John W. Martin 1835-1902

In the prior post I shared, about Johann Leonard Wampler and two of his eight children, John W. Martin makes his appearance into the family tree's branches.

He first appears in the 1840 US census for his grandfather's household. However, 1840 censuses only listed - by name - the head of the household (and sometimes not always by their name but in some instances as Widow [Surname] which there are a few of those in the 1840 census, if curious). John W. Martin is listed with the tally mark for "Males under the age of 10" line.

Birth year remains consistently listed, in later census reports, to being 1835. Location of his birth flips back and forth between Indiana and Illinois. But I am getting ahead of myself...

I have not located any records of Ann(a) Catherine Wampler's first marriage outside of what is shared in an obit someone shared on her FindAGrave Memorial page. From the obit we get the following information about the marriage:
·   She remained in the Illinois/Indiana area after her parents decided to return to Preble county, Ohio,
·   It may been a short marriage that ended due to the death of John W. Martin's father, John Martin, from cholera in Louisiana. The obit's wording is unclear if he died prior or after their son's birth. The marriage may have taken place between 1832 to early 1835 time frame,
·   Due to the death of the elder John Martin, Ann(a) Catherine returned to her parents' home in Preble county, Ohio.

John W. Martin's own paper trail shares that his parent's marriage was possibly interracial. In census reports, John W. Martin's father is listed to been born in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and "unknown".

His mother's parents and oldest brother went from Preble county, Ohio to Wabash county, Indiana around 1847/48. He and his mother are listed, with the surname of Wampler, on the 1850 US census of his Uncle William Wampler along with another nephew of his uncle (and his mother) named William M. Wampler. In the 1850 US Census he is marked as Mulatto.

In the 1860 and 1880 US Censuses, where he is living in his mother's home, he is listed as White. 1870 US Census he is listed as White and to be living next to his mother's residence/farm. Then in the 1900 US Census he is listed as Black, as he is also listed on his 1902 Indiana death certificate.

John W. Martin appears to have married only once. His wife, whose Find A Grave memorial page shares a headstone cared with the name Mary M., died in July of 1883 at the age of 24. According to my personal research, the head stone is incorrect about her name. John W. Martin is mentioned in the North Manchester Journal as to marrying Helena Fultz in February of 1883. A later notice, in the same newspaper in August of 1883, shares an "in memory of" advertisement placed by a social organization for Lena Martin who died July 25, 1883 and left a husband, John Martin, and a child. She is buried in the family cemetery of John W. Martin's stepfather's family. I have not come across a copy of the marriage record, they are said to have married in Canada. We see Lena Fultz in the 1880 US Census as she is listed in Ann(a) Catherine's household as "servant". When we get to John and Lena's child, further in the post, it helps further piece things together that John's wife was Helena "Lena" Fultz.

Mrs. John Martin died yesterday morning leaving a babe but a few days old. Funeral at the house to-day at 10 o'clock. Services by the Rev. E. D. Smith.
The Journal North Manchester IN - 26 Jul 1883 Page 3

The "babe" mentioned in the death notice is John W. Martin's daughter, Lena Martin, who appears with him in the 1900 US Census. It is after that census Lena Martin becomes a bit of a mystery.

13 May 1902 John W. Martin passes away, from brain fever, in a Wabash county poor farm. He has two Find A Grave Memorial pages, one that says he is buried on the grounds of the county poor farm is not correct as his death certificate shares his body to be buried in the North Manchester area - which leans to the Find A Grave Memorial for him being buried in the Swank (family) cemetery, nest to his wife and in with other family members, being the right one. An Ervin Thompson was the informant for John W's death certificate, which may be why the parents are listed as "unknown". What is curious is that neither of John's half-brothers (Daniel D. Swank and Jacob L. Swank), any of their children nor his own daughter listed as the informant - but somehow the county poor farm and/or the informant got the information on where the body was to be buried. I have not located a death notice, or obit, for John W. Martin to be able to see if his daughter is mentioned in it.

So, from this point on, it is speculation only on if the Lena Martin listed in two marriage records for Marion county, Indiana is John W. Martin's daughter who was born in Wabash county, Indiana in 1883. A Lena Martin marries a Wilson in Marion county in 1903 - she lists her father to being John W. Martin and mother's maiden name to being Foltz. Her birth year is listed as 1882. In the second marriage record, before 1910, Lena Martin (that name) lists she is a widow and that her father was John W. [Surname not listed] and her mother's maiden name was Felts. I come across a Richard Shaw in the 1920 census for marion county, Indiana - he is listed as a boarder and being widowed, I don't see him nor Lena in the 1910 census.

What we do know, thanks to his mother's obit and his paper trail, is that John W. Martin is a descendant of Johannes Christian Wampfler and, his wife, Anna Tritten; their son Christian Wampler and, his wife, Justina Magdalena Cristillus; their son, Johannes [John] Wampler and his wife, Dorothea Hiller; their son, Johann Leonard Wampler and his wife, Ann(a) Mary (Maria) Martin; and their daughter, Ann(a) Catherine Wampler.