Martha Jane Sherrod (1820 - 1903)

Born 18 May 1820 in Maury, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Levi Best (Sanders) Saunders — married about 1835 in Madison, Arkansas, United States

Descendants

Died 22 May 1903 at age 83 in Colville, Stevens, Washington, United States

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Biography

Martha was born in 1820 in Maury County, Tennessee. She was the third child of Rev William Henry Sherrod and Charlotte Miller. The family migrated to Northwest Arkansas Territory in 1832, four years before statehood, in the area of present day Washington County.

At the age of 15, Martha married Levi "Lee" Best Saunders, age 19, in 1835. They had ten children together between 1836 and 1865. In about 1849, the family migrated to Texas, first to Buffalo, then Waco, and finally to Greenville, just east of Dallas by about 1852. The family were primarily merchants and also operated a cattle ranch and farm. Martha was noted for being an excellent shot and was considered one of the best female marksmen in Texas at the time. While in Texas, Martha's husband Levi was Sheriff of Bell County and was also a Texas Ranger for a time. At some point he earned the title Judge, which he carried for the rest of his life. Levi later founded Eureka Springs, Arkansas, when he built the first home there on July 4, 1879.

Indians constantly raided the area where they lived, stealing livestock, burning homes, and killing settlers. In 1860, Comanche Indians kidnapped Martha and one of her younger daughters. Levi along with his ranch partner and several hands pursued them. A gun fight ensued in which Levi was badly wounded in the leg while his partner, several ranch hands, and many of the Indians were killed. However, Martha and daughter had already escaped unharmed and made their way home on foot.^[1]

After the Civil War, they had had enough of the lawlessness and violence in Texas. In 1867, Levi and Martha, along with three children Artemisia, Missouri, and Charles moved back to Northwest Arkansas so that the children could attend the newly opened Clark's Academy in Berryville. They lived in the area for the rest of their lives. Martha passed away in 1903 at the age of 83. She fell ill while visiting her daughter Artemisia who lived in Colville.

Martha's daughter Artemisia married Presley Ball "Pappy" Dingle in 1870 and they had five children together. They moved to Colville, Washington in about 1890 and were operating a restaurant there by 1892. By about 1896 they had purchased the Hotel Colville which they operated for about the next 24 years.

Martha's daughter Missouri gained notoriety as a shrewd businesswoman and developer. As a young wife and mother, Missouri moved to Spokane Falls, Washington in 1882. She was soon widowed when her husband Jeremiah Hanna drowned in a boating accident. She took over the family business and prospered greatly as a land developer. Moving to Edmund Washington near Seattle, Missouri became the first female newspaper publisher in the Washington, earning the tile of "Mother of Washington Journalism" and was also a noted suffragist. She also continued her land development business there. ^[2]

Martha's son Charles "Buck" Saunders was also a gifted marksman. He met William "Buffalo Bill" Cody at the 1893 World Colombian Exposition in Chicago and they became friends. He performed in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show periodically for several years afterwards where he put on shooting demonstrations by himself and occasionally along with Annie Oakley. In 1910, Buck won the World Championship for Pistol Shooting in Paris, known as the Renette Prize. He was a world traveler and prolific gun collector. His gun collection is considered one of the finest in the world and is, along with other artifacts, housed in the Saunders Museum in Berryville, Arkansas.^[3],^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Saunders Museum Family Memories Archives
2. ↑ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_T._B._Hanna
3. ↑ http://berryville.com/saunders-museum/
4. ↑ https://arkansasgravestones.org/view.php?id=670059