John W. Martin

As printed in 1902

JOHN W. MARTIN.

John W. Martin, who is now engaged in the business of renovating feathers on the Dayton pike, near Pleasant street, Springfield, was born near the Rocky Point school, southwest of the city, on a farm now owned by the Howell heirs. The date of his birth was February 28, 1840, and his parents were David and Rachel (Sands) Martin. His father was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1797, and was a son of Richard Martin, who was also a native of the Keystone state and died on what is now the Ben Mellinger farm in Clark county, Ohio. He was a farmer and cooper. He served in the war of 1812, and the father of our subject witnessed the burning of the capitol during that war, being then in Washington. ` The latter was fourteen years of age at the time.

In 1828 David Martin came to Clark county, Ohio, and located south of Springfield on the present Stratton farm. After a short time, however, he removed to the farm on which our subject was born, there living until 1840, when he went to Beatty and conducted a cooper shop there for a number of years. Later he took up his above at Yellow Springs, where he engaged in the cooperage business in connection with agricultural pursuits for about seven years. He next located at New Carlisle, where he farmer for about two years, after which he settled two miles south of Troy, carrying on agricultural pursuits at that point for seven years. His next home was at Gettysburg, Darke county, Ohio, but two years later he removed to the Adolph Smith farm and from there to the Miller farm, southwest of Enon. His next removal took him to Piqua, Ohio, and later he returned to Enon, where his death occurred September 21, 1874. His wife, who died June 24, 1884, bore the maiden name of Rachel Sands and was of English descent. There was a fortune left in England to the family but it was never claimed. Thomas Sands, her father, resided in Maryland, and in that state she was born in 1804 and there gave her hand in marriage to David Martin.

This worthy couple became the parents. of eight sons and one daughter, namely: Samuel wedded Katherine Deaver, now deceased, by whom he had two children, one of whom is dead, while the other resides in Kansas. Richard married Elizabeth Martin, who died in 1898. Thomas wedded Caroline Newhouse and died in October, 1899, while two of his five children are also deceased. David wedded Mary Speelman and died January 7, 1899. He had four children, two of whom are now deceased. Elizabeth, the only daughter, died at the age of three years. John W. of this review Joseph married Sallie Gibbs and they had three children, one of whom is deceased. William married Frances Beadle and of their five children one is deceased. James married Minnie Graves and they have two children. The four eldest sons of the family were coopers and our subject became a farmer, while the younger sons were carpenters.

Under the parental roof John W. Martin. was reared to manhood and when he arrived at years of matúrity he became a soldier, enlisting on the 15th of August, is the next younger.

1861, as a member of Company I, First Ohio Cavalry, being mustered in at Piqua. He was then sent to Camp Chase, near Columbus, Ohio, where the regiment remained until the first of November, when it took the field in Kentucky. Mr. Martin was in the service for four years and fifteen days, and he had three brothers who were also soldiers. Samuel, the eldest, contracted illness at Vicksburg which caused his death after his return to his home in Miami county, Ohio. John W. Martin participated in the battles of Stone River, Chickamauga, Shiloh, the siege of Atlanta, and the engagements at Lovejoy Station and Champion Hills, after which he returned to Louisville. He had previously been in three raids, including the Kilpatrick raid around Atlanta and through Tennessee after General Wheeler. He was under fire at Atlanta for four days and nights. The third raid was that of General Wilson from Mississippi through Alabama and back to Georgia. During this raid he participated in a heavy battle at Columbus, Georgia, and was also in a hard fight at Selma. Before the Wilson raid the regiment had gone back to Louisville to get arms and horses, having given up their own to General Kilpatrick's men. Mr. Martin was at Atlanta for two months, thence went to South Carolina, where he remained until the ist of September, 1865, when he went by vessel from Hilton Head to New York city and thence returned to Columbus, Ohio, where he was mustered out in September, 1865. He had enlisted for three years and on the expiration of that period he rejoined the army as a veteran. He was a dashing, gallant soldier and on one occasion was one of two volunteers to ride into what is supposed to have been an ambush to reconnoiter. Fearless and loyal in defense of duty he made for himself a most creditable military record.

In January, 1867, Mr. Martin was married to Miss Susan E. Aldrich, a daughter of Aaron and Sarah (Bell) Aldrich, who were farming people. The Aldrich family came to Ohio from Maine and the father was born in Clark county, while the mother’s birth occurred in Champaign county, this state. Mrs. Martin was born in 1848, and by her marriage to our subject became the mother of two daughters: Effie, born February 13, 1868, is the wife of John Burroughs, of Springfield, and they have three children, Mabel, George Wesley and James. Cora, born August 15, 1870, is the wife of Ed Baker, who is living on the corner of Ludlow avenue and Harrison street, Springfield, and they have two children, Irvin and Wayne. Mrs. Martin died August 27, 1877, and on the 28th of October, 1880, Mr. Martin was again married, his second union being with. Miss Mary Manzella Reed, who was born at Plattsburg, Ohio, and is a daughter of Josiah Wesley and Charlotte (Taylor) Reed, from Maryland. She is heir to.some land in that state but knows little of her early ancestry. Her father, who was a farmer by occupation, entered the Union service in 1861, and at the end of sixteen months was discharged for disability, but he finally re-enlisted on the 2d of May, 1864, in the One Hundred and Fifty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Being taken prisoner, he was first incarcerated at Andersonville and later in the military. prison at Mullen, Georgia, where he died July 3, 1864. By his second marriage Mr. Martin has one child, Laura May, who was born May 16, 1883, and is yet living with her parents. She was educated in Springfield and is now a successful music teacher.

Mr. Martin is a member of the Odd Fellows society and has held all of the offices in Ephraim Lodge, No. 146, with which he is identified. After his return from the war he was ill for a year and then began business. He is now engaged in feather renovating and receives a liberal patronage in this line. In matters of citizenship he is as loyal and faithful to-day as when he wore the blue uniform of the nation and fought for the defense of the-stars and stripes on southern battle-fields.

As printed in A Biographical Record of Clark County Ohio (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.