loving mother who retired from the Oak Ridge Housing Authority in Oak Ridge, TN; Patricia Ann Marcum (Nov 13, 1934-Jul 31, 2014) retired from the State of Kentucky Food Stamp Office; and Claudette (Marcum) Holladay Loy (1937-Sept 21, 1990) retired as General Supervisor for Adair County Schools in Kentucky.

Claude was actively engaged in the community as well as numerous activities of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company. He attended the American Mining Congress in Cincinnati and particiated in mine safety competitions as captain for the Yamacraw Mine First Aid Team. He and L.C. Bruce, traffice manager for Stearns Coal and Lumber Company, raised funds for Infantile Paralysis and the Red Cross. In addition, Claude served as chairman for the local chapter of the March of Dimes and was one of thirty five men trained as Boy Scout leaders in McCreary County.

In July 1953, the Marcum family moved from Yamacraw to Stearns. When his health began to decline, he traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for treatment and later moved to Tucson, Arizona for health reasons. He passed away October 1957 while undergoing treatment in Tucson at the age of fifty five.

Marie lived forty one years after the death of her husband and worked as a cook at Stearns School. She was an active member of the Stearns First Baptist Church and enjoyed activities with the Senior Citizens Group of the church, in addition to caring for her children and grandchildren.

Claude and Marie Marcum and each of their six children were outstanding citizens. Their dedication to family, community, and their individual careers is admirable. The McCreary County Museum would like to thank Dawn Strunk for providing valuable research for this article. For more information contact Debbie Kidd-Trammell at [email protected].