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The Mars Family
Submitted by:
Grayson Mars Miller
George Washington Mars family
in the Cushtusa community [now called Shady Grove]. Their home, a
dogtrot, was destroyed by a fire in the 1970's. This
picture was taken about 1905. The
people in the picture are: (left to right) Henry Mars, Laura Hoye
Mars holding Louis Mars, George W. Mars and son Norman Mars, Rodney
Mars, Cecil
Hoye, Lucile Mars, and Aunt Fannie James.
The next photo is George
Washington Mars's home in downtown Philadelphia. The home was
located on the Square on Main Street between Pecan Avenue and Poplar
Avenue. This home was torn down to erect commercial structures, but
I am not sure what business houses this space now. My father, George
R. Mars, took this picture when he was younger.
George Washington Mars was born October 19,
1864 in the Cushtusa community
of Neshoba County, Mississippi, to James Henry Mars and Martha Jane DeWeese. He
attended a county school and graduated from Cooper's Institute in
Dalesville. For a time, he taught in schools in Kemper and Newton counties. He
was
married to Laura Emily Hoye on December 24, 1891 in Newton County, Mississippi.
She was born in Newton County on July 11, 1872.
George Washington Mars and his brother Dr. William Henry Mars (1867-1950)
founded the store Mars Brothers in 1892 in the Cushtusa community. Their store
handled a wide variety of goods, but mostly things for farmers. All goods for
the store were acquired in Meridian and brought back to Cushtusa via wagons.
George W. Mars handled the mercantile, while Dr. Mars practiced medicine.
Family stories say that Dr. Mars often visited his patients by horseback and
sometimes had to stay overnight.
In 1905, with the coming of the railroad, they relocated their business to
what is now the "Square" of downtown Philadelphia. The Mars Brothers building
was the second 2-story brick building to be located on the Square.
While overseeing the construction of his new building, George W. Mars was
one of several boarders of Miss Matt Cooper in a log house on what is now Main
Street. Mr. Mars would return home to Cushtusa during the weekend by horse
and buggy. He moved his family to the city of Philadelphia in 1906.
Dr. Mars's office was in the Mars Bros. Drug Store, where he practiced
medicine until he sold his interest in November 1922 to his brother. He then
moved
his practice to the upstairs portion of the building and stayed there until
that portion closed in 1946.
In 1908, the Mars brothers were involved with establishing the Citizen's
Bank of Philadelphia. Both served on its board of directors, and George W. Mars
was its first president.
In 1925 on his 61st birthday, George W. Mars nearly tripled the size of his
store with the opening of a new annex, stretching the business back to Church
Street. He completed a grocery store on the corner of Center and Main in
1933, which delivered groceries to local families by truck. In 1937, he built
several brick buildings on the block surrounded by Beacon, Pecan, Myrtle, and
Church. G. W. Mars retired in 1943 and divided his interest in the business
between his three surviving sons. His youngest son, Louis, deeded his share to
the older brothers soon afterwards.
George W. Mars became ill while attending services at First United Methodist
Church on September 17, 1946, and was taken to his home on East Main Street,
where he died. His wife, Laura, passed away at the family home on Main
Street, on December 24, 1957, on what would have been the couple's 66th wedding
anniversary.
George and Laura had six children: Lucile (1893-1986), George W. Jr.
(1895-1898), William Rodney (1897-1931), James Henry (born July 03, 1900 in
Cushtusa, died February 13, 1976 in Philadelphia), Norman Charles (1903-1972),
and
Louis Francis (1905-1949).
Brothers Henry and Norman partitioned the store in 1957. Norman maintained
an office at the store until his death in 1972.
Henry Mars attended the Philadelphia public schools, graduating early, and
later went on to the University of Alabama and Columbia University. He saw
service in World War I during this time as well. He married Gladys Maxwell
(1905-1999) on July 24, 1927 in Starkville, Mississippi, and they had three
children.
Henry Mars saw a time as a board member and President of the Citizens Bank
of Philadelphia, just as his father had. In 1961, Henry's son George Rodney
Mars (1939-2003) took over his father's place as manager and owner of Mars
Brothers. Mars Brothers Department Store, the oldest store in Neshoba County,
closed its doors in 2003, after 101 years of serving the citizens of Neshoba
County.
Dr. William Henry Mars was born on March 27, 1867 in Cushtusa and passed
away at his family home on Holland Avenue on February 21, 1950 in Philadelphia.
Dr. Mars attended the local rural schools and later attended Cooper's
Institute in Daleville. He went on to graduate from Vanderbilt University in
1890
with a degree in medicine. He moved his family to Philadelphia between 1906 and
1907.
Dr. Mars, affectionately dubbed "Uncle Willie" by the locals, married
Florence Latimer on November 23, 1898 in Lauderdale Co., MS. She was born in the
Plattsburg community of Winston County, Mississippi, on December 13, 1875. She
died January 29, 1923 in the Holland Avenue home in Philadelphia.
William and Florence had four children: Adam Longino (1899-1934), Martha
(1901-1971), William Fenton (1904-1960), and James Montgomery (1911-1947). Their
youngest son and oldest son were both prominent attorneys in the city of
Philadelphia.
Adam married the former Emily Geneva "Neva" Johnson (1899-1998) on October
26, 1921 in Neshoba Co., MS at the home of Rev. J. M. Young. He was
valedictorian when he graduated from Philadelphia High School in 1915, and he
graduated
from the University of Mississippi Law School in June of 1921. He was said
to have had a beautiful singing voice. Adam and Neva had one child, a
daughter, who was named Florence Latimer Mars, in honor of Adam's mother.
Florence was born on January 01, 1923 in Philadelphia. She and her family
lived briefly with Dr. Mars on Holland Avenue before moving into a home on
Poplar Avenue. She graduated from Philadelphia High School in 1940 and attended
Millsaps College in Jackson and the University of Mississippi. During World War
II, she worked for Delta Airlines in Atlanta, GA. After the war, she
returned to Philadelphia to work for a short time as a home visitor for the
Neshoba
County Welfare Department. She ran a cattle farm, having taking over the
duties from her grandfather, Dr. Mars. In the 1950's, she started taking
photographs in New Orleans under the direction of Ralston Crawford and became
hooked
on photography. She began taking photographs of everyday life in Neshoba
County and abroad. In 1977, her book Witness in Philadelphia was published,
which outlined her experience with the Civil Rights murders in Neshoba County.
She also published several lesser known books, including The Bell Returns to
Mt. Zion, The Lake Place Burnside Family Story: a Neshoba County history, and
The Fair: A Personal History. Florence passed away on April 23, 2006 in her
home on Poplar Avenue.
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