Henry Martin (1795-1887)

Whenever I think of my 2g-grandfather, I start singing the song Henry Martin as sung by Joan Baez. It has nothing to do with him except the name. The song is about a poor pirate, while my Henry Martin was an innkeeper, a minister and a farmer. He was born in Vermont, but Fluvanna history says he came from Cortland County, and moved to "Griffith's Settlement" in 1813. He married Anna Fenton of Mansfield Connecticut in 1818, and came to Fluvanna in 1820.  In 1834 he bought land and settled in Dutch Hollow.

Dutch Hollow Creek highlighted in turquoise. Henry and Anna lived near it.

Although he is remembered in Fluvanna, his land was in the township of Ellery which is outlined in blue here.

Map showing landownership in 1853. M.A. Martin and W. Martin were Henry Martin's sons. 

He's mentioned several times in The Early History of Fluvanna by Hetty Sherwin but only once in The Early History of the Town of Ellicot by Gilbert Hazeltine M.D, and not at all in History of Chautauqua County New York by Andrew W. Young. The size of the pond matters.  He is mentioned as an early inn-keeper, but his father-in-law, Jacob Fenton, got he credit for opening the first hotel in the neighborhood.

Henry Martin was a Methodist minister, though he never had a church of his own, and always listed his occupation as Farmer when the census taker came around. Perhaps he was one of those Pioneer Preachers described in "One hundred and forty years of Methodism in the Jamestown, NY area by Helena M. Stonehouse

He and Anna had 8 children.

Martha (1819-1855)

William Henry (?)

Wesley D. (1822-1910)

Marcus A. (1824--1895)

Lois (1826-1901)

Clarinda (1829-1899)

Anna Melvina (1837-1920)

Melville H. (1839-1916)

Anna died in 1855.

Henry married Phebe Winsor in 1856, widow of Woodley W. Chandler. She lived until 1876. After her death, Henry married Harriet Pennock, the widow of Robert Sylvester Turrell. Her son Louis Turrell lived with Henry and Harriet in 1880.

Henry died in 1887. 

His heirs included his widow, Harriet; his children Wesley Martin and Melvina Fenton of Jamestown; Marcus A. Martin of Ellery; Lois Bentley, Clarinda Seymore and Melville H. Martin of Union City, PA; his grandchildren, Merritt Griffith of Jamestown, Ella Griffith and Marcus Griffith of Ellery and Edna Robbins of Ashville.

He sleeps in the old cemetery in Fluvanna, with his parents and many of his descendants.

I took some liberties with this photo by Chuck Metcalf

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Anna Fenton (1798-1855) and her cousin Fluvia Fenton (1807-1873)

I have history in places I have never been. Fluvanna is a hamlet in the town of Ellicot in Chautatuqua County New York, on the East side of Lake Chautauqua.  In its early days it was called "The Point" but the day came when it needed its own post office. First the post office, then the hamlet itself, were named after daughters of two brothers, early settlers in the area and veterans of the Revolution. Fluvia was the daughter of Nathaniel Fenton. Anna was the daughter of Jacob Fenton. Put them together and you have Fluvanna. There are at least two other places called Fluvanna, one in Texas and one in Virginia, but I don't know how they got their names.

This is a 1907 post card picture of the old post office. It was built in 1827, and lasted until 1911. 

One of the many wonders of the internet is that you can access old books online. This little history of Fluvanna is a treasure trove of information, and the words at the top of the postcard are taken from it.

Anna Fenton married Henry Martin. They are my 2g-grandparents. Their descendants were lovingly listed by their childless granddaughter, Anna Louise Martin Ward, who was my 1st cousin twice removed.

I've never been to Fluvanna, or anywhere near it. I fly over it on Google maps and it looks beautiful and green. Sandy Robison wrote her story of growing up there, in the local Post Journal.

Anna Louise Martin 1879-1959

Anna Louise Martin was the daughter of Melville H. Martin, and my first cousin once removed. In 1899, she married Gerald Ward. In 1919, they owned a hardware store in Jamestown. They had no children, and two elderly relatives were living with them. I don't know whether it was the lack of children or the presence of elderly relatives that inspired Anna Louise to make up this chart of the living and dead descendants of Henry Martin and Anna Fenton, her grandparents.

It must have taken her a long time to compile all of this, in those ancient times before there was a computer on every desk. I would consider just typing it up a considerable feat. Yes, it's frustrating that she left off the maiden names of the Mrs. Martins, and that she didn't post the actual dates of death. She left a fascinating puzzle, one I am still working on.

Melville H. Martin 1839-1916

Melville H. Martin

died in the almshouse, but he was buried with his relatives in the Fluvanna Cemetery, not in the cemetery attached to the Almshouse.

He was my second great-uncle. Who says you have to start your genealogy story with your closest or oldest known relative?

 He was a photographer, as was at least one of his brothers. Somewhere in some ancient family album, are pictures taken by him, but I have not found them.

He had three children, Earl, Harry and Anna Louise. I have not heard from Harry since 1880, but I know he was dead by 1919, when Anna Louise made up a chart of her many cousins. Earl was also dead by then.

His daughter, Anna Louise Ward, nee Martin, was one of the conspirators who drew me into the study of genealogy. She was not alone.

Here is what the local folks were thinking about the old almshouse in 1972.

The following information is extracted from an article entitled “Over the bridge of Sighs: Like Former Residents the Old Poor House is Abandoned and Run Down,” by Jim Fox, Mayville Bureau, Evening Observer, Dunkirk-Fredonia, NY, Wednesday, December 6, 1972.