Martin, John

MARTIN, FLOYD, VANATTA, VANESS

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/13/2009 at 12:51:42

John Martin

The farming lands of Jasper County comprise its most valuable property, and the men who have redeemed them from their primitive condition occupy no less important position among a vast and intelligent population. The subject of this notice properly belongs to this class, as he annually pays a handsome sum to the County Treasury as taxes on the property, which he has accumulated, largely by the labor of his own hands. His farm is pleasantly situated in Palo Alto Township, adjacent to the village of Reasnor, and comprises two hundred acres of land, under good cultivation.

When Mr. Martin came to Jasper County, in 1866, his present finely improved farm was wild, uncultivated land, without buildings, and the country roundabout was sparsely settled. It is a fact of which he may well be proud that he has witnessed greater part of development of the county and has aided its growth as only a skillful, practical farmer can do. He turned the first furrow on the farm and has made of it what it is today, one of the most valuable estates of Palo Alto Township. At the present time he is the owner of two hundred and ten acres, upon which he has erected suitable, well-appointed buildings and has every convenience for conducting agriculture to the best advantage.

A native of what is now known as Clinton County, PA, our subject was born on 15th of November 1820, and is the son of John and Rachel (Floyd) Martin, natives respectively of Germany and New Jersey. At the age of fourteen he was orphaned by the death of his father; his mother lived to an advanced age, and died at his home during the year 1869. He was reared upon a farm until he was nineteen years old, when he commenced to learn the trade of a stone mason, and this occupation he has followed, more or less, throughout his entire life in connection with faming, devoting the most of his time, however, to his trade.

In his youth, Mr. Martin had few educational advantages. He was a student in the early log schoolhouses, where instruction was conducted upon the subscription plan, and where the building and instruction were equally crude. The seats were made of slabs, supported by wooden logs, and boards resting upon pegs inserted in the walls were utilized for writing desks. The knowledge he now has was obtained principally by self-culture and diligent application, and he is now a well informed in man, principally through his unaided, efforts.

In Pennsylvania, November 12, 1848, the subject of this sketch was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Vanatta, who was born in Clinton County, PA, being a daughter of Christopher and Mary Vanatta. Of this union there were born five children, three of whom are now living, namely; Caroline, wife of William Vaness; James H. and John H. The deceased sons are Wallace K. and Robert. With his family, in 1866, our subject migrated to Iowa and settled upon the farm where he now lives. He was deeply bereaved when, on the 10th of May 1879, his beloved wife, who had for years been his devoted counselor, passed from earth. She was a devoted member of the Christian Church, and was loved by all who knew her.

As one of the early settlers of Jasper County, Mr. Martin has been closely connected with its development. He has server in a number of local offices, including those of School Director and Road Supervisor. In politics he is a Republican, but has never been an aspirant for official honors, preferring to devote his attention exclusively to his private affairs. In religious connections, he is identified with the Christian Church, of which he has been a consistent member for years. Now in his advancing years, he is enjoying the fruits of a life well spent and is surrounded by the comforts he accumulated in former days. He is a good and upright and his life record shows that he is a man of sound discretion and unflinching integrity, always cordial and kindly in his relations with others, and fair in his dealings with them. Portrait and Biographical Record, Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, IA Page 212.