Marion Clevenger & Ida Mae Kitchen
Marion Clevenger was born in Hitchins in 1867, son of John Nelson Clevenger (1843-1912) and Caroline Howard (1848-1921). Ida Mae Clevenger was born in Leon in 1868, daughter of Charles Kitchen (1845-1923) and Lauretta King Mobley (1847-1904) of Carter County. Marion and Ida Mae were married in Leon July 22, 1901 by Rev. S. Hensley, with B.F. Hensley, Effie Kitchen King, and Janie Hensley as witnesses. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Ashland. They had 4 surviving children, Inez, Adeline and Frances Clevenger.
Ida Mae Kitchen was married first to William Sherman Pope (1866-1899), son of William H. Pope and Rebecca Keeton of Carter County, by whom she had 3 surviving children, Roy, Elsie and Jess Pope, all born in Carter County.
Marion Clevenger was married first to Cora Callihan by whom he had two children, Clarence and Quincy Clevenger. Marion won a Carnegie Medal for heroism in 1906. As the train on which he was working as a brakeman was rounding a a curve, he saw that there was a toddler on the tracks. He realized that even if the engineer saw the chiild and tried to stop the train that the child would be hit. He climbed along the outside of the engine to the "cowcatcher" and leaned down and snatched up the child as the train got to him. The incident happened at Berry Station on September 30, 1906. The child's name was George R. Clemens, two years old.
Marion and Ida Mae Kitchen Pope Clevenger are interred in the mausoleum at the Ashland Cemetery.
Submitted by: Becky Fox