Sadie BROUGH probably won’t mean much to you. But Julia MARLOWE will. They were one and the same.
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Submitted by Barbara Madden
Ironton Evening Tribune September 4, 1938
When the famous actress Marlow was a familiar figure to Irontonians she was a wisp of a child, about five years old. Her family, the Broughs, was a transient one, much like many others who, in the period following the Civil War, were attracted to Ironton’s mills and foundries for work and daily bread. Sadie’s father was as itinerant shoe worker who brought his family here in the early ‘70s.
Some have handed down the story through the generations that Sadie’s mother managed a saloon, but there is nothing in surviving annals to verify this. And Sadie, herself, is remembered as a youngster in wretched surroundings, poor and dirty, but even then standing out from the crowd as a beautiful child.
In years to come, Sadie climbed above her family background and inferior heritage to become the greatest Shakespearean actress of her day, not as Sadie Brough, but as Julia Marlowe. She later married E.H. SOUTHERS, with whom she played in Shakespearean drama.
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About Lawrence County, Ohio
Lawrence County, Ohio borders the Ohio River at the Southernmost part of the state. Six architecturally interesting bridges span the Ohio River, connecting Lawrence County with various locations in both Kentucky and West Virginia. Because of these bridges, metropolitan Ashland, KY and Huntington, WV are just minutes away from virtually anywhere in the county.
Lawrence County Ohio was organized December 20, 1816, the first Court of Common Pleas was organized March 4, 1817. In 2016, Lawrence County celebrated its Bicentennial… click here to view photos of the Grand Finale event.
The first election was held April 7, 1817, with Joseph Davidson, Joel Bowen, and David Spurlock elected county commissioners. Their first meeting was held Monday afternoon, April 21, 1817, at the home of Joseph Davidson in Burlington.
Lawrence County, Ohio was named after Capt. James Lawrence, a native of Burlington, NJ and a gallant naval officer of the War of 1812.
Lawrence County was home to 23 blast furnaces and was once the world leader in pig iron production.
The county seat is Ironton, where you will find our government offices, restaurants, museum, library, splash park, civic organizations, and is home of the famous Memorial Day Parade.
Check out what’s new in Lawrence County, with the Lawrence County Guide Book.
The Lawrence County Historical Society 