On Dec.10, 2009, a news story appeared in your newspaper titled “Bottom’s Chitlin’ Circuit ties heralded with blues marker.” The marker was placed in one of Vicksburg’s oldest landmarks, Marcus Bottom, honoring blues musicians who performed in the various clubs found there in the ’50 and ’60s.

I have no quarrel with the remembrance of dedicated men and women who brought their musical talents into the town where many of my ancestors lived and died. The historical legacy of rhythm and blues in the river city is appreciated. However, I must take issue with a statement in the above-mentioned article that I feel is untrue and undocumented.

Klare S. Campbell lives in Clinton

One of the contributors to the newspaper account told the writer, Steve Sanoski, that Marcus Bottom was “created in 1874 by subsequent landowner David Marcus, a wealthy bootlegger who needed outlets to disperse his liquor.” Please allow me to try and set the record straight.

David Marcus, for whom the Bottom was named, was my great-grandfather, and all my young life I heard stories about him told by his daughter (my grandmother) and other relatives.

He was born in Posen, Prussia, in the early 1800s. His family wished him to be a rabbi, but in his early 20s he migrated to the United States. His port of entry was somewhere in New Jersey, where he worked as an interpreter for a few years. Mr. Marcus was a learned man who knew nine languages, among which were German, Russian, Italian and Hebrew.

In New Jersey, he met a young Irish Catholic, Alice Clarke, who was sewing buttons on soldiers’ uniforms. She evidently left her family, married David Marcus, and moved to Vicksburg, where they made their home. How he accumulated acreage of country land I do not know, but he was the proprietor of a general store located in the vicinity of what is now known as Halls Ferry Road. Because there were no other such businesses in the area, customers came from miles around to buy tobacco, salt meat, sweets and other commodities.

A well on the property offered drink to the thirsty and a stream nearby watered animals. The black population from Big Black bought their month’s supply of necessities from the store and would camp overnight out in the back. Their oxen would be tied in the fields beyond. I was told that an Irish tailor whose shop was in Vicksburg would bring his fine linen from Ireland and wash it in a stream on the property. He would then stretch it out to dry on Great-granddaddy’s land to be made into men’s fine linen suits.

Alice and David Marcus were the parents of three children. The family home was adjacent to the business. Tragedy struck the family when the mother died at 36 years of age, and the boy and two girls were sent to an orphanage in New Orleans. They remained there seven years until their father felt they were old enough to take care of themselves in their own home.

Mr. Marcus lived in Vicksburg for 35 years, and the acres surrounding his house and store became known as Marcus Bottom. When I was a child, the Derdyne family owned the home and yard that, by then, had greatly diminished in size. It was a lovely place with several large trees and a lone pear tree that had survived into the 20th Century.

The Vicksburg Herald dated Jan. 21, 1899, had this to say in his obituary:

“Mr. Marcus has been an active businessman. Quiet, conservative, good citizen.

In his blameless life he lived in this community, he leaves only sorrowing friends to mourn the gentle, kindly man whose friendship was a pleasure and whose approval was valued indeed coming from his true heart.”

My ancestor from the old country of Prussia lived to be 75 years of age. He was a member of the American Legion and the B’nai B’rith and is buried in the Jewish cemetery. Some of the microfilm at the library that this came from was not complete, but the character of my great-grandfather is very clear. He was a fine upstanding citizen of good reputation. Bootlegger – never!