DANIEL MARTIN, SR.  

The following bio was taken from page 300 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission. 

Transcribed by Shirley Koym 

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Texas 

 Daniel Martin, Sr. was born in 1781 in South Carolina.  When a young man, he enlisted with Andrew Jackson in the Creek War of 1813-1814, and served as a soldier through the campaign, along with David Crockett.

 While in Florida, Martin met Eleanor Ayers, daughter of a wealthy sugar cane plantation owner.  The frontiersman, with a strong personality, won the heart of the young lady but failed to win the approval of her parents.  The couple eloped on two fine saddle horses and went back to South Carolina, where their eight children were born.  In 1832, according to the U. S. Census of 1850, Daniel, Eleanor, and seven of their eight children packed their wagons and began a journey that started out for the Austin Colony in Texas at Pecan Point.  They traveled over the “Trammel Trace.”  On a hillside they found a deserted log cabin with a spring nearby.  They never traveled farther.

 Martin built a small fort, and many exciting skirmishes with the Indians took place.  Martin made a living by hunting, trapping, and trading with the Indians.  He built a “still” and had a “recipe” that the Indians were fond of.  The Martins were the first permanent Anglo-American settlers in this area, which is now along the border of Rusk and Panola Counties.

 Martin made a land claim, and 4,428 acres of land located in Rusk and Panola counties were granted to him by the Board of Land Commissioners of Shelby County on April 23, 1838.  Martin Creek, and later Martin Lake, were named in honor of Daniel Martin.

Children of Daniel and Eleanor Martin were:  Jim, the eldest, who remained in South Carolina; Daniel, Jr., who married Cynthia Metcalf; Peter, who married Suzanne Rhodes; John J., who married Nancy Pitts; Rachael, who married Joseph Williamson; Teresa, who married Thomas Hough; Mary Jane, who married Dan Reel; and James.

The children born to Daniel, Jr. and Cynthia Martin were Silas Jasper (Sid), Sarah Frances, Norris Rayburn, Mary E., Analizer Ann, Cynthia Jane, and Daniel Edward.

 Eleven children were born to Daniel E. and Sarah Williams Martin.  Among them were:  Julius, Brady, and Mary, who died in infancy.  Son Edward married Bonnie Truelock.  Annie married Oliver Williams and they have one son, Hubert.  Jack married Nona Watson.  Leland married Ozelle Weaver.  Their children are Lois, Jetta, Betty, Phelix, and Carolyn.  Elbert married Ona Lee Hill, and Ada, who married Audie Williams, had a son, John Edward.  Lavada married Alfred Thornton.  Beauford married Beatrice Fitzgerald and they have one daughter, Elizabeth Ann.

 Hubert Williams is the father of three children: Patricia Williams Davis, Dan and Kim.  Jon Edward is married to Nancy Harris and they have two sons, Travis Randal, and Jonathan Williams.  Lois Martin married Clois Walker.  Jetta Martin married Albert K. Taylor.  The Taylor’s have two children, Deborah and Brian.  Betty Martin married Donald Weatherford.  Their children are Carla, Lisa, and Carey Don.  Phelix Martin married Dianne Dailey.  Carolyn Martin married Conley Harmon.  Elizabeth Ann Martin married Robert C. Tuttle.  The Tuttle children are Robert Martin and Lacy Suzanne.

 The original home site of the Daniel Martin’s is located between historical Harmony Hill and Martin Cemeteries.  Many acres of the original family land still belong to descendants of Daniel Martin.

 Submitted by:  Ann Martin Tuttle