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Marcus Vinson Died on Life's Threshold

© 2008-14 S. Lincecum
A single weeping willow adorns the top of Marcus Franklin Vinson's tombstone at Liberty United Methodist Church Cemetery in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. He was the son of Benjamin Franklin and Jane Elizabeth (Cherry) Vinson. Marcus was born 2 June 1874, and died less than two weeks before his fifteenth birthday on 20 May 1889.

Of such is the kingdom of Heaven.

I found a death notice for Marcus on page 3 of the 21 May 1889 Macon Telegraph, but it gave me pause since the parents listed for him were "Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Vinson":

Via GenealogyBank.

Marcus was enumerated for a US Federal census once, in 1880. He was listed as a 6-year-old son in the household of B. F. and Elizabeth Vinson (image available at Ancestry). They were residing in Bibb County, Georgia. Walden, where the death notice points to, was a community in that county (and is still noted as such today).

So I'm chalking this up to a typographical error. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

What adds a bit of interest to the story is there is in fact a W. G. Vinson related to Marcus. William Green was the grandfather of Frances Isabella Vinson, who married William Emmette Vinson, a brother of Marcus.

My connection to Marcus Franklin Vinson: "Brother-in-law of sister-in-law of 2nd cousin 2x removed." It's a bit tenuous, but I'm still labeling this a This Time It's Personal post. :-)

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The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live...'" (Ezekiel 37:1-5, NKJV)