The Martin Family was one of the first families to settle in Stewart County, Tennessee. The 1850 Stewart County, Tennessee census shows John Martin was born about 1813 in Tennessee. According to the 1910 Stewart County Census, Jerry's father, which would have been John W. Martin, was born in North Carolina. The 1840 Stewart County census puts John W. Martin in the 10 year younger age group. We believe that the census taker switched John's and Matilda's ages, and that John was born about 1803. Matilda was born about 1804 in North Carolina. We have found a Davidson County, Tennessee marriage bond for a John Martin and Matilda Evans dated January 2, 1826. We do not have positive proof that this is our John and Matilda, but all the facts match. They had at least nine children all presumeably born in Stewart Co.,Tennessee:
The Stewart County, Tennessee Court of Pleas was held in the home of George Martin in December 1805. I cannot make a provable connection between this George Martin and our John W. Martin, but there is a good chance that they may be related.
"The Court adjourns to George Martins in Course."
"Monday December 1805, Page 38
"At George Martins House The Worshipful Court of Stewart Met agreeable to government Presents the Worshipful -----
Thomas Clinton |
William Allen |
Joshua Williams } Esquires Justices
John Harvey |
George Petty |
James Taggart |
[Source: Stewart County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarterly Sessions, Vol. 1, 1804, pg. 37, pg. 38, Reel 21, Microfilm, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tennessee]
The earliest record to date for John W. Martin is found in the Court Minutes of Stewart County dated Monday 4th August 1833:
"Ordered by the Court that ANDREW MARTIN be appointed overseer of the Road from William Largent's fence to Willie Barretts on Standing Rock Creek and that the following hand's work under him. James Largent, William Largent, George Largent, Dory B. Miller, C. A. Gunter, JOHN MARTIN, John Clark and Nancy King's hands."
This Andrew Martin is no doubt the Andrew Martin of Household 258 on the 1850 Stewart County Census. He appears on the 1840 and 1850 Census, as well as the Tax List from 1828-1859 for District 10 and 11. The 1859 Tax List shows Andrew's heirs, which would indicate that Andrew had died. This is confirmed by the Court Minutes for February 2, 1857, and November 2, 1857. Andrew served on many Road Crews with the neighbors of John Martin and John Martin's children. Mary, Andrew's widow, was living next to Jeremiah Martin, John Martin's son, in the 10th Civil District on the 1860 Census. Even though there is no hard evidence, I believe he is John's brother.
[Source: Court Minutes, Dover, Stewart County, Tennessee, Monday 4th August 1833, Microfilm Roll #39, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tennessee]
John W. Martin first appears on the Tax List of Stewart County, Tennessee in 1855. He is listed as "John" without the middle initial "W.," but since he is in District 11, where his son James M. lived, I am pretty confident that these two "Johns" are the same.
DATE DISTRICT NAME ACRES VALUE TAX
1855 7 Martin, S. W. --- --- ---
" " McGee, Henry 204 300 .82
" 10 Martin, James --- --- ---
" " Daniel, Simon 202 400 .97
" " Russell, M. W. --- --- ---
" " Sexton, G. W. 217 650 1.31
" " Sexton, A. T. 70 385 .94
" " Sexton, E. G. 150 200 1.66
" 11 Martin, Andrew 326 1200 2.08
" " MARTIN, JOHN --- --- .40
" " Martin, James --- --- .40
" " Martin, Wm --- --- .40
[Source: Stewart County, Tennessee Trustee's Office Tax Books, 1836-1865, for the year 1855, Microfilm Roll 139, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tennessee]
The 1856 Stewart County Tax List for Districts 10 and 11 both record a JOHN MARTIN. G. W. SEXTON also lives in the 10th District. Several of John's and George William SEXTON's children married. Along with the John in District 11 is Andrew MARTIN (probably John's brother because Andrew Jackson MARTIN, John's son, was not an adult at this time), James MARTIN (probably James M. MARTIN), William MARTIN (probably William Francis)--both John W. MARTIN's sons. Both the John MARTIN in District 10, and the John MARTIN in District 11 may be the same.
DATA DISTRICT NAME ACRES VALUE TAX
1856 7 Martin, S. W. --- --- .33
" " McGee, Henry 204 300 .55
" 10 Martin, John --- --- .25
" " Sexton, G. W. 217 650 .90
" " Sexton, A. T. 100 500 .75
" 11 Martin, Andrew 300 1200 1.45
" " Martin, James --- --- .25
" " MARTIN, JOHN --- --- .25
" " Martin, William --- --- .25
[Source: Stewart County, Tennessee Trustee's Office Tax Books, 1836-1865, for year 1856, Microfilm Roll 139, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tennessee]
The 1858 Stewart County Tax List does not show a John MARTIN, however there is a J. P. MARTIN. This could be the John P. MARTIN that is in District 6 in 1837 and 1842, or it may be a misprint--it could be Jeremiah "H." MARTIN. John W. MARTIN may have died by this time since he does not appear on the Stewart County Tax List after 1856. James appears on the Tax List in District 10, not District 11 for this year only. In 1859 he is back in District 11.
DATE DISTRICT NAME ACRES VALUE TAX
1858 7 Martin, J. W. --- --- .25
" " Martin, L. W. --- 3000 --- 4 slaves
" 10 Martin, Andrew 360 1500 2.10
" " Martin, J. P. --- --- .50
" " Martin, G. W. --- --- .50
" " Martin, William --- --- .50
" " Martin, James --- --- .50
[Source: Stewart County, Tennessee Trustee's Office Tax Books, 1836-1865, for the year 1858, Microfilm Roll 139, Tennessee State Library, Nashville, Tennessee]
We may have an explanation for the fact that we do not know when John W. Martin died or where he is buried. I discovered a marriage record for a Sallie Ann Martin and William G. Wofford who were married 9 Oct 1859 in Stewart County, Tennessee by E. G. Sexton, Justice of the Peace. It took a long time, but I finally found a descendant of Sallie Ann Martin. It seems that Sallie Ann had been a Blanton, but had married a John Martin and had a daughter named Mary Adelia Martin. Mary Adelia married William Pinkney Wofford (possibly a very distant relative), and had seven children. Their oldest child, Andrew Hillard, married four times. The first marriage was to Isabell Martin daughter of John Wesley Martin, the grandson of our John W. Martin. His third wife was Annie Gladys Skates, and they had a son Charlie Russe Wofford. It was Charlie and his wife Rosemary that finally unraveled the mystery of who Sallie Ann Blanton Maritn Wofford was. Though we don't have a positive identification, I believe the John Martin that married Sallie Ann Blanton was our John W. Martin.
Rosemary and Charlie told me that family tradition handed down says that John Martin disappeared after Adelia was born. She was born 20 Jul 1857, so that means that John probably disappeared sometime in 1857. The last public record that we have of our John W. Martin is the tax record of 1857. I speculate that Matilda died sometime before 1857, and John remarried to Sallie Ann Blanton. For some unknown reason, John left Sallie Ann and moved on. Many of the Wofford's went to Missouri, and it is possible that John went there too. Two years later, Sallie Ann married William Pinkney Wofford. Someday, maybe we will complete the story of John W. Martin.
The John W. Martin family and the Brittain Sexton family have been closely related from the time four of Brittain Sexton's grandchildren married four of John and Matilda's children. Brittain Sexton settled in Stewart County,Tennessee about 1795 from Wake County, North Carolina. Although most of their descendents have scattered across the country, some still live in their ancestral home of Stewart County, Tennessee. The Martins, Sextons and all the other related families gather on odd years on the first Saturday of August for the Martin-Sexton Family Reunion.
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