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Charlotte Kelker Marshall (1800-1854)

A painting of Charlotte Kelker Marshall, wife of John Marshall (1803-1889), of Lawrenceburg—later Parker—Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Charlotte was the daughter of Jacob Kelker, an innkeeper in Zelienople, Butler County, PA, and Rebecca Thome. She died on 5 November 1854, two days after the death of her young grandson John Marshall Turk. On 11 November, granddaughter and namesake Charlotte Elizabeth Turk died; and the 14th brought the death of her eleven year-old son Frederick Augustus Marshall (Freddie). All died of dysentery and are buried side by side in the Marshall-Turk burying place in Parker’s Presbyterian Cemetery. This painting came through the family of Charlotte’s daughter Mary Ann Marshall Turk. Charlotte Turk Dean, Charlotte's great-granddaughter, gave it to me in 1978. It was identified as “Grandmother Marshall.” Charlotte Marshall seems to be the only likely candidate—although an expert in dating such folk art could tell us whether there’s any chance this could be Catharina Truby Rohrer Marshall.

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