My maternal great grandmother’s parents were Henry Talbot Martin and Sarah Ann Marion Routt.
Henry T. Martin was born 16 JUN 1839 in Cloverdale, IN, to James and Aletha Elizabeth (Duckworth) Martin. He died 14 DEC 1888 in San Marcos, CA. Sarah was born 27 AUG 1837 in Fleming, KY, to Bailey and Elizabeth (Atchison) Routt. She died 10 MAY 1915 in Seattle, WA.
They were married in central Indiana in 1857. She was 20, but he was just a couple months past his 18th birthday. They quickly moved out to Iowa where they lived in numerous counties. He was a farmer, lay Methodist minister, railway station agent, then a Superintendent of Schools in Sac County, Iowa. He came out to San Diego in 1886 due to health concerns, preferring the mild climate. After selling the farm in Iowa, the rest of the family shortly joined him. He worked at first as a hack for a local hotel in San Diego, picking up passengers at the train station and dock, but when joined by his family, moved to San Marcos, where he was the editor of the San Marcos Herald. He died in San Marcos just a couple of years later.
I have the old Martin Family Bible, which records birth, deaths, and marriages for this family, but lists no ancestors.
For a complete family tree, including ancestors and descendants, see the Martins on FamilySearch, but be wary of ancestors earlier than the late 1700s. Much of that older stuff on FamilySearch is highly dubious.
Martin Letters
- James Martin to son Henry T. Martin, 12 May 1859, Cloverdale, IN
- Byron B. Martin to cousin Henry Martin, Sep 1859, Montezuma, IA
- Robert Martin to cousin Henry Martin, 31 Mar 1861
- Recommendation from Edwin Eldridge for Henry Martin, 8 Jan 1886, Columbus Junction, IA
- Sarah Martin to children, 14 Mar 1886, Odebolt, IA
- Lucy Martin to father Henry Martin, 23 Mar 1886, Odebolt, IA
- Henry Martin to wife Sarah Martin, 16 Apr 1886, San Diego, CA
- Henry Martin to daughter Lucy Martin, 12 May 1886, San Diego, CA
- Recommendation from Henry Brown for Henry Martin, 26 Oct 1886
- Lucy Martin to sister Jessie Martin, 4 Dec 1886, San Diego, CA
- Lucy Martin to nephew Charlie Parker, 4 Dec 1886, San Diego, CA
- Edwin Eldridge to Martin Family, 11 Jan 1889, Troy, AL
- Lucy Martin to sister Alice Martin, 10 Aug 1891, San Marcos, CA
- Lucy Martin to sister Jessie Martin, 14 Aug 1891, San Marcos, CA
- Lucy Martin to sister Jessie Martin, 4 Sep 1891, San Marcos, CA
- Elizabeth (Atchison) Routt to granddaughter Lucy Martin, 20 Sep 1893, Cloverdale, IN
- James Martin to mother Lucy Martin, 6 Jul 1894, Messina, CA
Martin Scrapbook
Photos of the Martin Family
Children of James and Lucy
1. Charles H. Martin, b. 22 JUN 1858, d. age 6 months in Lucas County, IA.
2. Emma Elizabeth Martin, b. 7 OCT 18060 Poweshiek County, IA, d. 25 APR 1880, Sac County, IA.
3. Evvie Josephine Martin, b. 12 OCT 1862 Boone County, IA, d. 17 DEC 1945, Seattle, WA
m. 31 DEC 1881, George H. Parker, b. 1857 Quebec, Canada, d. 11 NOV 1926, Arlington, WA
Originally from Quebec, George Parker’s family moved to Iowa where he married Evvie Martin. By 1901 they had moved to Denver where he sold insurance for Mutual Life Insurance Company. He later moved to Seattle to be the west coast agent for the American DeForest Wireless Telephone Company which, in 1906 became the United Wireless Telegraph Company. The company was largely a sham, bilking investors for more money with promises of future business. In 1910, George Parker, along with the rest of the execs at United Wireless, were indicted for fraud and he served one year of a two year sentence at McNeil Island near Tacoma, Washington.
The children George and Evvie (Martin) Parker were:
- Charles Leslie Parker (1882-1959) m. Ethel Huntington (1885-1947)
- Frank Loyal Parker (1884-1910) m. May Breedlove
- George Clyde Parker (1886-1953)
- Alice Leila Parker (1892-1958) m. Crawford Anderson (1887-1971)
Parker built a huge mansion on “Millionaire’s Row” in Seattle. The mansion has recently been restored.
Photos of George and Evvie’s family:
4. Mary Alice Martin, b. 13 MAR 1865 Boone County, IA, d. 4 JUL 1905, Oceanside, CA
m. 9 JAN 1902, Edgar Sutherland Payne, b. 1853 New York, d. aft 1930.
Twin sons died at birth and Mary Alice died one week later.
5. James Merritt Martin, b. 4 JUN 1867 Boone County, IA, d. 2 APR 1923, Seattle, WA
m. 23 APR 1892, Alfred L. Johnson, b. JAN 1869 Iowa, d. 20 FEB 1840 Seattle, WA
James Martin ran the San Marcos Herald with his father, then later a couple of papers in the San Bernardino area. He eventually relocated to the Seattle area with his family. I have hard copies of all the photos show below, but have never found a living descendent of James and Alfred, to whom I would happily give these photos.
The children James and Alfred (Johnson) Martin were:
- James Martin (died in infancy)
- Merritt Kennard Martin (1895-1963) m. Josephine Gamble (1897-1973)
- Alfred Erva Martin (1898-?) m. Elva Maud Wager (1898-?)
- Charles Carson Martin (1901-1981) m. Ruth Mildred Corliss (1901-2004)
- George Dandy Martin (1904-1952)
Photos of James and Alfred’s Family
6. Lucy Martin m. James Madison Hyne
See here for separate page for this couple.
7. Jessie Lee Martin, b. 16 MAY 1871 Boone County, IA, d. 20 NOV 1952, Verdugo City, CA m. 12 SEP 1895, George M. Patterson, b. 20 MAY 1865 Darlington, WI, d. 25 AUG 1832, Oceanside, CA
According to Ruth (Murphy) McCurdy, the family did not want Jessie to marry George Patterson. The reasons are unclear. Maybe he was not of the class they preferred. In any case, nobody can remember anything negative about him. He walked with a limp and owned a saddle shop in Oceanside.
Family tradition has it that the family, most of which by this time was out in California, sent Jesse to Colorado to get her away from from George Patterson. This apparently did not work as they were married in Oceanside in 1895.
Photos of Jessie and George:
8. Ruth Martin, b. 1 NOV 1875 Storey County, IA, d. 28 FEB 1948, Long Beach, CA
m. 31 OCT 1898, Joseph Friederich “Fred” Clewett , b. abt 1871 Storey, IA, d. 1 JAN 1930, Los Angeles, CA.
Fred Clewett established Mission Laundry. He made lots of money at this. He and Ruth travelled extensively around the world. Ruth was very close with her niece, Ruth Mary Murphy, who was named for her. Fred and Ruth lived in Long Beach. He died a number of years before she and she later remarried Stowe Carney. Ruth was a teacher for a time and was the Art Supervisor of Long Beach grammar schools.
The children Ruth and Fred were:
- Chester Martin Clewett (1902-1907)
- Alice Clewwtt (1906-1906)
Photos of Ruth and Fred:
9. Henry Martin, b. 25 JUN 1878 Sac County, IA, d. 23 AUG 1878, Odebolt, IA
10. Sarah Belle Martin, b. 30 SEP 1882 Odebolt, IA, d. 3 OCT 1949, Los Angeles, CA
m. 6 JUN 1906, Frank Nottingham, b. 1 JUN 1875 Dayton, OH, d. 1931
The children Belle and Frank were:
- Ruth Elizabeth Nottingham (1909-1989)