He was a brother of Alexander Martin
===
Affidavit of James Martin, Sr., and James Davis, Sr. – 2 Oct. 1833 – Stokes Co., NC – Both state that William Southern is of good character and reputed in his neighborhood to be a Revolutionary War soldier.
James Martin, Sen., signed after his name "formerly Colonel of Guilford Militia".
===
Sometime after 1770 James made the decision to remove to NC. His brother Alexanders' increasingly successful legal career and land investments in NC made the decision easier, but it was not simple to sell the property and chattels in those days. A buyer with money or credit was not easy to find. And by 1770 the family had grown; the first boy, Hugh, born in 1770 and a fourth girl, Anna, in 1772. Nevertheless sale of all of the Hunterdon property was eventually accomplished and the family moved to Guilford County, NC in 1774 where Alexander and his partner, Thomas Henderson had begun development of the community of Martinville, located in what is now the northern part of the city of Greensboro. A fifth girl, Polly, was born the summer they arrived.
James rapidly became a leader in the Guilford County community, in part because of his brothers' sponsorship, but also due to his own energy and ability. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Guilford Militia in June 1775 simultaneously with Alexander being appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of NC Continental Troops.
Events in N.C. were not long delayed. The Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, persuaded the Highland Scots to form and attempt to capture the military stores at Hillsborough in early 1775. The 1st NC Regiment maneuvered to prevent this, defeated the Scots at the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, killing their leader, capturing some of the Scots leaders and dispersing the bands. The 2nd NC Regiment had been ordered to march to Cross Creek under the command of Alexander Martin to support the 1st NC Regiment. It arrived after the battle, but did escort prisoners to jail in Hillsborough. James accompanied the 2nd NC on this maneuver as a volunteer.
During the winter of 1775, responding to the threats of the Cherokee who were being incited by British agents, a combined NC and SC force under command of General Griffin Rutherford of Rowan County moved on the eastern Cherokee towns, destroying them and their food stores, making it impossible for the Indians to subsist near the frontier settlements. James was ordered out with the Guilford Militia and led the Guilford contingent that served in this campaign.
Simultaneously, events around Boston moved to a conclusion and the town was evacuated in March after the placement of the Ticonderoga Artillery on Dorchester Heights. The scene of war then moved to New York. It was obvious that a protracted struggle was ahead. In NC a measure to recruit and man ten regiments for continental service was passed. Alexander was promoted to Colonel of the 2nd NC Regiment and pressed his brothers to serve. James and Samuel were commissioned First Lieutenants on 3 May 1776 in the 2nd NC Regiment. They were probably given credit for service as volunteers for the prior 6 months as an inducement because James was eventually given credit for 32 months total service. A year later he was promoted to Captain and transferred to the 5th NC Regiment.
James later resumed his commission as Lt Col. of the Guilford County militia, with responsibility for suppression of local Tories and support of the Southern Army when required.
The war finally ended, but left a major issue with all who had served, that of payment for their service. None of the states had been able to make full payment to the men and officers. Most were discharged with promissory warrants that the states were to redeem as soon as fiscal stability returned. This remained the situation until after the Constitution of the United States was accepted, and in Washington's first administration the federal government assumed each of the states' war debt. Because so much western land had been opened for settlement by this time, payment for continental service in the form of land was approved by congress. James Martin received 1,462 acres of land for 32 months of Continental service. Alexander Martin received 2,314 acres of land for 27 months of Continental service.
In 1832, the Congress passed a law providing a pension for members of the state militias that could validate their service. They were required to provide a sworn statement to the local clerk of court along with documents and witnesses to the validity of their claim. James, aged 92, rode to Germanton and provided his deposition of service in the NC militia. It was approved and he received a pension of $403.30 per year. As a Colonel, he was the highest ranking North Carolina survivor with militia service.
Sources: Personal research by the author.
From the Stokes County, N.C. Historical Society.
===
Note: A contemporary headstone was recently placed at the grave of James Martin and was formally dedicated in a ceremony which took place on 11 July 2010.
The dedication was organized by descendant and historian, Charles Moore Martin.
Location of the grave is the family graveyard in Stokes County not far from the Martin homeplace.
================================
"Notice is hereby given to Alexander Martin, Merchant in Salisbury, North Carolina, that his Father, Hugh Martin of Hunterdon County, New-Jersey, died the 9th of March last, and left him and his Brother James his Executors; wherefore said Alexander Martin, if not inconvenient to his Business, is desired to return home, to settle his late Father's Affairs; but if his coming should be attended with any Disadvantage to him, he is requested not to come, by his Mother. Jane Martin."
The Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1720, December 10, 1761.
Appearing on page 645 for the year 1761 in
Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Volume 4.
Contributor: Skip Riddle (49166535)
——————
James Martin, merchant, soldier, and legislator, was born in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, N.J., the second son of Hugh and Jane Hunter Martin.
His father conducted an English school for a time, and all the Martin children were well educated. His brothers Alexander and Thomas were graduated from Princeton, where James may also have studied. In 1761, when Hugh Martin died, Alexander was already located in North Carolina; he returned to New Jersey to help settle the estate and see that his mother and his family were adequately situated.
James married his cousin, Ruth Rodgers, in 1763 and probably lived with his mother to help with the care of the younger members of the family. Through his brothers, James became a friend of James Madison, who visited in the Martin home during the years he was a student at Princeton. In 1769 Mrs. Martin and her youngest children went to live with the Madison family at Montpelier, but James remained in New Jersey. In May 1774 he moved his immediate family to Guilford County, N.C., where by now his brother Alexander had located Mrs. Martin and all the other brothers and sisters. James settled on the Haw River near the center of the county (part of present-day Rockingham County).
On 22 Apr. 1774 Martin was appointed colonel-commandant of the Guilford militia, an assignment that may have encouraged his move to North Carolina. In late 1775 his brother Alexander, now colonel of the Second North Carolina Continental Regiment, ordered James to raise the militia and move against the Scottish Tories near Fayetteville. In February 1776 the Guilford troops arrived at Moore's Creek after the battle and were involved only in rounding up prisoners. Later in the same year James raised a militia force of four thousand men, which joined General Griffith Rutherford in maneuvers against the Cherokee towns. During the next four years Martin was called on several times to assemble militia forces to contend with scattered Tory forces.
In December 1780 the main focus of the war moved into the Guilford area. Martin had difficulty in raising a significant militia force and joined General Nathanael Greene in the maneuvering along the Dan River. His troops did not play a major part in the Battle of Guilford Court House. Although Greene had a low regard for the performance of the local militia, he does seem to have valued the service of James Martin.
During the war Martin began acquiring significant acreage in Surry County, much of it centered around Snow Creek, a tributary of the Dan River. He obtained an entry grant from Marshall Duncan for a tract on which Duncan was already burning lime for the early settlers. On 4 July 1778 Martin himself entered two claims to this tract, which he characterized as "his Lime Kiln Plantation." It was to this tract, eighteen miles from his Haw River home, that Martin moved his family in 1781. His lime kiln became a center of commerce and was much relied on by the Moravians.
In his new residence, Martin became involved in politics and in 1783, 1784, 1785, and 1786 was elected to the House of Commons from Surry County. In 1789, when Surry was divided and the eastern portion became Stokes, he was appointed one of the original justices of the peace for the new county. Subsequently, his residence became the center of one of the militia districts. In 1792 and 1793 he represented Stokes County in the house; in the latter year he lost his bid for a seat in the U.S. Congress to his neighbor and fellow Patriot, Joseph Winston. Apparently, Martin was a Federalist and remained so most of his life.
Near the Martin home in Hunterdon County, N.J., there had been an early ironworks, known as Union Forge, where Martin may have worked as a young man. By 1786 he had established on his Snow Creek lands an ironworks and a forge, which he named the Union Iron Works. With transplanted Virginians, Peter Hairston and Colonel Peter Perkins, Martin became heavily involved in the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the area. In 1788 North Carolina passed a bounty act that encouraged the building of forges. According to the terms of this act, Martin entered bounty claims on 3,000–5,000 acres in the county. The ironworks and lime kiln made him a wealthy man.
In 1792 he was appointed to the commission to locate a permanent capital for the state. As a member of that commission, he is reputed to have been the first to propose the name Raleigh for the site chosen.
His first wife had died and his children were mostly grown and married when Martin, on 12 Mar. 1800, married Martha Loftin Jones, the widow of Hamilton Jones, Sr. By this second marriage he had five children.
In 1808 he was defeated by Meshack Franklin for a seat in the U.S. Congress. He appears to have represented Stokes in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1811 and 1813, although by this time his son James had become active in politics and the references are confusing. His portrait, owned by a descendant, was painted in old age and shows a crusty old gentleman with white hair. At age ninety he rode on horseback to the courthouse at Germantown to apply for a veteran's pension and described vividly his service during the Revolutionary War. Two years later he died at his home on Snow Creek and was buried on the plantation.
by Charles D. Rodenbough, 1991
Contributor: S. M. (51378526)
===
Affidavit of James Martin, Sr., and James Davis, Sr. – 2 Oct. 1833 – Stokes Co., NC – Both state that William Southern is of good character and reputed in his neighborhood to be a Revolutionary War soldier.
James Martin, Sen., signed after his name "formerly Colonel of Guilford Militia".
===
Sometime after 1770 James made the decision to remove to NC. His brother Alexanders' increasingly successful legal career and land investments in NC made the decision easier, but it was not simple to sell the property and chattels in those days. A buyer with money or credit was not easy to find. And by 1770 the family had grown; the first boy, Hugh, born in 1770 and a fourth girl, Anna, in 1772. Nevertheless sale of all of the Hunterdon property was eventually accomplished and the family moved to Guilford County, NC in 1774 where Alexander and his partner, Thomas Henderson had begun development of the community of Martinville, located in what is now the northern part of the city of Greensboro. A fifth girl, Polly, was born the summer they arrived.
James rapidly became a leader in the Guilford County community, in part because of his brothers' sponsorship, but also due to his own energy and ability. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Guilford Militia in June 1775 simultaneously with Alexander being appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of NC Continental Troops.
Events in N.C. were not long delayed. The Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, persuaded the Highland Scots to form and attempt to capture the military stores at Hillsborough in early 1775. The 1st NC Regiment maneuvered to prevent this, defeated the Scots at the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, killing their leader, capturing some of the Scots leaders and dispersing the bands. The 2nd NC Regiment had been ordered to march to Cross Creek under the command of Alexander Martin to support the 1st NC Regiment. It arrived after the battle, but did escort prisoners to jail in Hillsborough. James accompanied the 2nd NC on this maneuver as a volunteer.
During the winter of 1775, responding to the threats of the Cherokee who were being incited by British agents, a combined NC and SC force under command of General Griffin Rutherford of Rowan County moved on the eastern Cherokee towns, destroying them and their food stores, making it impossible for the Indians to subsist near the frontier settlements. James was ordered out with the Guilford Militia and led the Guilford contingent that served in this campaign.
Simultaneously, events around Boston moved to a conclusion and the town was evacuated in March after the placement of the Ticonderoga Artillery on Dorchester Heights. The scene of war then moved to New York. It was obvious that a protracted struggle was ahead. In NC a measure to recruit and man ten regiments for continental service was passed. Alexander was promoted to Colonel of the 2nd NC Regiment and pressed his brothers to serve. James and Samuel were commissioned First Lieutenants on 3 May 1776 in the 2nd NC Regiment. They were probably given credit for service as volunteers for the prior 6 months as an inducement because James was eventually given credit for 32 months total service. A year later he was promoted to Captain and transferred to the 5th NC Regiment.
James later resumed his commission as Lt Col. of the Guilford County militia, with responsibility for suppression of local Tories and support of the Southern Army when required.
The war finally ended, but left a major issue with all who had served, that of payment for their service. None of the states had been able to make full payment to the men and officers. Most were discharged with promissory warrants that the states were to redeem as soon as fiscal stability returned. This remained the situation until after the Constitution of the United States was accepted, and in Washington's first administration the federal government assumed each of the states' war debt. Because so much western land had been opened for settlement by this time, payment for continental service in the form of land was approved by congress. James Martin received 1,462 acres of land for 32 months of Continental service. Alexander Martin received 2,314 acres of land for 27 months of Continental service.
In 1832, the Congress passed a law providing a pension for members of the state militias that could validate their service. They were required to provide a sworn statement to the local clerk of court along with documents and witnesses to the validity of their claim. James, aged 92, rode to Germanton and provided his deposition of service in the NC militia. It was approved and he received a pension of $403.30 per year. As a Colonel, he was the highest ranking North Carolina survivor with militia service.
Sources: Personal research by the author.
From the Stokes County, N.C. Historical Society.
===
Note: A contemporary headstone was recently placed at the grave of James Martin and was formally dedicated in a ceremony which took place on 11 July 2010.
The dedication was organized by descendant and historian, Charles Moore Martin.
Location of the grave is the family graveyard in Stokes County not far from the Martin homeplace.
================================
"Notice is hereby given to Alexander Martin, Merchant in Salisbury, North Carolina, that his Father, Hugh Martin of Hunterdon County, New-Jersey, died the 9th of March last, and left him and his Brother James his Executors; wherefore said Alexander Martin, if not inconvenient to his Business, is desired to return home, to settle his late Father's Affairs; but if his coming should be attended with any Disadvantage to him, he is requested not to come, by his Mother. Jane Martin."
The Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1720, December 10, 1761.
Appearing on page 645 for the year 1761 in
Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Volume 4.
Contributor: Skip Riddle (49166535)
——————
James Martin, merchant, soldier, and legislator, was born in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, N.J., the second son of Hugh and Jane Hunter Martin.
His father conducted an English school for a time, and all the Martin children were well educated. His brothers Alexander and Thomas were graduated from Princeton, where James may also have studied. In 1761, when Hugh Martin died, Alexander was already located in North Carolina; he returned to New Jersey to help settle the estate and see that his mother and his family were adequately situated.
James married his cousin, Ruth Rodgers, in 1763 and probably lived with his mother to help with the care of the younger members of the family. Through his brothers, James became a friend of James Madison, who visited in the Martin home during the years he was a student at Princeton. In 1769 Mrs. Martin and her youngest children went to live with the Madison family at Montpelier, but James remained in New Jersey. In May 1774 he moved his immediate family to Guilford County, N.C., where by now his brother Alexander had located Mrs. Martin and all the other brothers and sisters. James settled on the Haw River near the center of the county (part of present-day Rockingham County).
On 22 Apr. 1774 Martin was appointed colonel-commandant of the Guilford militia, an assignment that may have encouraged his move to North Carolina. In late 1775 his brother Alexander, now colonel of the Second North Carolina Continental Regiment, ordered James to raise the militia and move against the Scottish Tories near Fayetteville. In February 1776 the Guilford troops arrived at Moore's Creek after the battle and were involved only in rounding up prisoners. Later in the same year James raised a militia force of four thousand men, which joined General Griffith Rutherford in maneuvers against the Cherokee towns. During the next four years Martin was called on several times to assemble militia forces to contend with scattered Tory forces.
In December 1780 the main focus of the war moved into the Guilford area. Martin had difficulty in raising a significant militia force and joined General Nathanael Greene in the maneuvering along the Dan River. His troops did not play a major part in the Battle of Guilford Court House. Although Greene had a low regard for the performance of the local militia, he does seem to have valued the service of James Martin.
During the war Martin began acquiring significant acreage in Surry County, much of it centered around Snow Creek, a tributary of the Dan River. He obtained an entry grant from Marshall Duncan for a tract on which Duncan was already burning lime for the early settlers. On 4 July 1778 Martin himself entered two claims to this tract, which he characterized as "his Lime Kiln Plantation." It was to this tract, eighteen miles from his Haw River home, that Martin moved his family in 1781. His lime kiln became a center of commerce and was much relied on by the Moravians.
In his new residence, Martin became involved in politics and in 1783, 1784, 1785, and 1786 was elected to the House of Commons from Surry County. In 1789, when Surry was divided and the eastern portion became Stokes, he was appointed one of the original justices of the peace for the new county. Subsequently, his residence became the center of one of the militia districts. In 1792 and 1793 he represented Stokes County in the house; in the latter year he lost his bid for a seat in the U.S. Congress to his neighbor and fellow Patriot, Joseph Winston. Apparently, Martin was a Federalist and remained so most of his life.
Near the Martin home in Hunterdon County, N.J., there had been an early ironworks, known as Union Forge, where Martin may have worked as a young man. By 1786 he had established on his Snow Creek lands an ironworks and a forge, which he named the Union Iron Works. With transplanted Virginians, Peter Hairston and Colonel Peter Perkins, Martin became heavily involved in the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the area. In 1788 North Carolina passed a bounty act that encouraged the building of forges. According to the terms of this act, Martin entered bounty claims on 3,000–5,000 acres in the county. The ironworks and lime kiln made him a wealthy man.
In 1792 he was appointed to the commission to locate a permanent capital for the state. As a member of that commission, he is reputed to have been the first to propose the name Raleigh for the site chosen.
His first wife had died and his children were mostly grown and married when Martin, on 12 Mar. 1800, married Martha Loftin Jones, the widow of Hamilton Jones, Sr. By this second marriage he had five children.
In 1808 he was defeated by Meshack Franklin for a seat in the U.S. Congress. He appears to have represented Stokes in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1811 and 1813, although by this time his son James had become active in politics and the references are confusing. His portrait, owned by a descendant, was painted in old age and shows a crusty old gentleman with white hair. At age ninety he rode on horseback to the courthouse at Germantown to apply for a veteran's pension and described vividly his service during the Revolutionary War. Two years later he died at his home on Snow Creek and was buried on the plantation.
by Charles D. Rodenbough, 1991
Contributor: S. M. (51378526)
He was a brother of Alexander Martin
===
Affidavit of James Martin, Sr., and James Davis, Sr. – 2 Oct. 1833 – Stokes Co., NC – Both state that William Southern is of good character and reputed in his neighborhood to be a Revolutionary War soldier.
James Martin, Sen., signed after his name "formerly Colonel of Guilford Militia".
===
Sometime after 1770 James made the decision to remove to NC. His brother Alexanders' increasingly successful legal career and land investments in NC made the decision easier, but it was not simple to sell the property and chattels in those days. A buyer with money or credit was not easy to find. And by 1770 the family had grown; the first boy, Hugh, born in 1770 and a fourth girl, Anna, in 1772. Nevertheless sale of all of the Hunterdon property was eventually accomplished and the family moved to Guilford County, NC in 1774 where Alexander and his partner, Thomas Henderson had begun development of the community of Martinville, located in what is now the northern part of the city of Greensboro. A fifth girl, Polly, was born the summer they arrived.
James rapidly became a leader in the Guilford County community, in part because of his brothers' sponsorship, but also due to his own energy and ability. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Guilford Militia in June 1775 simultaneously with Alexander being appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of NC Continental Troops.
Events in N.C. were not long delayed. The Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, persuaded the Highland Scots to form and attempt to capture the military stores at Hillsborough in early 1775. The 1st NC Regiment maneuvered to prevent this, defeated the Scots at the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, killing their leader, capturing some of the Scots leaders and dispersing the bands. The 2nd NC Regiment had been ordered to march to Cross Creek under the command of Alexander Martin to support the 1st NC Regiment. It arrived after the battle, but did escort prisoners to jail in Hillsborough. James accompanied the 2nd NC on this maneuver as a volunteer.
During the winter of 1775, responding to the threats of the Cherokee who were being incited by British agents, a combined NC and SC force under command of General Griffin Rutherford of Rowan County moved on the eastern Cherokee towns, destroying them and their food stores, making it impossible for the Indians to subsist near the frontier settlements. James was ordered out with the Guilford Militia and led the Guilford contingent that served in this campaign.
Simultaneously, events around Boston moved to a conclusion and the town was evacuated in March after the placement of the Ticonderoga Artillery on Dorchester Heights. The scene of war then moved to New York. It was obvious that a protracted struggle was ahead. In NC a measure to recruit and man ten regiments for continental service was passed. Alexander was promoted to Colonel of the 2nd NC Regiment and pressed his brothers to serve. James and Samuel were commissioned First Lieutenants on 3 May 1776 in the 2nd NC Regiment. They were probably given credit for service as volunteers for the prior 6 months as an inducement because James was eventually given credit for 32 months total service. A year later he was promoted to Captain and transferred to the 5th NC Regiment.
James later resumed his commission as Lt Col. of the Guilford County militia, with responsibility for suppression of local Tories and support of the Southern Army when required.
The war finally ended, but left a major issue with all who had served, that of payment for their service. None of the states had been able to make full payment to the men and officers. Most were discharged with promissory warrants that the states were to redeem as soon as fiscal stability returned. This remained the situation until after the Constitution of the United States was accepted, and in Washington's first administration the federal government assumed each of the states' war debt. Because so much western land had been opened for settlement by this time, payment for continental service in the form of land was approved by congress. James Martin received 1,462 acres of land for 32 months of Continental service. Alexander Martin received 2,314 acres of land for 27 months of Continental service.
In 1832, the Congress passed a law providing a pension for members of the state militias that could validate their service. They were required to provide a sworn statement to the local clerk of court along with documents and witnesses to the validity of their claim. James, aged 92, rode to Germanton and provided his deposition of service in the NC militia. It was approved and he received a pension of $403.30 per year. As a Colonel, he was the highest ranking North Carolina survivor with militia service.
Sources: Personal research by the author.
From the Stokes County, N.C. Historical Society.
===
Note: A contemporary headstone was recently placed at the grave of James Martin and was formally dedicated in a ceremony which took place on 11 July 2010.
The dedication was organized by descendant and historian, Charles Moore Martin.
Location of the grave is the family graveyard in Stokes County not far from the Martin homeplace.
================================
"Notice is hereby given to Alexander Martin, Merchant in Salisbury, North Carolina, that his Father, Hugh Martin of Hunterdon County, New-Jersey, died the 9th of March last, and left him and his Brother James his Executors; wherefore said Alexander Martin, if not inconvenient to his Business, is desired to return home, to settle his late Father's Affairs; but if his coming should be attended with any Disadvantage to him, he is requested not to come, by his Mother. Jane Martin."
The Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1720, December 10, 1761.
Appearing on page 645 for the year 1761 in
Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Volume 4.
Contributor: Skip Riddle (49166535)
——————
James Martin, merchant, soldier, and legislator, was born in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, N.J., the second son of Hugh and Jane Hunter Martin.
His father conducted an English school for a time, and all the Martin children were well educated. His brothers Alexander and Thomas were graduated from Princeton, where James may also have studied. In 1761, when Hugh Martin died, Alexander was already located in North Carolina; he returned to New Jersey to help settle the estate and see that his mother and his family were adequately situated.
James married his cousin, Ruth Rodgers, in 1763 and probably lived with his mother to help with the care of the younger members of the family. Through his brothers, James became a friend of James Madison, who visited in the Martin home during the years he was a student at Princeton. In 1769 Mrs. Martin and her youngest children went to live with the Madison family at Montpelier, but James remained in New Jersey. In May 1774 he moved his immediate family to Guilford County, N.C., where by now his brother Alexander had located Mrs. Martin and all the other brothers and sisters. James settled on the Haw River near the center of the county (part of present-day Rockingham County).
On 22 Apr. 1774 Martin was appointed colonel-commandant of the Guilford militia, an assignment that may have encouraged his move to North Carolina. In late 1775 his brother Alexander, now colonel of the Second North Carolina Continental Regiment, ordered James to raise the militia and move against the Scottish Tories near Fayetteville. In February 1776 the Guilford troops arrived at Moore's Creek after the battle and were involved only in rounding up prisoners. Later in the same year James raised a militia force of four thousand men, which joined General Griffith Rutherford in maneuvers against the Cherokee towns. During the next four years Martin was called on several times to assemble militia forces to contend with scattered Tory forces.
In December 1780 the main focus of the war moved into the Guilford area. Martin had difficulty in raising a significant militia force and joined General Nathanael Greene in the maneuvering along the Dan River. His troops did not play a major part in the Battle of Guilford Court House. Although Greene had a low regard for the performance of the local militia, he does seem to have valued the service of James Martin.
During the war Martin began acquiring significant acreage in Surry County, much of it centered around Snow Creek, a tributary of the Dan River. He obtained an entry grant from Marshall Duncan for a tract on which Duncan was already burning lime for the early settlers. On 4 July 1778 Martin himself entered two claims to this tract, which he characterized as "his Lime Kiln Plantation." It was to this tract, eighteen miles from his Haw River home, that Martin moved his family in 1781. His lime kiln became a center of commerce and was much relied on by the Moravians.
In his new residence, Martin became involved in politics and in 1783, 1784, 1785, and 1786 was elected to the House of Commons from Surry County. In 1789, when Surry was divided and the eastern portion became Stokes, he was appointed one of the original justices of the peace for the new county. Subsequently, his residence became the center of one of the militia districts. In 1792 and 1793 he represented Stokes County in the house; in the latter year he lost his bid for a seat in the U.S. Congress to his neighbor and fellow Patriot, Joseph Winston. Apparently, Martin was a Federalist and remained so most of his life.
Near the Martin home in Hunterdon County, N.J., there had been an early ironworks, known as Union Forge, where Martin may have worked as a young man. By 1786 he had established on his Snow Creek lands an ironworks and a forge, which he named the Union Iron Works. With transplanted Virginians, Peter Hairston and Colonel Peter Perkins, Martin became heavily involved in the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the area. In 1788 North Carolina passed a bounty act that encouraged the building of forges. According to the terms of this act, Martin entered bounty claims on 3,000–5,000 acres in the county. The ironworks and lime kiln made him a wealthy man.
In 1792 he was appointed to the commission to locate a permanent capital for the state. As a member of that commission, he is reputed to have been the first to propose the name Raleigh for the site chosen.
His first wife had died and his children were mostly grown and married when Martin, on 12 Mar. 1800, married Martha Loftin Jones, the widow of Hamilton Jones, Sr. By this second marriage he had five children.
In 1808 he was defeated by Meshack Franklin for a seat in the U.S. Congress. He appears to have represented Stokes in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1811 and 1813, although by this time his son James had become active in politics and the references are confusing. His portrait, owned by a descendant, was painted in old age and shows a crusty old gentleman with white hair. At age ninety he rode on horseback to the courthouse at Germantown to apply for a veteran's pension and described vividly his service during the Revolutionary War. Two years later he died at his home on Snow Creek and was buried on the plantation.
by Charles D. Rodenbough, 1991
Contributor: S. M. (51378526)
===
Affidavit of James Martin, Sr., and James Davis, Sr. – 2 Oct. 1833 – Stokes Co., NC – Both state that William Southern is of good character and reputed in his neighborhood to be a Revolutionary War soldier.
James Martin, Sen., signed after his name "formerly Colonel of Guilford Militia".
===
Sometime after 1770 James made the decision to remove to NC. His brother Alexanders' increasingly successful legal career and land investments in NC made the decision easier, but it was not simple to sell the property and chattels in those days. A buyer with money or credit was not easy to find. And by 1770 the family had grown; the first boy, Hugh, born in 1770 and a fourth girl, Anna, in 1772. Nevertheless sale of all of the Hunterdon property was eventually accomplished and the family moved to Guilford County, NC in 1774 where Alexander and his partner, Thomas Henderson had begun development of the community of Martinville, located in what is now the northern part of the city of Greensboro. A fifth girl, Polly, was born the summer they arrived.
James rapidly became a leader in the Guilford County community, in part because of his brothers' sponsorship, but also due to his own energy and ability. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Guilford Militia in June 1775 simultaneously with Alexander being appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of NC Continental Troops.
Events in N.C. were not long delayed. The Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, persuaded the Highland Scots to form and attempt to capture the military stores at Hillsborough in early 1775. The 1st NC Regiment maneuvered to prevent this, defeated the Scots at the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, killing their leader, capturing some of the Scots leaders and dispersing the bands. The 2nd NC Regiment had been ordered to march to Cross Creek under the command of Alexander Martin to support the 1st NC Regiment. It arrived after the battle, but did escort prisoners to jail in Hillsborough. James accompanied the 2nd NC on this maneuver as a volunteer.
During the winter of 1775, responding to the threats of the Cherokee who were being incited by British agents, a combined NC and SC force under command of General Griffin Rutherford of Rowan County moved on the eastern Cherokee towns, destroying them and their food stores, making it impossible for the Indians to subsist near the frontier settlements. James was ordered out with the Guilford Militia and led the Guilford contingent that served in this campaign.
Simultaneously, events around Boston moved to a conclusion and the town was evacuated in March after the placement of the Ticonderoga Artillery on Dorchester Heights. The scene of war then moved to New York. It was obvious that a protracted struggle was ahead. In NC a measure to recruit and man ten regiments for continental service was passed. Alexander was promoted to Colonel of the 2nd NC Regiment and pressed his brothers to serve. James and Samuel were commissioned First Lieutenants on 3 May 1776 in the 2nd NC Regiment. They were probably given credit for service as volunteers for the prior 6 months as an inducement because James was eventually given credit for 32 months total service. A year later he was promoted to Captain and transferred to the 5th NC Regiment.
James later resumed his commission as Lt Col. of the Guilford County militia, with responsibility for suppression of local Tories and support of the Southern Army when required.
The war finally ended, but left a major issue with all who had served, that of payment for their service. None of the states had been able to make full payment to the men and officers. Most were discharged with promissory warrants that the states were to redeem as soon as fiscal stability returned. This remained the situation until after the Constitution of the United States was accepted, and in Washington's first administration the federal government assumed each of the states' war debt. Because so much western land had been opened for settlement by this time, payment for continental service in the form of land was approved by congress. James Martin received 1,462 acres of land for 32 months of Continental service. Alexander Martin received 2,314 acres of land for 27 months of Continental service.
In 1832, the Congress passed a law providing a pension for members of the state militias that could validate their service. They were required to provide a sworn statement to the local clerk of court along with documents and witnesses to the validity of their claim. James, aged 92, rode to Germanton and provided his deposition of service in the NC militia. It was approved and he received a pension of $403.30 per year. As a Colonel, he was the highest ranking North Carolina survivor with militia service.
Sources: Personal research by the author.
From the Stokes County, N.C. Historical Society.
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Note: A contemporary headstone was recently placed at the grave of James Martin and was formally dedicated in a ceremony which took place on 11 July 2010.
The dedication was organized by descendant and historian, Charles Moore Martin.
Location of the grave is the family graveyard in Stokes County not far from the Martin homeplace.
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"Notice is hereby given to Alexander Martin, Merchant in Salisbury, North Carolina, that his Father, Hugh Martin of Hunterdon County, New-Jersey, died the 9th of March last, and left him and his Brother James his Executors; wherefore said Alexander Martin, if not inconvenient to his Business, is desired to return home, to settle his late Father's Affairs; but if his coming should be attended with any Disadvantage to him, he is requested not to come, by his Mother. Jane Martin."
The Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1720, December 10, 1761.
Appearing on page 645 for the year 1761 in
Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Volume 4.
Contributor: Skip Riddle (49166535)
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James Martin, merchant, soldier, and legislator, was born in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, N.J., the second son of Hugh and Jane Hunter Martin.
His father conducted an English school for a time, and all the Martin children were well educated. His brothers Alexander and Thomas were graduated from Princeton, where James may also have studied. In 1761, when Hugh Martin died, Alexander was already located in North Carolina; he returned to New Jersey to help settle the estate and see that his mother and his family were adequately situated.
James married his cousin, Ruth Rodgers, in 1763 and probably lived with his mother to help with the care of the younger members of the family. Through his brothers, James became a friend of James Madison, who visited in the Martin home during the years he was a student at Princeton. In 1769 Mrs. Martin and her youngest children went to live with the Madison family at Montpelier, but James remained in New Jersey. In May 1774 he moved his immediate family to Guilford County, N.C., where by now his brother Alexander had located Mrs. Martin and all the other brothers and sisters. James settled on the Haw River near the center of the county (part of present-day Rockingham County).
On 22 Apr. 1774 Martin was appointed colonel-commandant of the Guilford militia, an assignment that may have encouraged his move to North Carolina. In late 1775 his brother Alexander, now colonel of the Second North Carolina Continental Regiment, ordered James to raise the militia and move against the Scottish Tories near Fayetteville. In February 1776 the Guilford troops arrived at Moore's Creek after the battle and were involved only in rounding up prisoners. Later in the same year James raised a militia force of four thousand men, which joined General Griffith Rutherford in maneuvers against the Cherokee towns. During the next four years Martin was called on several times to assemble militia forces to contend with scattered Tory forces.
In December 1780 the main focus of the war moved into the Guilford area. Martin had difficulty in raising a significant militia force and joined General Nathanael Greene in the maneuvering along the Dan River. His troops did not play a major part in the Battle of Guilford Court House. Although Greene had a low regard for the performance of the local militia, he does seem to have valued the service of James Martin.
During the war Martin began acquiring significant acreage in Surry County, much of it centered around Snow Creek, a tributary of the Dan River. He obtained an entry grant from Marshall Duncan for a tract on which Duncan was already burning lime for the early settlers. On 4 July 1778 Martin himself entered two claims to this tract, which he characterized as "his Lime Kiln Plantation." It was to this tract, eighteen miles from his Haw River home, that Martin moved his family in 1781. His lime kiln became a center of commerce and was much relied on by the Moravians.
In his new residence, Martin became involved in politics and in 1783, 1784, 1785, and 1786 was elected to the House of Commons from Surry County. In 1789, when Surry was divided and the eastern portion became Stokes, he was appointed one of the original justices of the peace for the new county. Subsequently, his residence became the center of one of the militia districts. In 1792 and 1793 he represented Stokes County in the house; in the latter year he lost his bid for a seat in the U.S. Congress to his neighbor and fellow Patriot, Joseph Winston. Apparently, Martin was a Federalist and remained so most of his life.
Near the Martin home in Hunterdon County, N.J., there had been an early ironworks, known as Union Forge, where Martin may have worked as a young man. By 1786 he had established on his Snow Creek lands an ironworks and a forge, which he named the Union Iron Works. With transplanted Virginians, Peter Hairston and Colonel Peter Perkins, Martin became heavily involved in the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the area. In 1788 North Carolina passed a bounty act that encouraged the building of forges. According to the terms of this act, Martin entered bounty claims on 3,000–5,000 acres in the county. The ironworks and lime kiln made him a wealthy man.
In 1792 he was appointed to the commission to locate a permanent capital for the state. As a member of that commission, he is reputed to have been the first to propose the name Raleigh for the site chosen.
His first wife had died and his children were mostly grown and married when Martin, on 12 Mar. 1800, married Martha Loftin Jones, the widow of Hamilton Jones, Sr. By this second marriage he had five children.
In 1808 he was defeated by Meshack Franklin for a seat in the U.S. Congress. He appears to have represented Stokes in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1811 and 1813, although by this time his son James had become active in politics and the references are confusing. His portrait, owned by a descendant, was painted in old age and shows a crusty old gentleman with white hair. At age ninety he rode on horseback to the courthouse at Germantown to apply for a veteran's pension and described vividly his service during the Revolutionary War. Two years later he died at his home on Snow Creek and was buried on the plantation.
by Charles D. Rodenbough, 1991
Contributor: S. M. (51378526)
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