The Matriarch of Many Generations: Laura Anna Marker
Born in September 1864, Laura Anna Marker entered the world under the shadow of loss. Her father, John Marker, had died the previous December—just months before her birth—leaving her mother, Susan Catherine Linebaugh Marker, a widow with two small daughters. Laura grew up never knowing her father, yet his absence shaped her story as deeply as his presence might have.
Childhood in Widowhood
Laura’s earliest years were spent in Frederick County, Maryland, in a household defined by resilience. Her mother Susan was raising Laura and her older sister Mary Catherine while navigating life as a young widow. When Susan later remarried Civil War veteran Josiah Kline in the early 1870s, Laura became part of a blended family that eventually included seven Kline half-siblings.
Though raised in the Kline household, Laura kept her Marker identity close. Even in her obituary, she was remembered as the daughter of “John and Susan Kline Marker”—a name that preserved the story of both her father’s short life and her mother’s strength.
Marriage, Family, and Faith
Laura married William Henry Hurd, and together they built a life rooted in family and faith. They settled in Washington County, Maryland, raising a large household that stretched across generations. By the time of Laura’s passing, her family had grown immensely:
7 children
29 grandchildren
31 great-grandchildren
8 great-great-grandchildren
Laura was deeply connected to the Church of the Brethren in Hagerstown, where she lived out the values of simplicity, devotion, and community that had carried her through life.
A Peaceful Passing
On March 1, 1947, Laura Anna Marker Hurd passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. William Murray, in Clear Spring, Maryland. She was 83 years old. Her obituary in The Frederick News Post offered a rare and beautiful glimpse into her legacy, naming not only her children but several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She was laid to rest beside her husband in Rose Hill Cemetery, Hagerstown—a quiet place for a woman who had lived a full, generational life.
The Matriarch in the Middle
Laura held a special role in her family tree. She bridged three identities:
Daughter of John Marker, a man she never knew.
Stepdaughter of Josiah Kline, whose household shaped her upbringing.
Mother of the Hurd family line, which spread across Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Her obituary also listed her surviving Kline half-siblings—William, Frank, May, Nettie, and Lillie—showing the bonds between the Marker and Kline families endured long after childhood.
Through Laura, the Marker, Kline, and Hurd families remained interconnected. Her life reminds us that family ties are not separated by surnames but woven together across time.
Legacy
Laura’s story is one of survival, faith, and family. She began life with loss but became the matriarch of a thriving lineage. Today, her descendants span many generations—living proof of her strength and love.
She is a root, a bridge, and a branch—carrying forward the legacy of both the Marker and Kline names.
Through Laura, the Marker, Kline, and Hurd families remained forever connected. And while her life carried the legacy of her late father, her story also sets the stage for the man who would soon step into Susan’s life—a farmer and Civil War veteran named Josiah Kline, who would bring Susan a second chance at love and a new beginning.
