MARTIN, James 1810-1895

MARTIN, LESTER, WETLAUFER

Posted By: Joe Conroy (email)
Date: 12/16/2010 at 14:40:33

Waterloo Daily Courier
Waterloo, Iowa
23 Jul 1895
Page 7

Obituary of James Martin.

The funeral services of the late James Martin were held from the home of his daughter, Mrs. C. W. Wetlaufer, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Rev. G. E. Scott officiating, and the interment was made at Cedar Falls.

James Martin was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1811. At the age of 7 years his father died and he went to live with a family who resided in Montgomery Co., Penn., where he remained until he was 18 years of age, when he started to work for himself as a mason. In 1833 he was married to Mary Magdalene Lester. That year they emigrated in company with others to the state of Wisconsin in wagons; at Cleveland, Ohio, taking the lake for Detroit, Michigan, making the journey in four weeks. They settled 8 miles north of where the city of Milwaukee now is, in a dense forest where the inhabitants were Indians. There they endured the hardships of pioneer life, settling on 300 acres of government land which he cleared and made a beautiful farm. He resided there 26 years. A desire to help his children led him to move to Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 1865. He bought 500 acres of land 6 miles southwest of that city and lived there until 1881, when he moved to waterloo and lived with his children.

Deceased was the father of 9 children, 7 of whom survive him. Two daughters live in California, one in Dakota and two sons and two daughters in Iowa. He leaves behind him 38 grand-children and 15 great-grand-children and a wife 80 years old who is in feeble health. Mr. Martin was highly esteemed by all who knew him and was never known to have an enemy.

Deceased was a consistent christian and member of the Evangelical association for 45 years and if he had lived until the 8th of Sept. he and his faithful wife would have celebrated the 62d anniversary of their marriage.