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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