52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 26

Do You Know John R. Martin?

I have written about Samuel Sanders Martin and Mary Ann "Polly Ann" Allman before now. Samuel is the son of John Martin and Polly Ann, was his wife. I've had a very hard time finding any information about John. Not that I haven't found a John Martin in records. The real problem is that I have found far too many! So the real problem has been to sort out which is mine. Sounds easy, but it is not.

I can tell the family story about this man. It is very little, though. According to the story he was in the civil war. That was it. Not only does he have one of the most common names, there is very little about him in family lore. For years I have searched just to separate one out of the pack to claim as my own. Lately, I have been looking more at everyone around him in a different way. How and who do they connect with? Where can I find one instance that will separate my John from the many others?

First of all, I know that John was married to Mary Ann Allman, called Polly Ann in the marriage record. I wrote about that last week when I profiled Mary Ann. They were married on October 3rd, 1852, and both had 'Consent of father' beside their names. Since John was born about 1832, he would have been about 20. I don't believe that he would have needed his father's consent but it shows his father was wanting the marriage to take place. His bride was only 15.

The next time I find them is in the 1860 Census. This was in Sparksville, Washington County, Indiana, and John Martin is listed as 25, Polly Ann, 23, and daughter Rebecca Elizabeth is 3. Again this was in July of that year and my great-great-grandfather was born earlier that year, in February. Infants are not listed in this census. John is a farmer.

I did find one thing that could set my John apart from the others. His daughter Rebecca, married a John Beck. So I looked for any documents that she would have created in her lifetime. When I found her death certificate I had a very happy moment! Her parents were listed as John R. Martin and Mary Ann Martin. John R. is the important one here. This is possibly the only instance with John being listed as having a middle name. I was very happy to find it, though it could be wrong, and it could be the only time it is listed, at all. But it is something!

Now, the trail goes cold here. But I do have another thing to search. The family lore said he was in the Civil War. Maybe. So I searched for him there, under Jackson County, Indiana enlistments. I found a John Martin in the Indiana Volunteers, Tenth Cavalry Regiment, Company C. Other than: Private, Jackson County, and the dates, enlisted, December 1, 1863, and mustered out on August 31, 1865, there is no information. Following that regiment got me nowhere. Well, I know that if this entry is him, he survived. I thought for many years that he may have died during the war, mainly because he seemed to disappear afterwards.

Mary Ann Martin married Reuben Cockerham in 1869. Where did John go? So there had to be a divorce or he died. This would have happened between August of 1860 and 1869.

I am at a stand-still again. I will continue to try, but I am losing hope on finding the right one.

#52ancestors #genealogy

Sources:
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," FamilySearch; John Martin and Polly Ann Allman, 03 Oct 1852; citing , Jackson, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,314,624.
1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900–2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.