Elizabeth (Marshall) Martin (abt. 1727 - abt. 1797)

Born about 17 Mar 1727 in Virginia

Descendants

Died about 2 May 1797 at about age 70 in Martintown, Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Joe Baker [send private message]

Biography

Elizabeth Marshall, who was married to Abram Martin has often erroneously been confused with Elizabeth Marshall, the daughter of John "Of the Forest" Marshall and Elizabeth Markham Marshall of Westmoreland County, VA.

Elizabeth Marshall was married to Abraham Martin on 2 October 1744 in Virginia.^[1] Ancestry Record worldmarr_ga #780205

The first of nine children was born to Abraham and Betsy about 11 months after their marriage, and eight more were added in a total span of 18 years. They all lived to adulthood and apparently left no time in between for the loss of any other children. This hearty mother lived to be 70, surviving her husband by almost 26 years.

In Lunenburg County, (including the Cub Creek area), 1764, Abraham recorded 11 tithables, himself, his wife and nine children, and 4,058 acres. Of the children, William, the eldest, was the only male over 16. Abraham was slain by Indians in 1771 while on an expedition in Georgia. His wife was left with children ranging in age from 26 to eight.

Letitia, or Letty Martin was the second-born and the only daughter. Of her eight brothers, six are known to have fought in the Revolution in Georgia and South Carolina. They were William, James, John, George, Marshall and Matthew. Matt, at age 16, entered a militia unit near Augusta, commanded by his brother Barclay, offering himself in substitution for their older brother George.

By 1772, a year after Abraham's death, several of the family had moved to the Ninety-Six District of Edgefield County SC. Plat Book "A" shows some of their land holdings:

• Betty Martin (widow of Abraham), 438 acres in 1772 on Loyd's Creek which had been surveyed for her husband.
• Grace Martin (widow of William), 212 acres in 1784, at Steven's Creek near Hitty's Ford.
• Barkley Martin, 200 acres in 1784, on Horn's Creek.
• Edmund Martin, 340 acres in 1784 on Horn's Creek.
• Marshall Martin, 160 acres in 1785, on Beaverdam Creek.
• Matt Martin, 565 acres in 1785, on Gunnell's Creek.
• John Martin, in 1784, 360 acres on Beaverdam Creek, and 50 acres on Horn's Creek.

The 1790 Census of Ninety-Six District, SC includes Betty Martin, Barkley, Edmund, George, Obedience (widow of James), John, Marshal, and Matt. By Betty's death in 1797, four of her children had died: William, Letitia, James and Edmund [sic by SM: James was alive in 1800 when he and his brothers participated in a memorial of the death of President George Washington - see Colonel James Martin of Edgefield County, South Carolina: Disproving an Indiana Connection (2020) below. Refer to citations in that book to Our Nation Builders that give a first-hand accounting of who who was still alive for that event].

Letter to her brother transcribed by Jouett Taylor Prisley, 1997^[2]

Plantation, June 15, 1755
Dear Brother,
We are in much confusion and distress because of the burning of our outhouse last night. They have taken away every horse and fowl, and soon after they left, the barn was found to be burning. They did not come to the house and I do not think that they were Indians. Genl Braddock and Staff camped here last night. He informed Father Martin that Abram had taken his command to join Col. Washington on their way to Duquesne. I would it were so, that you and Mary could come here for a time. Two of the children have measles and Father Martin has the Dysentery and I am in bed with a baby three days old and too weak to get up. I fear the return of the enemy. Do come, if possible. We have no horses to send for you. David will take this to you. I have brought all the blacks into the house.

(signed) Elizabeth Marshall Martin

Note by JTP: The three day old baby was Barclay Martin who was born 13 June 1756. Maybe the date of the letter was copied incorrectly or the date in the Bible is incorrect. If Father Martin referred to in the letter is Abram Martin's father, John Martin, then he was at their plantation in Caroline County VA in 1755 and would have been about 72 years of age.

Will

Transcribed by Jouett Taylor Prisley, 1997 ^[3]

Last Will and Testament of Betty Martin

State of South Carolina, Edgefield County

In the name of God Amen… I Betty Martin of the state and county aforesaid being aged and weak in body but in perfect memory, and calling to mind that it is ordained once for all mankind to die do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following, viz...

I give unto my grandson and granddaughter Benjamin and Miley Tutt Martin one feather bed which Deceased father Edmund Martin had in his possession at his death.

It is also my desire that my Executors hereafter named do make a Title in fee simple to my son George Martin to the land granted to me and in my name to all the land lying to the north of a dividing line between my son Jas. and George in life of my son James agreeable to a division made by all my sons and in their life times.

I lend to my son Marshall one feather bed which he hath now in possession and at his death I give it his heirs lawfully begotten.

I give unto my granddaughter Maryan H. Edwards one negro Man named Jacob to her and her Heirs forever.

I desire one negro man, Dick, my stock of cattle, hogs, horses, household furniture and every other specie of property that has not been heretofore mentioned that belongs to me to be divided in the following manner, viz… First I wish all my just debts paid and the remainder to be divided into five equal parts one of which I lend unto my son Marshall during his life and at his death to be divided between his children as above mentioned and the remainder to be equally divided between my Sons hereafter named, viz, John Martin, George Martin, Barkly Martin and Matt Martin, to them and their heirs forever.

And lastly I appoint my Sons John and Barkley Martin Executors of this my last Will and Testament revoking all others made heretofore.

In witness I have hereunto set my signature and affixed my seal this twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord 1797."

Signed by Daniel Tillman, Abailon Collier and George Murrah, with the mark and seal of Betty Martin.

Enslaved Africans

• Jacob - to granddaughter Maryan H. Edwards
• Dick - to be divided as part of estate to five sons Marshall, John, George, Barkly, and Matt.

Research Notes

From Joe Baker 7/28/2023: In many online family genealogies and even in published genealogies e.g., (Key and Allied Families, p.346; Colonial Families of the United States p.271; et al), and through innumerable DAR/SAR applications, Elizabeth Marshall Martin is most frequently reported as the daughter of John (the Forest) Marshall and his wife, Elizabeth (Markham) Marshall. While the story sounds good, there exists no direct evidence, other than hearsay, that this parental relationship is correct. It is a fact that John Marshall's daughter was married to John Smith of Westmoreland County, VA, that she had several children by him, and that he was alive at least to 1752 (when Elizabeth's father died and his will was probated) and further until John's death in 1777.^[4]
I challenge all readers of this post to help us absolutely prove who Elizabeth Marshall Martin was, where she came from, and her parentage. It is a fact that she married Abraham Martin

From Anne Baker 10/22/2022
--I removed her as a child of John & Elizabeth Markham Marshall
--Elizabeth Marshall Martin is NOT mentioned in the will of John Marshall in 1752 or the will of his widow, Elizabeth (Markham) Marshall in 1779. The Legend in this family that this Elizabeth Marshall was the Aunt of Chief Justice John Marshall is in error.
--In the George Washington Papers - using the (Jun 15,1755) date of that letter - you will find the exact location of the farm - Genl Braddock and Staff were there on that date - it was far from Caroline Co., Virginia.
(Note from Joe Baker: In fact, on June 14-15, Gen'l Braddock and his troops encamped at a place known as "the Martin Plantation," located near present day Frostburg, MD.^[5] It is not known who the precise owners of the Plantation were, but if the letter attested by Anne C. Porcher to have been written by an Elizabeth Marshall Martin and referring to her husband Abram en route to join Washington, then this could perhaps be the Abram Martin who was indeed married to Elizabeth Marshall Martin. Bears some further examination.

The paragraphs below were contributed by: James Hughes

--I've been to Edgefield Co SC society library to read all they have on Marshall and Martin and I have read in the John Marshall Society book etc a lot on the Westmoreland Co Elizabeth Marshall.

--The one clear distinction between the two contemporary Elizabeth Marshalls is that the Westmoreland Co VA one is always called Lizzie and never Betty whereas the Caroline Co VA/ Edgefield Co SC one is always called Betty and never Lizzie.

--January 1993 Delna Powell sent a quote said to be Page 48 from "The Martin Family 1680-1934" by Anne C. Porcher, which has also been introduced into this biography, above. It's a {see LDS FHC film 1321288 item 2 page 48} letter said to be from Elizabeth Marshall Martin, widow of John Smith Jr of Fauquier who (reportedly) married as her 2nd husband Abram, son of Letitia and John Martin. Letter said to be to her brother Thomas Marshall, father of the Chief Justice:

--Dear Brother (dateline PLANTATION 15 Jun 1755) .... Gen'l Braddock camped here last night. He informed father Martin that Abram had taken his command to join Col. Washington on their way to Duquesne [i.e. modern town of Pittsburgh PA]. ...two of children have Measles...and I'm in bed with a baby three days old. David will take this letter to you I have brought all the blacks into the house.....
......Your affectionate sister Elizabeth Marshall Martin;

--WHICH ELIZABETH DID ABRAM MARTIN MARRY on 2 Oct 1744 in VA?: Marshall Family book listed above quotes the will of John Marshall, the father of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Marshall who was born 1 Mar 1726 in Westmoreland Co VA and who married John Smith in 1741. The will is dated 1 Apr 1752 and clearly refers to his daughter, Lizzie, as being married to John Smith who was still alive in 1752. John Marshall's will completely destroys the possibility that his daughter, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Marshall could have been the same person that Abram Martin married 2 Oct 1744. That woman by 1751 had given birth to 3 Martin children already, with a fourth on the way. These people were aristocratic Upper class Virginia landholders, so bigamy in such a flagrant way is not a possibility, especially considering the biological impossibility of a woman bearing several children each to 2 different fathers over a 7 year interval!.

Sources

• Key and Allied Families, by Julian C. Lane, The J.W. Burke Co, Macon, GA, 1931.
• Mackenzie, George Norbury, and Nelson Osgood Rhoades, editors. Colonial Families of the United States of America: in Which is Given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies From the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. 7 volumes. 1912. Reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1966, 1995. Searchable database at: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61175/ See page 271.

1. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900; Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases.
2. ↑ Genealogy of the Martin, Marshall & Edwards Families Who Settled in Virginia, and of the Quin Family of Mississippi, dated 21 Jan 1939, New York
3. ↑ Dated 20 March 1797; proved in July Court 1797, Edgefield County SC, and recorded in Will Book "A", pp 127-8.
4. ↑ Will of John Smith dated 22 Nov 1777, proved 24 Nov 1778. Westmoreland County, Virginia Deeds & Wills 1773-1787; DB-16, p. 86., viewable online at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89PX-F5XX?cat=399056
5. ↑ https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=Series&SeriesID=6

• Martin, Abraham: Bible record, Martin Family Quarterly, v2 #2 p26-28
• Martin, Abraham's will: Charlotte Co VA Will Book 1765-91, p105
• Martin, Samuel Davis: records published in 1857
• Porcher, Anne C.: The Martin Family
• Woodland, Naaman J. Jr.: associate professor of history at Lamar U., Beaumont TX (much information from his own family research, and establishment of inaccuracies in the Martin line)
• Elizabeth, Grace and Rachel Martin from AmericanRevolution.org at www.americanrevolution.org
• Rachel and Grace Martin from Ladies in Defiance at www.ladiesindefiance.com
• Find A Grave: Memorial #88681072
• Colonial Families of the Southern States of America
• North American Families Histories
• US & International Marriage Index
• Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties
  
• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I22743&tree=Tree1
  

References with extensive primary source documentation that primarily relate to Colonel James Martin, but also documenting various siblings, parents, descendants, etc.

• Colonel James Martin of Edgefield County, South Carolina: Disproving an Indiana Connection (2020)
• The Pioneer Williams Families of Smith Township, Posey County, Indiana, Volumes 1 & 2 (2014)
• Elder James Martin of the Districts of Orangeburg, Lower Ninety-Six, Edgefield and Barnwell, South Carolina; Warren County, Kentucky; and Knox, Gibson, Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana Territory/Indiana, and his brother, Simon Martin of the Same Districts in South Carolina (2019)