If this process works - I'll make the connection with the Mason County research group first - I'll continue to add the stories as I have them in subsequent blogs.
John Quincy Martin (1867-1932) was the great-great grandson of Edmund Martin (1745-1811), through his son Elijah Martin (1768-1842), his son Edmund Martin (1795-1855), and his son Johnson Martin (1846-1870).
John Q. Martin was an attorney in Cincinnati and gathered stories and data from as much of the family as possible, it appears. Most of his facts and names are fairly accurate - as far as I can determine by current internet research and documents available online. I have inserted notes when there were obvious errors or corrections that needed to be made. The most glaring, of course, is when he baldly stated my 3rd great-grandfather, Micajah Martin, never married nor had any children...
The photocopies were either done by the Brown County Genealogical Library (Dorothy Helton was kind enough to send quite a bit of information to me back in 2002) or I did it when I visited the area in 2003. Whatever and whenever and whomever, the originals were not labeled and dated extensively and some are missing. There may be some originals still in local libraries and I'd love to someday get "whole" copies.
I've now transcribed the copies I have - some of the copies are difficult to read and many are duplications and/or cut and pasted. I've done them in a standard word processing format (I actually used WordPerfect and then saved as pdf files.) So the columns make it easier to read, but they are NOT in the original column sequence nor format. And now I realize there is no way that I'm aware of to insert the pdf files into a blog, so it has reverted back to just a text document. If you wish a pdf with columns, feel free to ask.
I'll post a link to this blog on the Mason county FaceBook page. Anyone who wishes has my permission to copy and/or download it. Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but I'm thinking there is not a copyright problem here. John Q. Martin wrote these articles for his local newspaper and supposedly was also writing a book based upon his research, but I've not seen that it was published.
Transcription of John Q Martin Newspaper Stories from The News Democrat, Georgetown, Ohio, January 1928.
1. [in hand writing: "Jan 5, 1928, page 2" - in small circled number on bottom right - "3"]
Pioneer Period Found Martins Settling Here
(continued from Page 1) [note: no page 1...??]
...toe. The second wife may have lost her first husband and Edmund did lose his first wife on this journey westward. The second wife was born in 1760 and died July 13 1821.
Edmund Martin, the First, served in the Revolutionary War, from the state of New Jersey as a private in the Sussex County Militia, receiving certificate Number 577, dated May 1, 1784, as shown by the records as found in the office of the Adjutant General at Trenton, New Jersey; said certificate showing that he was entitled to 11 pounds, 5 shillings for the depreciation of his continental pay in said militia in said...
[cut and paste]
This makes all the living descendants of Edmund Martin, the First, eligible for membership in the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. All they need to do is to make application to the nearest chapter and file the necessary proofs which can be done by anyone familiar with such matters. And if they are acceptable to the local body they should have no further trouble.
He was Judge in Sussex county, New Jersey, in 1785-1788.
Edmund Martin, before 1797, purchased of John May's estate all unsold lots in Maysville, and the balance of land in Mays 800 acre patent and held the ferry until 1829.
He donated the ground for the Baptist church and graveyard, located at Third and Market streets, at the southwest corner in Maysville, Ky. The present church stands on the ground he gave. On a line with this church stood his house at the corner.
Edmund Martin, the First, had ten children by his first marriage, and two by his second marriage, concerning which we will have more to say hereafter.
He and his second wife were buried under the old Baptist church at Maysville, Ky. - he in 1811, and she in 1821. On July 22, 1839, the remains of him and his second wife, Susannah, were removed to the family graveyard on the farm adjoining the Baptist graveyard at Millersburg, Ky., where their graves and many of their descendants are marked, well kept and enclosed by a substantial stone fence.
Edmund Martin, the First, made his will November 28, 1811, and same was probated less than two weeks later at Maysville, He gave the house in which he lived to his wife, Susannah, together with the whole lot, with all the improvements and store houses thereon, during her life. Also certain articles of furniture.
[following from another copy - some cutting and pasting was done, it appears...]
Then after the mother's death Edmund Martin II was to have the aforesaid house and lot, with all the improvements thereon, in which he then lived. Then his son, Edmund, was to pay (out of the aforesaid house and lot, $1,000 to Micajah Martin) as stated elsewhere. He also gave the several amounts stated to the other children as related in the statements as to the amounts their father gave them. Tan yard was to be sold to defray certain items mentioned and requested that his contracts with certain parties for the sale of lands be carried out by his executors, as soon as they complied with the terms of their contracts.
The residue to be paid to his children - after certain legacies mentioned therein, excepting Elijah Martin, who had already received his share, evidently by way of an advancement.
Names his son, Elijah Martin, and his worthy friend, Moses Daulton, as his executors.
In the will of Susannah Martin, dated July 5, 1821, and probated September 1821, among other things, after naming her son, Edmund Martin II as her executor, she speaks of her sister, Mary Daulton. Now was she the wife of one of the Daultons? We do not know, but believe so. She gave a number of slaves to various members of her immediate family, mentioning them in her will by name, and offering freedom to some of them, if they so desired.
The first child of Edmund Martin, the First, was Captain Elijah Martin, born March 19, 1768, and was a native of Maryland [note: ??], and when not quite 21 years of age, was one of a company of 26 men, who founded the city of Losantiville (Cincinnati, Ohio). The party is said to have left Limestone, Ky., on December 24, 1768, and landed on Sunday, December 28th, in a bo...[...] On account of the danger from floating ice in the river they did not arrive in very good time, and the exact date was in dispute. the precise spot of their landing was an inlet at the foot of Sycamore street, later known as Yeatman's Cove. There is no doubt that these pioneers spent the Christmas holidays on the river.
On the 7th of January following, the settlers by lottery, decided on the choice of donation lots, the same being given in fee simple on certain conditions. Among the settlers who so agreed was Captain Elijah Martin. The party of twenty-six men, on the 24th of December 1788, of whom the larger portion had come with Colonel Patterson, from the interior of the Kentucky district of Virginia (Kentucky did not become a state until June, 1792) left Limestone (Maysville) and formed the settlement of Cincinnati on the 28th of December 1788.
On the 7th of January 1789, thirty in-lots and thirty out-lots, one of each were drawn by lottery at Losantiville, according to the contract with the proprietors, one of the parties being Elijah Martin. Collins' History, page 433.
Tradition recites that the party occupied in completing the preparations, did not get away from Limestone until somewhat late in the day, and made by 9 miles before tying up for the night, at some place near where "Eliza crossed the ice" many years thereafter, just above Ripley. That the third day they sighted Columbia, but were unable to reach it or stop on account of the ice; that the same cause prevented their landing here upon arrival opposite the spot on the evening of the same day, but, after remaining in or near the mouth of the Licking through the night of the 27th, they affected a crossing with their boats the next morning, and triumphantly entered the little inlet at the foot of Sycamore street, afterwards styled Yeatman's Cove. Fastening their frail barks to the roots and shrubs along the bank, they stepped ashore, collected drift wood and bark and other dry substances and aided by their steel and flint, obtained fire for their comfort and cooking purposes.
Doctor Daniel Drake, three score years later,, drew this picture of the scene: "Setting their watchman around, they lay down with their feet to the blazing fire and fell asleep under the frozen limbs, through which whistled the music of the northern {...}
[Following not included in what appears to be a "real" copy of the newspaper article - it was inserted in the middle of the second copy from the library...]
Edmund Martin, the First, coming to Limestone, purchased and owned much land and a general store. He owned many slaves, some of which he brought with him, and amassed quite a fortune for that day.
According to Collins' History of Kentucky, Volume II, page 566, which your correspondent found preserved in a glass case in the Public Library of Cincinnati, he finds the following statement:
"The first ferry at Maysville, authorized by law, of the Mason County Court, was in 1794, to Benjamin Sutton, the owner of two lots on the north or outside of the present Front or Water street, just above the foot of the street named after him; it was re-granted in 1801, the same court granted a ferry in 1797 to Edmund Martin (which was still operated in 1803 and later); another in 1818 to J. K. Ficklin, and another in 1823 to Benjamin Bayless (the last were discontinued about 1826). Sutton sold his lots and ferry to Armstrong, Power and Campbell, who attended to the ferrys, granted to Boone and Martin, lived in Aberdeen, Ohio. In 1829 the Court of Appeals decided that the town of Maysville owned the river front and was entitled to the ferry right. Trustees of Maysville, Boones' heirs. 2 J. J. Marshall 224."
(to be continued next week)
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