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George Armstrong Martin, Jr. is the son of George Armstrong Martin, Sr. and Betsey Heath Martin Beecher. George, Jr. is the youngest of eight children. George married Barbara Alice Wright in 1891, they had six children: Marvin F. Martin, Susie E. Martin, Hazel M. Martin, Nellie Isabel Martin, Georgia A. Martin and Willis Jay Martin.
Biography of:
GEORGE ARMSTRONG MARTIN JR.
By Betty Gillespie Pollack,
Copyright, August 2005; revised May 2012
Permission to reproduce with credit granted.
GEORGE ARMSTRONG MARTIN JR., the youngest of eight children born to Betsey Heath and George Armstrong Sr., was born on June 12, 1862 near Mineral Point,...
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George Armstrong Martin, Jr. is the son of George Armstrong Martin, Sr. and Betsey Heath Martin Beecher. George, Jr. is the youngest of eight children. George married Barbara Alice Wright in 1891, they had six children: Marvin F. Martin, Susie E. Martin, Hazel M. Martin, Nellie Isabel Martin, Georgia A. Martin and Willis Jay Martin.
Biography of:
GEORGE ARMSTRONG MARTIN JR.
By Betty Gillespie Pollack,
Copyright, August 2005; revised May 2012
Permission to reproduce with credit granted.
GEORGE ARMSTRONG MARTIN JR., the youngest of eight children born to Betsey Heath and George Armstrong Sr., was born on June 12, 1862 near Mineral Point, Iowa County, WI according to his daughter-in-law, Roberta Williams Martin, in an unpublished biography written in 1984. He was born on 12 Jun 1863 according to his sister, May Martin Gray, his death record, in 1863 on early census records and as late as 1865 (after the death of his father so incorrect) on later census records. Roberta’s late husband, Wallis Martin, was George’s youngest son. Much of the personal family information in this biography comes from Roberta who was was 95 years old when I met her in May 2005, and her daughter Barbara Martin Forehand. Roberta had a keen mind and gave me the info I needed to find George’s gold mine of the 1920s. Roberta and Barbara graciously provided me with their unpublished written family history as well as photocopies of Martin family history contained in a rare book entitled “A History Of Shasta County California" Hazel McKim, Editor - (Bessie Sanders, Coordinator - Taylor Publishing Co., Aug. 1994. Compiled by about one dozen volunteers. Printed by Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, Texas, Copyright , Shasta Co. Book Commission, Shasta, Calif.1985). Additional information comes from my June 2005 meeting with Evelyn Heath Grant, age 86, a descendant of George’s first cousin John Wesley Heath with whom George came to California as a young man. The signed statements of George’s sister, May Martin Gray, place George’s birth at June 21, 1863 and the California death index places his birth as June 12, 1863. This is only a few days before George’s father’s death. Thus George was most likely born 12 Jun 1862 about a year before his father died or on 12 Jun 1863 less than two weeks before his father died. His mother Betsey Heath Martin (my great great grandmother) remarried to Joseph Beecher in 1865. Thus George was raised by his mother and step father, who had four more children.
Like his father and grandfather twenty years earlier, George came to California in search of gold sometime before the 1880 census. He came along with three first cousins, according to Evelyn Heath Grant. The cousins, all grand children of Chandler Graham Heath were John Wesley Heath (Evelyn’s grandfather and son of Kimble Eastman Heath), John Kelly (son of Mary Brackett Heath and Joshua Kelly) and Will Leavitt (a son of Harriet Heath and Benjamin Leavitt (Evelyn thought his name was either Horace or Will). The cousins first settled in Balls Ferry, Shasta County, which is about 16 miles south of Redding. They later moved to Trinity County because their Aunt Almira Heath Van Matre (daughter of Chandler) was there. Evelyn’s story is consistent with Barbara’s. It would appear from family stories that the Heaths and Martins and their descendants were a fairly close knit extended family in Trinity and Shasta counties. For example, Evelyn also told me that her father Charles Jesse Heath's favorite cousin was Georgia (Georgi) Martin, daughter of George Armstrong Martin Jr. Evelyn also knew Georgi and other Martins.
A George Martin is listed in the Shasta County CA 1850 census as age 18, servant, farm laborer born Wisconsin. This is NOT George Jr. who was not born then, nor likely his father who was b. 1817.
Daughter-in-law Roberta Martin's biography of George states: "Young George came to California at an early age, finding ranch work, some of which was at the Wilcox Ranch at Balls Ferry near Anderson." [in Shasta County]
George A. Martin is positively placed in Shasta County in the 1880 census. This census lists George Martin, age 18 on June 7, 1880 (b. 1863) servant, farm laborer born Wisconsin, both parents born Wisconsin living in Shasta Co, twp 7. [Ed 93, Sup Dist 3, p 9]. This must be “our George”. The age matches. George Jr. was born June 21, 1862. Also Roberta Martin's biography of George states: "Young George came to California at an early age, finding ranch work, some of which was at the Wilcox Ranch at Balls Ferry near Anderson." which is in Shasta County, CA. He registered to vote in Balls Ferry, Shasta, CA. in 1866.
Numerous mining claims were registered to George A. Martin or George Armstrong Martin in Shasta County between 1883 and 1891. Several were in the “old Diggins Mining District. Some were joint claims with other parties.
They include:
1883: There are five "Notice of Location" of Mining Claims and one "Notice of Location of Water Right" for Geo. A. Martin in Shasta County Recorders Office. Book 2 Miscellaneous Records. They are for quartz mining claims and are found on pp. 375 (Located Apr 28), 375-376 (located Apr 25); 411-412 (located June 13); 412 (located June 13) ; 480 (2 claims located Dec 5 and Nov 10). All were in the "Old Diggins Mining District" . Eric Ritter, of the BLM office in Redding. told me the approximate location is north of Redding and southwest of Shasta Lake City, north of Buckeye and east of Matheson (RW 5W Twps 32-33 roughly) [Note that the "Order and Decree of Settlement of Account and Final Distribution" of George's estate (Book 182, p 475 Shasta County) names him as George Armstrong Martin, also know as George A. Martin, also known as George Martin."
Mar 10, 1887-Oct. 26, 1891: There are 8 Mining Claims registered to Geo. A. Martin in the Shasta County Index to Misc. Records. Quartz Book 4, p 47; Quartz Book 4 p 48; Quartz, Book 4 p 598; Placer Book 5 p 484; Quartz Book 6 p 168; Agreement to extend time Bk 6 p 300; Quartz Book 6 p 357, and Mining Claim, Lava Mine Bk 6 p 423. Additionally there are 2 quartz claims for "Martin et al" on Aug 5 and Sept 26 1885 in Bk 3 pp 136 & 219. [ I searched the indexes of ALL misc. records from 1851 (the earliest) up through 1901 during my visit there. There are no Martins at all from 1851-1854. The earliest Martin is George W. Martin- Water Right in Book R 339 and other Martins from 1855. There are NO Martins from 1867-1881 or 1896-1901.]
Mar 11, 1890: Shasta County BLM LAND RECORDS: Title Transfer Issue Date: 167.29 acres. Doc #1888, Serial # CACAAA 037848. S1/2SE Sec 31 T32-N, R 3E No Fract Sec., and 2 Aliqout parts Sec 5, T 31_n, R 3E with remard Lot 2 of NWNE, plus 4 aliquot parts Sec 31 T 32-N, R 3-E no fract section all Mt Diablo Meridian Shasta Co.
George received a BLM land grant of just over 167 acres in Shasta County on March 11, 1890 and on Dec. 4 1891.
He married Barbara Alice Wright at Balls Ferry. He was 29 and she was 25. They lived in Manton near Balls Ferry
where their first two children were born--Marvin F. who died of diabetes at about age 12 or 14 and Susie E. From there the family moved to Redding, Shasta County and then to Minersville, Trinity County where they had four more children, the youngest of whom was Wallis, who was born in Minersville in 1903. Wallis was the husband of my primary source, Roberta Williams Martin. The others were Hazel M, Nellie J. and Georgia A. Evelyn Heath Grant told me in Nov 2004 and June 2005 that she knew of George Martin Jr. and that she knew his daughter Georgia “Georgee” who married John (?) LaFever. George had at least 3 other daughters-(1) Nellie; (2) Hazel who married Ira Wilson and had 3 children. Hazel died from a douche with kerosene which killed her and her 4th child. Barbara Forehand told me in 2005 that she always heard that Hazel died from attempting an abortion with a shoebutton hook.] (3) Susie who married Collie or Colly Mead. Evelyn said Georgee was her own father’s favorite cousin. Barbara Martin Forehand, a first cousin, and her mother, Roberta Williams Martin, wife of Wallis Martin, George Jr’s youngest son, said that Aunt Georgee was mean like her father, and they were afraid of her.
The George Martin family is listed in the 1900 census for Lewiston, Trinity CA. The Martins ranched for many years in Minersville. They lived in a "modest home which was located first below the Trinity Dam" This property is now all or partly Ackerman Nat'l Forest campground.
On Dec 18, 1893 a George A. Martin was issued three parcels totaling 148.17 acres of BLM land in Monterey Co, CA. Document #4927. Accession/Serial #: CACAAA 097518. Sec 1 T 20-5 R8E. I did not copy the details. I believe he may have been a different man, since this land does not jive with the known history of our George A Martin Jr. Nothing in his family history says George Jr. ever lived or owned property in Monterey.
In the 1900 Census George A Martin and family were living in Lewiston Twp, Trinity Co, CA. By the 1910 census they were living in Trinity Center township where George farmed on a stork farm. This census names an eight-year-old daughter Georgia A, who is misnamed in May Martin Gray’s and therefore the Gillespie family records as son George Armstrong Martin III.
In 1919 “our” George obtained several parcels of BLM land totaling about 160 acres in Trinity County. The Trinity River passed through these lands. According to Roberta Martin, George and his family ranched for many years and lived in a "modest home which was located first below the Trinity Dam" This property is now part of the Ackerman Nat'l Forest campground. George and his family are listed in the 1920 census as living in Weaverville, Trinity CA. He was a farmer of a "general farm" and he owned his home with no mortgage. Roberta Martin writes in her biography that about 1920 George sold his farm to the Lewiston Dredging Company, started to build a larger house across the road, never finished it, and "decided to buy the Slattery gold mine and house, about six miles above French Gulch, across the creek from our [her parents] old ranch on Five Mile Creek, about 1924.
According to a published family history in the book “A History of Shasta County California” edited by Hazel McKim, George struck it rich with the sale of his Trinity County homestead because gold was found there. Land records confirm that George then bought a two-thirds interest in the Slattery and Welch gold mine near French Gulch in Shasta County on June 18, 1923 for $1,200. George found gold, soon sold this mine and moved several miles away to a ranch he purchased near Round Mountain, Shasta, CA. George Armstrong Martin of Round Mountain, CA is named as surviving his brother Charles Hiram Martin in the latter’s February 1935 obituary.
I visited the general site of George’s now lost mine in June 2005 because I have a photo dated Summer 1927 of my great grandparents, Charles and Minerva Martin with Charles’s brother George taken in front of the entrance to that gold mine. My father erroneously recorded that this was the site where George Armstrong Martin Sr. struck it rich in 1849. I made copies of all the relevant documents with the help of Eric Ritter, a very helpful BLM archeologist who had researched the land where George’s mine was located.
As I result of this visit and subsequent research I found:
Sept 8, 1919: Land Patent Records: (1) BLM General Land Office Records for Trinity County CA. Accession/Serial # 715926. BLM Serial # CAS 0011906. George Armstrong Martin owned 8 parcels of land totalling 45 acres in Sections 21 and 22, Twp 34N, Range 8W, issued 10/30/1919 by authority of May 20, 1862 Homestead Entry Original. (2) BLM GLO records for Trinity Co, CA. Accession/Serial #705577, BLM Serial # CAS 0005471 issued 9/8/1919. He also owned 14 other parcels in the same two sections totalling 115 acres. Thus George owned a total of 160 acres in 2 sections. The Trinity River passes through these sections. In 2005 this land is just south of the Trinity Dam at Claire Engle [Trinity] Lake and north of Lewiston Lake in the Trinity National Forest. Ackerman Campground is now on some of this property.
1920 Census: Age 55 on 8-12 Jan, 1920. Living in Weaverville Twp, Trinity Co CA. with wife Alice B age 53, son Wallis J age 16 plus a niece and nephew Alice E and Harvey C Drumm ages 9 and 7. This census reports him born in Wisconsin and both his mother and father born in Maine. He is listed as a farmer of a "general farm". He owns his home with no mortgage. The Roberta Williams Martin biography says that about 1920 he sold to the Lewiston Dredging Company, started to build a larger house across the road, never finished it, and "decided to buy the Slattery gold mine and house, about six miles above French Gulch, across the creek from our old ranch (Williams) on Five Mile Creek, about 1924. Later they sold to a 'Doodle Bug' Mining and Dredging Company and rented a house in French Gulch where they lived for a year or two before buying and moving to a ranch in Round Mountain." They moved to Redding around 1930. The Round Mountain ranch was purchased in about 1942 by Clifford and Mary Harr, a grand daughter, who lived there until it burned in Oct 1953.
May 14, 1923: George A Martin, Barbara A. Martin et al purchased land from Ralph De Hoff et al, Book 152 of Deeds, p 160 Shasta County.
June 18, 1923: For $1,200 George and Barbara purchased about 1 acre of land from William Slattery, located "along the east bank of W. T. Williamson's irrigation ditch..." and "an undivided two-thirds interest in what is known as the Slattery and Welch Placer Mining Claim, situate in Drunken Gulch, in the French Gulch Mining District, Shasta County California. Said mining claim was located August 8, 1896...." Book 152 of Deeds, p. 238. [Copy in my files]
A biography entitled "Continuation of the Martin-Heath-Horr (Harr) Family II" written by Randall Lee Harr, a great great grandson and published in a Shasta County history book I reviewed at Barbara Forehand's home, mentions George Armstrong Martin Jr. "striking it rich with the sale of his homestead to a mining company" moved to French Gulch, purchased the old Slattery and Welch Mine in Drunken Gulch in about 1922. He found gold there and sold the mine to the Doodle Bug Mining & Dredging in 1923 and then moved to a ranch in the Round Mountain area. The article goes on to say that "Grandfather purchased the largest 240 acres and the best ranch at Round Mountain and another 160 acre ranch above the Old Terry Mill, located on Terry Mill Road, (of the latter 1800s)."
With the above information on the Slattery mine, I went to visit Eric Ritter, archeologist for the Redding BLM office, (530-224-2131, at 355 Hemsted Dr., Redding) who provided me with a great deal of written information, including a report he wrote which includes that mine. The report notes that "overall the mining history suggests that Drunken Gulch was somewhat on the periphery of the major gold mining localities a mile or so south...." From the information on the deed Mr. Ritter located the Slattery and Welch mine on a map for me, (copy in my files) and gave me the phone number of Bunky and Stan Leach who currently (2005) live on or near the mine site. My husband and and I visited the Leach's in June 2005. They identified the Williamson ditch, called their neighbor, Wes Williams (no relationship to Roberta's family), who approved our walking along that ditch on their property. The ditch is located behind their corral. Neither the Leach's nor the Williams’s were aware of any mine ever being on that ditch. Stan did say there was a pile of rocks along it which conceivably could be from an old mine. We walked a short ways along the ditch, did not find the pile of rocks, but did find a curious open spot in the foothills covered with bushes. Dave took a picture of me in front of this spot. Since the terrain was overgrown further along the ditch, we left it at that, saying "well this might have been the spot where the picture of Charles and Minerva Martin and George Martin Armstrong Jr was taken in summer 1927--who knows".
1927: Thus we come full circle to that picture in GIllespie/Martin family album of Charles and Minerva Martin with George A. Martin Jr. at the entrance to a gold mine with a notation on the back that reads: "Summer 1927 Minerva Martin, Chas Martin and George Armstrong Martin Jr. at the gold mine at Round Mountain Calif. George A. Martin made his gold strike here in 1849, and was reported to have returned to Wisconsin with more gold than all the rest of the people in Wisconsin.” It is now clear that George Sr., did NOT make his gold strike here; however his son George Jr., did own the mine in the photo. George Sr. apparently did find enough gold somewhere in California to purchase property for $902 when he returned to Wisconsin.
1930: George Armstrong Martin Jr. and his family moved to town to Redding, Shasta, CA around 1930, where George lived until his death “on or about October 5, 1940” according to court records. He is buried in Parkville Cemetery. He must have been quite close to his sister, May Martin Gray of Los Angeles, because George’s estate settlement records lists among his personal property “an interest in the will of May Martin Gray, deceased….
Oct. 5, 1940: According to court records, George died intestate "on or about Oct 5, 1940". Georgia La Fever, his daughter, was executrix of the estate which was settled Nov 7, 1941. There was $4,965 in his estate on the date of settlement, described as follows: "Personal Property. An interest under the will of May Martin Gray, deceased, probate No 193622 in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Los Angeles. House furniture and books; 35 chickens; 5 horses; lumber Hay- about 8 tons; farming equipment, tractor, harrow, grain drill and corn planter, and other implements and tools; cash in hands of Executrix $4,965." There were also two pieces of property in Shasta County.
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The following is the genealogy for George Armstrong Martin Jr. as researched by me prior to publication of Dana Edgecomb’s and my manuscript “The Life and Descendants of Benjamin Heath of Conway NH” in the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Vol. 26, No 4, Oct 2009: Our research was conducted before many records became available online and has been updated in the above biography.
George Armstrong Martin, Jr.,, b. 21 Jun 1862 or b. 21 Jun 1863, in Waldwick, Iowa, WI, occ. 1880 farm laborer, occ. 1910 farmer, occ. 1920 farmer, d. 11 Oct 1941 in Redding, Shasta, CA, buried near Anderson, Shasta, CA (in the Parkville Pioneer Cemetery ). He m. Barbara Alice Wright on 4 Dec 1891 in Balls Ferry, Shasta, CA, b. 21 Dec 1866 in Iowa County, WI, d. 17 Feb 1936 in Parkville,, buried near Anderson, Shasta, CA (in the Parkville Pioneer Cemetery).
FN for above:
1860 Waldwick Census, p. 993, line 29. Esther was age 4 and born in Wisconsin, which suggests she was born in 1856.
1870 Waldwick Census, p. 300A, lines 16-27, enumerated 6-7 Jul 1870. She was age 14. The census was taken 1-2 days after Esther’s birthday as stated by her sister. This suggests her birth year was 1856.
Elta Gillespie’s Records.
Gray’s statements. Ms. Gray cites her sister’s date of birth as 19 Jun 1859.
1860 Waldwick Census, p. 993, line 30. She was age 2 and born in Wisconsin, which suggests Ella was born in 1858.
1870 Waldwick Census, p. 300A, which shows she was age 12, suggesting she was born in 1858.
Elta Gillespie’s Records.
Gray’s statements. Ms. Gray cites her sister’s date of birth as 8 Jun 1861.
1860 Waldwick Census, p. 993, line 31. Mary (Marian) was age one month. This suggests she was born in 1860.
1870 Waldwick Census, p. 300A. She was age 11, which suggests she was born in 1859.
Gray’s statements. Ms. Gray was George Jr.’s sister.
1900 Lewiston, Trinity County, CA Census, Series T623, Roll 115, SD 3, ED 190, p. 7A, Line 30, dwelling 117, family 121. VERY illegible copy but Ancestry Plus website says George.
Roberta Williams Martin, The George Armstrong Martin, Jr., Family (Unpublished, 1984) (hereafter George Martin Family). Ms. Martin was the daughter-in-law of George Armstrong Martin, Jr. She was age 95 when author Betty Gillespie Pollack met her in May 2005. An avid family genealogist, she was the wife of Wallis Martin, youngest son of George Jr. Ms. Martin passed away 1 Sep 2005. She cited George Jr.’s date of birth as 21 Jun 1862 and further stated that "Grandpa George was one year old" when his father (George Sr.) died on 23 Jun 1863.
Gray’s statements. Ms. Gray cites her brother’s date of birth as 21 Jun 1863.
1880 Census, Township 7, Shasta, California, Series T9, Roll 82, ED 93, p. 90A, enumerated 7 Jun 1880, line 10.
1910 Census, Trinity Center Township, Trinity National Forest, Trinity, California, Series T624, Roll 110, SD 1, ED 140, p. 7A, enumerated 3 May 1910, line 1, dwelling 92, family 92.
1920 Census, Weaverville, Trinity, California, SD 2, ED 157, p. 1B, line 61, dwelling 12, family 12.
George Martin Family.
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