I was looking through an old box of family records today and found a faded paper entitled “Your Great Grandfather”. The text looks as if it was typed on an old typewriter and the signature at the bottom was too faded to read. The story is about Thomas D. Martin, son of Menan M. Martin of Overton County, TN (1775-1849). Thomas D. is not my grandfather, he’s my great, great, great uncle. Below is the story, as written, of Thomas D. Martin as recorded by his great granddaughter or great grandson.
Thomas D. Martin was born in middle Tennessee about 1830. His father owned a big estate on the Cumberland river – and a number of slaves.
There were 13 children in the family. Your great grandfather and a brother, Joseph C. Martin came to Arkansas about 1850. He was a widower with two children. He brought his son, James with him but left a daughter, Elizabeth with his parents in Tennessee. There were several families came at this time, and they came on flatboats bringing stock, household goods and everything.
He and his brother, Joseph C. Martin, bought a few hundred acres of land along the White river, part above and part below the Norfork river. He was an excellent blacksmith and wood workman. His daughter, Nancy, told me that one winter he made 17 wagons. Every piece of wood, iron bands and tires by hand. She said part of them were for some men in Missouri. She didn’t know how much he received for them, but did remember some of the men brought him 1000 lbs of flour, 2 barrels of salt, 2 of sugar and 100 lbs of green coffee. He had a drying shed where he kept his wagon timber, and twice a year he burned his own coal for his blacksmith shop. Also had a tanning vat where he tanned the leather he used for harness, and he made all the shoes his family wore.
His daughter said he was always saying a railroad would come to this country some day, and he pointed out the route he believed it would take. 50 years after he was dead it was built exactly where he said it would be.
He refused to have slaves, even in the settlement of his fathers estate. But served in the Civil war, was a Confederate Lieutenant. Though he could only get his mail once a month, by going to Mountain Home for it, and not that often sometimes, he took a number of papers and magazines and was well informed about what was going on in his day and time. He married Susan Hutcheson in 1853 and was the father of 10 children. 9 of them grew to adulthood.
The Martins are, for the most part, quiet, clanish people. There are lots of old maids and bachelors among them. They do not marry young, as a rule, and not many of them marry more than once.
Of the more than 200 descendants of the two brothers who came to Arkansas there have been 3 received short prison sentences. They are a healthy, long lived people, and one became insane.
According to my research Thomas’ children from his first marriage to Susannah Lansden were James A. and Elizabeth. Susannah died on the same day her daughter Elizabeth was born. His children from his second marriage (1870 census) were Laura, Nancy, Richard, John, Nettie, Margaret, and Joel C.. Thomas died in 1882.
Happy Researching,
Deborah