Julius Henry Marx (1890 - 1977)

Born 2 Oct 1890 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Ruth Josephine (Johnson) Marx — married 4 Feb 1920 (to 1942) in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

Husband of Catherine Marie (Dittig) Marvis — married 21 Jul 1945 (to 12 May 1951) in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Husband of Edna Marie (Higgins) Marx — married 17 Jul 1954 (to 1969) in Twin Falls, Idaho, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Aug 1977 at age 86 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Julius Marx is Notable.

American comedian and film and television star. He made 13 feature films with his 4 siblings, the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born.

He was born on October 2, 1890, in New York City, New York, in a room above a butcher's shop on 78th Street in New York City. The Marx children grew up on East 93rd Street off Lexington Avenue in a neighborhood now known as Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side of the borough of Manhattan, in New York City. Marx's family was Jewish. Groucho's mother was Miene "Minnie" Schönberg (later spelled "Schoenberg"), whose family came from Dornum in northern Germany when she was 16 years old. His father was Simon "Sam" Marx, who Julius/Groucho always claimed changed his name from Marrix (there is no documentary evidence that this was so), and was called "Frenchie" throughout his life because he came from France-occupied Alsace. Minnie's brother was Al Schönberg/Schoenberg, who shortened his name to Al Shean when he went into show business as half of Gallagher and Shean, a noted vaudeville act of the early 20th century.

Julius/Groucho always claimed he was named for his aunt Hänne's second husband, Julius Schickler, stating it was due to a mistaken belief of his mother's that her brother-in-law was somewhat wealthy. "Groucho" also claimed that Onkel Julius died owing his (Groucho's) father money. It is unlikely that this tale was true, because Julius Henry Marx was born two years before his aunt Hänne married Julius Schickler. It might be possible that he was still named for his cousin Julius Schickler (the same man who became his uncle), but it wasn't because he was an uncle at the time. It is also possible that he may have been named for a different Onkel Julius, one who had died several years before Julius Henry/Groucho was born — husband to his mother's older sister Pauline: Julius Lefevré (brother to aunt Hänne's first husband, Max).

On the 25th April 1910, the Marx family were boarders in lodgings on Cabernet Avenue, Chicago. Home at the time were the head of the household: Pennsylvania-born Jennie G Home (41); her nephew: Pennsylvania-born Richard J Lillis (26), an electrician with a telephone company; the Marx's: Samuel (48), a commercial traveller selling cloaks; Minnie (45), an actress on circuit; Adolph/Harpo (21); Julius/Groucho (19); Milton/Gummo (17), all actors on circuit; and the youngest: 9-year-old Herbert (not yet known as Zeppo); and Minnie's sister: 47-year-old Hänne, known at the time as Anna Schickler (last name rendered on the census as "Scheckler"), an actress on circuit; and Hänne's (second) husband: German-born Julius E Schickler (44), also a commercial traveller selling cloaks.^[1]

Groucho's three marriages all ended in divorce. His first wife was chorus girl Ruth Johnson (m. 1920–42);. He was 29 and she 19 at the time of their wedding. The couple had two children, Arthur Marx and Miriam Marx. His second wife was Kay Marvis (m. 1945–51), née Catherine Dittig, former wife of Leo Gorcey. Groucho was 54 and Kay 21 at the time of their marriage. They had a daughter, Melinda Marx. His third wife was actress Eden Hartford (m. 1954–69). She was 24 when she married the 63-year-old Groucho.

Marx was hospitalized for pneumonia on June 22, 1977 and died on August 19, 1977 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at age 86. Marx was interred in the Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKCQ-JY9 : accessed 8 June 2021), Adolph Marx in household of Jennie G Horne, Chicago Ward 6, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 350, sheet 9A, family 185, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 246; FHL microfilm 1,374,259.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groucho_Marx
• http://trees.ancestrylibrary.com/tree/43989877/family?cfpid=13700646659
• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 20 August 2021), memorial page for Groucho Marx (2 Oct 1890–19 Aug 1977), Find A Grave: Memorial #677, citing Eden Memorial Park, Mission Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .