Marion Rae DeVoe

Marion Rae DeVoe was born on 24 October 1909.¹ She was the daughter of Frank Quinlan DeVoe and Eva Matilda Troup.

Marion Rae DeVoe appeared on the census of 22 April 1910 at 24 Bank Street, White Plains, Westchester County, New York, in the household of her father.²

Marion was raised in Katonah, New York by Harry and Mary Mayne, practically as their adopted daughter. Why did Marion's parents Eva and Frank agree to this? It was Martha DeVoe's understanding that Harry and Mary had no children of their own by choice, because they were cousins.³ They were, however, anxious to raise a child and Eva and Frank were having difficulty making ends meet with three children. According to Millicent (DeVoe) Funk's daughter Linda, at first the Maynes tried having Millicent stay with them, but Millicent was very unhappy being away from her parents and it was Marion who ended up living with the Maynes.⁴

Marion Rae DeVoe appeared on the census of 1 June 1915 at Edgemont Road, Katonah, Westchester County, New York, in the household of Harry and Mary Mayne.⁵ This must have been the house on the hill which belonged to Harry Mayne at least as early as 1911 and whose driveway came up from Edgemont Road. Several photographs exist showing Marion here as a young girl.

Marion Rae DeVoe lived at 43 Edgemont Road, Katonah, Westchester County, New York, beginning in October 1925.⁶ She graduated in 1927 from the Katonah High School.⁷

Marion Rae DeVoe appears in a photograph of a family picnic taken possibly about 1930.

Marion Rae DeVoe appeared on the census of 9 April 1930 at Edgemont Road, Katonah, Bedford Township, Westchester County, New York, in the household of Harry Mayne.⁸

Marion Rae DeVoe graduated in 1931 from the state normal school at New Paltz, New York.⁹ This school was officially New Paltz Normal and Training School, now (2004) the State University of New York at New Paltz.¹⁰ She started teaching in a one-room school house somewhere (perhaps in Bedford, New York), and either before or after that she commuted to New York City to earn an MA degree from Columbia University.^9,11 She apparently did not care for teaching, and ended up by working in the lumber company of Harry Zalmon Mayne.⁹

Eva DeVoe, Frank Kenneth DeVoe, and Marion DeVoe appeared in a photo taken at Kingsland Point Park.

Marion Rae DeVoe appeared on the census of 23 April 1940 at 43 Edgemont Road, Katonah, Westchester County, New York, in the household of Harry Zalmon Mayne.¹²

After Mary (Cargon) Mayne died in September 1966, Marion moved from Katonah to 183-C Heritage Hills, Somers, New York. F. Kenneth DeVoe, going through Marion's papers after her death, found that she had been sending $50 annually to the Buxton Cemetery, Bedford Township, Westchester County, New York; this must have been to help maintain the Burnett plot there.¹³

Marion Rae DeVoe died on 8 December 1986 at age 77.¹⁴ She died at 1:30 am at Northern Westchester Hospital, Mount Kisco, Westchester County, New York.¹⁵ She was buried on 11 December 1986 in lot 1350 (Walpole plot), Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York.^16,17,18 Her will left most of her considerable estate to Bethel Methodist Home of Ossining, New York, and to New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, New York.¹⁹