Commissioned by William Luce as a gift to his daughter circa 1854
William Luce had this lovely home at 1210 Georgia Street built for his daughter Marion circa 1854. Marion Bradford Luce was the second child born to William Luce and Minerva Boone on February 4, 1830 in Boonville, Indiana. Boonville was named for Jesse Boone, Marion’s’ great grandfather. Ratcliff Boone, Marion’s grandfather, was Acting Governor of Indiana in 1822 and Lieutenant Governor into 1824. He went on to serve six terms in Congress before relocating to Louisiana to be with family. 1
November 14, 1849 Marion married Edward Carter Murray. Edward was born to Samuel and Elizabeth Carter Murray in 1821 at London, County, Virginia. Marion and Edward had the following children: Homer Luce (1849-1896), Samuel (1853-1853), Lelia (1854-1854), Ella (1855-1880), Nellie E. (1858-1901), Ida L. (1860-1885) wife of John C. Carmichael of Quebec, Canada, Annie Lee (1863-1896) wife of Crombie Stewart Chesbro of Pawpaw, Michigan, Edward Grayson (1866-?).
In 1850 Edward partnered with his father-in law, William Luce. Their partnership was Luce & Murray. They operated the City Mills which produced flour in Louisiana. Edward also had a turn as a tobacconist when he engaged with the Van Horn brothers.
Edward and Marion sold the home to Walter Van Horn in 1869 for $12,000. Walter James Van Horn was born near Campbell County, Kentucky, February 8, 1818, to Jesse and Nancy Ann Mann. He had various occupations until 1842, when he embarked in the manufacture of tobacco at Union, Boone county, Kentucky. He soon went to Covington, Kentucky, where he continued in the same business until 1848, when he moved to Louisiana, Missouri, where, with his brothers, William M. and Archibald (married to Helen Luce, sister of Marion Luce above). They manufactured plug and fine cut tobaccos.
The Van Horn brothers were the pioneer tobacconists of Louisiana. In 1859, Mr. Van Horn invented a machine for manufacturing flat lump tobacco and is the original inventor of that kind of machinery. In 1863 they discontinued the business at Louisiana. The Van Horn brothers and Edward C. Murray relocated to Chicago, Illinois, and engaged in the manufacture of tobacco as Van Horn, Murray & Co. Their co-partnership was dissolved in 1866, when Walter, with his son Cassius, his brother Archibald, and J. H. Patterson, in the firm style of A. M. Van Horn & Co., start a distilling business in Chicago. They had a large distillery and carried on an extensive business for one year, when their distillery burned. Returning to Louisiana in 1877 he, with his son and brother, purchased the old tobacco factory at Louisiana, which also burned down the same year. 1878, he and his son Cassius relocated to Warsaw, Illinois again work in the manufacture of tobacco until 1869, when he retired from business and returned to Louisiana, where he died October 25, 1879.
In 1842 he married Sarah W. Cloyd, of Boone county, Kentucky. She is the daughter of James and Sally Gates Cloyd. Walter and Sarah have six children, 1844 Charles “Cassius”, of Louisiana; 1848 Addie, wife of W. F. Colton, of Salt Lake City, Utah; 1853 Cornelia, wife of W. W. Anderson, Louisiana; 1855 Mary S., wife of James A. Chutes, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and 1857 Clara R., who died in Chicago in 1865; 1863 Walter who it appears did not reach adulthood. Sarah passed on August 22, 1882 in Louisiana.
