Maribel Morgan

     Maribel Morgan was born, 24 August 1899, in Muncie, Delaware, Indiana, USA.^1,2

Mary Bell Morgan was found in the household of Patrick Joseph Morgan and his wife, Lou Morgan, and listed as their daughter on the 1900 United States Census at 1320 East Ninth Street, in Muncie, Delaware, Indiana, USA. She was listed as nine months old and born in Pennsylvania (it was actually Indiana).³

Maribel Morgan (338) was raised by her aunt, Henrietta Hunter (79), and uncle Will Grubb, until she was about 15 or 16. Bill Morgan (340) was also raised by her for a period of time. Etta (341) told me that she remembered, Maribel mailed her a china doll. Maribel had made the doll clothes for it. This was while Maribel was living with Henrietta. Henrietta was known to them as "Aunt Etta".⁴

Maribel Morgan, Frieda M. Morgan, Wilmer Morgan and Etta Morgan were listed as children in the household of Lou Morgan on the 1910 United States Census, at 1329 Main Street, in Wellsville, Columbiana, Ohio, USA. She was also listed as having attended school.⁵

Maribel Morgan, Frieda M. Morgan, Maurice Wilmer Morgan, Alice Etta Morgan and Alpha Mae Eaton were listed as children in the household of Lou Eaton on the 1920 United States Census, at Harper Street, in Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. She was employed as an office steno.⁶

In 1921, Lou and her daughter, Alpha, moved to Morgantown, West Virginia. They remained there only 2 or 3 months. The other children stayed in Clarksburg. Lou worked as a cook, at a boarding-house owned by one of the coal mining companies. This was at a time of labor unrest. The miners were on strike there. The Miners Union was headed by the firebrand, John L. Lewis. The union had threatened to blow up the house. This was because the mine was providing the house to the strike-breakers.

During this time of separation the other three daughters, Maribel, Frieda and Etta, lived in an apartment on Main Street, near Parson-Souders Department Store, in Clarksburg. Maribel was working at Clarksburg Wholesale Company, Frieda was in training to become a Registered Nurse and Etta was still attending Washington Irving High School.

After Lucy came back from Morgantown, about 1922, all the girls lived with her, on Chapel Street, behind the Methodist Church. Across the street lived the family of the future Senator Claude Pepper of Florida. Etta had typhoid fever while here. They moved to the house next door. Then to School Street, for 4-5 years. Freida died there, after being bed-ridden for two years, in 1924.

They next moved to 614 West Pike Street, still in Clarksburg, where Lucy rented out rooms. During this time Alpha worked at the Clarksburg Dairy, where she worked a total of nine years. Both Etta and Alpha later married routemen who also worked at the dairy.

Starting about 1920, she worked as a stenographer at Clarksburg Wholesale Company. She remained there about 15 years. Also about 1921, she lived with her oldest sister, while her mother was in Morgantown. After her sister, Alpha, married Ernest in 1937, Maribel moved to Detroit. She lived a while with Alpha and Ernest, in Detroit. She worked as a stenographer, at several hospitals in the Detroit area.
In 19__, she had an operation to remove her thyroid, but her parathyroid was removed instead. She was not told by her doctors or hospital. She learned the truth in 1945. She had an uncontrollable twitch of the neck, because of this.⁴

Maribel Morgan, left, and Zela Porter, right, about 1925.

Alpha Mae Eaton and Maribel Morgan were listed as children in the household of Lou Eaton on the 1930 United States Census, at 614 West Pike Street, in Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. She was also listed as a stenographer at a dry goods wholesaler.²

The attached photo taken of my mother, Alpha Eaton and her sister, Maribel Morgan, taken about 1933.

An undated notice from an unknown newspaper reads: "Personals. Maribel Morgan, former secretary to Ex-Governor Howard M. Gore in the farm Security offices here and who is now employed in the Charles Godwin Jennings hospital in Detroit, is reported to be confined to the hospital, where she is suffering from a streptococci infection and ruptured throat. Her condition, which has been serious for the last few days, is reported slightly improved".⁷

Multi family photo taken at Grafton Dam, West Virginia, USA, about 1940.

Maribell Morgan was listed on the 1940 United States Census, at 617 West Pike Street, in Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. She was head of household. She was listed with no occupation, 40 years old, single, having one year of high school and born in Indiana. Also present was a lodger Ethel Potts, sales woman.⁸

Maribel Morgan married Harold W. Voorhis. She had no children.⁴

She came to Phoenix, after her sister Alpha and Ernest Cheyne moved there. She lived next door to them on Central Avenue.⁴

Harold W. Voorhis and Maribel Voorhis were found in the City of Phoenix Directories of 1947 and 1948 with identical entries, which read: "Harold W. Voorhis (Maribel) driller 2802 N. Central".⁹

The attached sidewalk photo taken of my mother, left, her sisters, Etta, center, and Maribel, taken about 1949, in Phoenix.

Harold W. Voorhis and Maribel Voorhis were found in the City of Phoenix Directory for 1951, which read: "Harold W. Voorhis (Maribel) oiler Logan Drilling 2338 W. Hazelwood 6-2611".¹⁰

Maribel Voorhis died 6 February 1958 Carcinoma of the breast at 2338 West Hazelwood Street in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA.¹¹

Her funeral was held 8 February 1958 at Central Methodist Church in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA.¹²

Maribel Voorhis was buried 8 February 1958, at Greenlawn Cemetery, in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA. Her burial plot is, Section 46, Block 26, Group 4, Number 1. Her headstone had her correct day and month of birth, but the year was incorrect by eight years..^13,14