REEN BERRY MARTIN. The history of
this worthy resident of Humbolt Township
is substantially as follows : He is a native
of Vanderburg County, Ind., and was born Nov.
26, 1 8-20, being the fifth of a family of eleven children, the offspring of Berry and Deborah (Cook)
Martin, natives of South Carolina. The paternal
grandfather of our subject, William by name, was
a farmer by occupation, and served in the Revolutionary War. After the independence of the
Colonies had been established he located in Georgia,
where he carried on agriculture successfully and
raised a fine family of sons and daughters. Among
these his son Berry removed first to Georgia and
thence to Indiana, where he continued a resident
of Vanderburg County the remainder of his life.
The mother of our subject was the daughter of
Thomas and Elizabeth Cook, of South Carolina,
where she was born and reared. Her marriage to
Berry Martin took place in Georgia.
The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm
in the wilds of Vanderburg County with no advantages for education. He was trained, however,
to habits of industry, and when twenty-two years
of age set out in life for himself, the most important step being his marriage with Miss Elizabeth
Barrett. Mrs. M. was the fourth child of Isaac
and Lucy (Fowler) Barrett, of Alabama, who in
their youth removed with their parents to Indiana
and were married in Warrick County. Our subject
and his young wife began life together on a farm
in Vanderburg, whence he afterward removed to
Warrick County and thence to Gentryville, Spencer
County, where he engaged to learn tanning and
shoemaking. Of these trades he became master,
and followed them in that locality for sixteen
years. He invested his surplus capital afterward
in 120 acres of land with several town lots. He
also engaged in merchandising, but this not proving
successful soon abandoned it.
After the outbreak of the late war Mr. Martin
enlisted with the three-months’ men, but on account of an overplus of volunteers his regiment
was sent home without seeing any active service.
In the fall of 1861, he sold out his property in
Spencer County, and coming to this county purchased eighty acres of railroad land on section 34,
in Humbolt Township, where he took up his abode
with his family. A year later, however, he sold
his property and purchased a farm in the southern
part of the county. He had occupied this about
eight years, and then discovered a flaw in the title.
In seeking to correct the error he lost the land entirely. Afterward he farmed on rented land seven
or eight years, and then, in company with his son,
purchased eighty-one and one-half acres on section
32, in Humbolt Township, where he has since resided. He has meddled very little with politics,
but casts his vote in support of Republican principles.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin became the parents of ten
children, of whom one, Benjamin F., is deceased.
Rachel married Franklin Lozier, and is residing on
a farm in Humbolt Township; Eliza is the wife of
John Morgan, a farmer residing in Iowa; Lucy,
the wife of Louis Mullen, is a resident of Phillips
County, Kan.; Caroline married Silas Morgan, and
lives in Logansport, Ind.; Elizabeth married John
Donnelly, a farmer of Humbolt Township; Deborah
Ann, Newton Jasper, Caroline and William are at
home with their parents; Newton Jasper is farming
on his own account in Humbolt Township. The
parents and children are all members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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