Malone, Virginia Eckels

Virginia Eckels Malone (1898-1978), was the daughter of George Morris Eckels and Edith Oberly Eckels. She was raised in Chicago, where her family lived at 5537 South Woodlawn Avenue in Hyde Park. As a teenager and young adult, she lived in Washington, D.C. and attended the elite Miss Madeira's School. In 1920, she married Robert J. Malone. The couple's primary residence was on Long Island, where they pursued their interests in journalism, art and publishing. Virginia Eckels Malone wrote editorial and historical articles for the Smithtown News and other local publications.

Eckels Family:

George Morris Eckels (1863-1913), was the husband of Edith Oberly Eckels, father of Virginia Eckels Malone and George M. Eckels, Jr., and son of James Starr Eckels and Margaret Herron Eckels. Educated at Columbia University, he worked in Chicago as a corporate attorney. He also built a major collection of literary material related to Oliver Cromwell. In 1916, the collection was presented to the University of Chicago in 1916 as the George Morris Eckels Collection of Cromwelliana.

Edith Oberly Eckels (1862-1939), was the wife of George Morris Eckels and mother of Virginia Eckels Malone and George Morris Eckels, Jr. She was one of six daughters of John H. Oberly and Virginia Schuckers Oberly. After her husband's death, she became a prominent member of women's political organizations in Washington D.C. With her sister Portia Oberly, she worked on behalf of Hillcrest, a Washington D.C. orphanage.

George Morris Eckels, Jr. (1894-1924), was the son of Edith Oberly Eckels and George Morris Eckels, and older brother of Virginia Eckels Malone. He earned a B.S. from University of Chicago in 1916. He died in 1924 of an illness related to his military service in World War I.

James Herron Eckels (1858-1907) was the brother of George Morris Eckels and son of James Starr Eckels and Margaret Herron Eckels. Like his brother, he was trained as a lawyer and went on to work in finance. He was appointed comptroller of currency during the presidential administration of Grover Cleveland, and became a personal friend of the president. After leaving national office he became president of Commercial National Bank of Chicago.

James Starr Eckels (1827-1907), was the father of George Morris Eckels and James Herron Eckels, and the husband of Margaret D. Herron (1830-1892). Originally from Pennsylvania, Eckels moved with his family to Princeton, Illinois. He practiced law and was active in the Democratic Party.

Malone Family:

Robert J. Malone (1892-1966) was the son of William Nathaniel Malone and Sloan C. Malone. Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, he attended Auburn University and served in World War I. He married Virginia Eckels in 1920, and worked as a caricaturist, journalist and newspaper publisher.

William Nathaniel Malone (b. 1861), was a Birmingham-based real estate developer, father of Robert J. Malone, and husband of Sloan C. Malone (b. 1862).

Bright, Oberly and Schuckers Families:

John H. Oberly (b. 1838) was a publisher, editor and politician. He served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1887-1889. Originally from Ohio, he married Virginia H. Schuckers (b. 1841). The two had six daughters: Edith, Gertrude, Ruth, Beatrice, Portia and Eunice. The family lived in southern Illinois, where John H. Oberly was an influential newspaper publisher and politician. Oberly's work later took the family to Washington, D.C.

Eunice Rockwood Oberly (1878-1921) worked as a librarian for the United States Department of Agriculture. Portia Oberly (b. 1875) was a philanthropist who supported the Hillcrest orphanage in Washington, D.C. Gertrude Helen Oberly (b.1865) married lawyer Frank S. Bright.

From the guide to the Malone, Virginia Eckels. Family. Papers, 1854-1974, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)