A Brick Wall Named "Martin"

Sometimes....more often than not.....I'll be following a line of my ancestors, motoring right along and then all of a sudden....I hit a brick wall. All research stops. I search and search and search for the parents of the last ancestor I've been able to find and come up with nothing.

How does this happen? Did he get dropped from a space ship? Did he crawl out of a hole in the ground? Was he in the witness protection program?

One of these brick walls is in my Martin line. My grandfather, Galen Martin, was born near Rainelle, Greenbrier County, West Virginia to George Cleveland and Sarah Minnie Frantz Martin. When my grandfather was about 6 years old Cleve and Minnie uprooted their small family and moved to Indiana where Cleve pursued farming. Growing up in West Virginia both Cleve and Minnie came from farming families. Minnie's father, Abraham Frantz, was also a preacher of the Brethern faith. It's said that he married and buried more people than any other preacher at that time.

Cleve was the son of George Warner Martin and Mary Catherine Tincher. George and Mary were a handsome couple. They married in 1871 in Greenbrier County and proceeded to have a large family of 9 known children. George was also a farmer and the family lived on what we affectionatly call "Martin Mountain" near Crag, West Virginia. At some point in time, George went to work for the railroad and worked there until he retired. Mary, however, at the young age of 38 died of "consumption" or tuberculosis. My great-grandfather, Cleve, was only 4.

George Warner was the son of Pere Warner Martin. Pere was also a farmer and lived on "Martin Mountain". At times Pere preached the gospel to any who would listen. He had married, in 1842, to Martha Katherine Thompson. They had a family of 8 known children. Martha's parents were well known in the area as they had started one of the first inns and stage coach stops in Greenbrier County.

Pere's parents were Samuel and Margaret Bollar McClung Martin. Samuel, also a farmer and a Methodist preacher was the first Martin on the mountain and the first Martin of my line in Greenbrier County - that I've been able to find. He is my brick wall.

There are some that are sure he is the son of Robert Martin and Mary Craig of Nicholas County, West Virginia, and he may well be. However, no proof positive has been sent to me, so the doors are still open. Robert and Mary's wills both mention a son Samuel. A Samuel Martin did own about 20,000 acres in what is now Nicholas County. A Samuel Martin was a contable in Nicholas County and a Samuel Martin did serve with the Virginia Militia. But is this MY Samuel?

With any luck I'll be traveling to Greenbrier County later this year to try to find out just who my Samuel Martin really was. He and Margaret are buried in the Martin Cemetery on Martin Mountain along with many of their descendents. He is the earliest Martin in the cemetery.

Samuel Martin - alien or everyday farmer and preacher. Time will tell.