Henry Martin

Lifespan: 1831 – 1896

FamilySearch ID: LYS2-3P2

Summary

Born August 18, 1830 in Ireland. Known as “Harry.” Foggy’s 4x great-grandfather. The Irish ancestor that Betty (Schmidt) Krumpos remembered. Emigrated to America, lived in New York by c. 1853, moved to Door County, Wisconsin by c. 1856. Settled on a farm in the town of Sevastopol. Served as postmaster of Sevastopol for ~14 years and town treasurer for 15 successive years — a pillar of the community. Married Eliza Hutchinson (c. 1830, Canada — to English/Scottish parents). Nine children in 1870; only three sons survived him. Died August 11, 1896 of cancer of the stomach, age 65 (one week before his 66th birthday). Buried Bayside Cemetery.

Relationships

• Father: Henry Martin Sr. (dates unknown, FamilySearch ID: L1C9-XB2) — born in Ireland, likely County Down, Ulster. LDS temple ordinances completed — record may need verification.
• Mother: Nancy Storm (dates unknown, FamilySearch ID: L1CS-95F) — from County Down, Ireland (per FamilySearch, sourced from Henry Jr.’s 1862 marriage record). Storm is an English surname — Nancy was likely descended from Plantation of Ulster settlers (1600s).
• Wife: Eliza Hutchinson (1830–1884, b. Canada per 1870 census; “England” per 1920 census — likely born in Canada to English parents) — FamilySearch ID: K814-2YL
• Children (9 total, per 1870 census):
  1. Elias Martin (b. c. 1853, New York) — eldest. Born before family moved to Wisconsin.
  2. Charles Martin (b. c. 1856, Wisconsin) — family in Wisconsin by this birth.
  3. John Martin (b. c. 1857, Wisconsin)
  4. Eliza Martin (daughter, b. c. 1860, Wisconsin)
  5. William Martin (b. c. 1861, Wisconsin)
  6. Henry Martin Jr. (b. c. 1865, Wisconsin)
  7. James Martin (b. c. 1866, Wisconsin)
  8. David Martin (b. c. 1867, Wisconsin)
  9. Eliphlet “Life” Martin (1869–1956, Wisconsin) — direct line. Listed as “Elipalet” age 1 in 1870 census, “Eliphlet” age 11 in 1880. m. Mildred Amelia Guernsey. FamilySearch ID: G9VT-JCS.
  10. Ann Jane Martin (b. c. 1872, Wisconsin) — not in 1870 census (born after). Age 8 in 1880 census.
• Son-in-law in 1880: William Portos/Peters (18) — likely married daughter Eliza.

Sources

• FamilySearch Family Tree — Henry Martin, LYS2-3P2. Parents: Henry Martin Sr. (L1C9-XB2) and Nancy Storm (L1CS-95F).
• 1870 US Census, Door County, Wisconsin — primary source. Two pages. Henry Martin (39, Ireland), Farmer, real estate $1000, personal property $375. Wife Eliza (40, Canada). Nine children: Elias (17, New York), Charles (14, WI), John (13, WI), Eliza (10, WI), William (9, WI), Henry Jr. (5, WI), James (4, WI), David (3, WI), Elipalet (1, WI).
• 1880 US Census, Door County, Wisconsin — Henry Martin (49), Farmer. Wife Eliza (51, father born England, mother born Canada). Son-in-law William Portos/Peters (18). Sons: Henry Jr. (15), James W. (14), David W. (13), Eliphlet (11). Daughter: Ann Jane (8). Eliza’s parents’ birthplaces confirm Thomas Hutcheson was English-born and Sophia Miller was Canadian-born.
• 1920 US Census (indirect) — Eliphlet “Life” Martin’s record lists father’s birthplace as Ireland and mother’s birthplace as England (the “England” likely refers to Eliza’s parents’ origin, not her own birthplace).
• Obituary, Door County newspaper (c. 1901) — “Death of An Old Settler.” Full text below.
• FamilySearch attached sources (contributed by Carolynn Walker): 1875 WI census, 1880 US census, 1885 WI census, 1895 WI census, 1901 WI death record (“Harry Martin”), 1901 WI marriage record (as father of “Elihlet Martin”), Find A Grave index.

Obituary (full text)

Death of An Old Settler.

Harry Martin, aged 66 years, of the town of Sevastopol died of cancer of the stomach at noon on Tuesday last, after an illness of four months duration. Deceased was a native of Ireland, and had lived thirty-eight years on the farm in Sevastopol. He was therefore one of the best known residents of the county. He was postmaster of the Sevastopol post-office for about fourteen years, and treasurer of the town for fifteen successive years. A few weeks ago his residence was burned, and being very ill at the time, Mr. Martin was taken to his nearest neighbor, Rudolph Zettel, where the comforts of a good home were bestowed upon the sick man during his last days. He leaves three grown up sons, living respectively at Marinette, Manitowoc, and Kewaunee. The funeral was held on Thursday, Rev. David Lewis conducting the last sad rites. Interment was made in Bayside cemetery, to which last resting place the remains were followed by a very large number of sorrowing friends and neighbors.

Research Notes

Death date and age — resolved

• Find A Grave: born Aug 18, 1830, died Aug 11, 1896 (age 65). FamilySearch tree originally said 1831–1896.
• Obituary says “aged 66” — he was 7 days short of his 66th birthday. Rounded up.
• 1870 census said age 39 (→ born c. 1831) — off by one year, common in census records.
• “38 years in Sevastopol” → 1896 minus 38 = arrived c. 1858. Matches the timeline.
• The “1901” dates on some FamilySearch sources are likely indexing dates, or Eliphlet’s 1901 marriage record listed his deceased father’s name.
• Died of cancer of the stomach after 4 months illness. House burned weeks before death — taken to neighbor Rudolph Zettel.

Civic life

• Postmaster of Sevastopol for ~14 years — a federal appointment, significant responsibility in a rural community.
• Town treasurer for 15 successive years — elected position, trusted with public funds.
• “One of the best known residents of the county.” Funeral attended by “a very large number of sorrowing friends and neighbors.”
• This was not a marginal immigrant — Henry became a respected civic leader.

Irish origin

• Born August 18, 1830 in Ireland — likely County Down, Ulster (per parents’ origin on FamilySearch, sourced from Henry’s 1862 marriage record).
• County Down is in northeastern Ireland (modern Northern Ireland), near Belfast. Major towns: Downpatrick, Newry, Banbridge, Newtownards.
• Born during the lead-up to the Great Famine (1845–1852). Henry was 15–22 during the worst famine years — prime age for emigration.
• The family was almost certainly Ulster Irish Protestant — not Catholic. Evidence: English surname “Storm” (mother), Protestant funeral (Rev. David Lewis), Christian Science in next generation, biblical name “Eliphalet” for son. County Down was heavily Protestant (Church of Ireland, Presbyterian) due to the Plantation of Ulster (1600s), when English and Scottish Protestants were settled in northern Ireland by the Crown.
• The Martins may be ethnically English or Scottish, settled in Ireland since the 1600s — culturally Irish but Anglo-Irish or Scots-Irish in origin.
• Martin is the 10th most common surname in Ireland, particularly associated with:
  • County Galway — one of the “Tribes of Galway” (14 merchant families)
  • Counties Clare, Tyrone, Westmeath, Limerick
• Without a specific parish or townland, tracing further in Irish records will be difficult. Irish civil registration didn’t begin until 1864; earlier records are parish-based (Catholic or Church of Ireland).

Migration path: Ireland → New York → Wisconsin

• Henry emigrated from Ireland, arriving in New York by c. 1853 (eldest son Elias born in New York).
• Likely entered through Castle Garden (pre-Ellis Island immigration station, opened 1855 — but ships arrived at NYC before that).
• Moved to Wisconsin between 1853 and 1856 (Charles, the next son, was born in Wisconsin c. 1856).
• By 1870, Henry was a farmer with $1,000 in real estate and $375 in personal property — established, not destitute.

Marriage

• Married Eliza Hutchinson. 1870 census lists her birthplace as Canada — not England as Eliphlet reported in 1920. Eliza was likely born in Canada to English-immigrant parents (Thomas Hutcheson and Sophia Miller). Many English/Scottish families settled in Upper Canada (Ontario) in the early 1800s.
• Married November 12, 1862 — but eldest son Elias was born c. 1853 in New York, and Charles and John were born in Wisconsin c. 1856-1857. Three children born before the formal marriage. Common on the American frontier — they may have been together for years before formalizing it, or there was an earlier informal/civil union.
• Met in New York or Wisconsin. Married in Wisconsin (likely Door County).
• Eliza died 1884, when Eliphlet was about 15. Henry survived her by 12 years.

The household

• Nine children in 1870 — a large family even by 19th century standards.
• 1875 Wisconsin state census: only 3 males and 2 females in the household — down from 11 people in 1870. Even accounting for the three oldest boys leaving home (Elias ~22, Charles ~19, John ~18), there should still have been 4-5 young sons at home (William ~14, Henry Jr. ~10, James ~9, David ~8, Eliphlet ~6). Only 2 sons remained. 2-3 young sons likely died between 1870 and 1875 — childhood mortality on the Wisconsin frontier.
• By Henry’s death in 1896, only three surviving sons — at Marinette, Manitowoc, and Kewaunee. The 1880 census (attached on FamilySearch) would show which sons survived the 1870s.
• Eliphlet (in Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol) is curiously not listed in the obituary — possibly because he was local and the obituary only named out-of-town survivors, or he may be one of the three.
• Naming pattern carried forward: Eliphlet later named his own sons John and Henry — the same names as his brothers in the 1870 household.

Henry as farmer and civic leader

• By 1870, owned $1,000 in real estate and $375 in personal property. Modest but solid for Door County.
• Rose from immigrant farmer to postmaster and town treasurer — positions of trust and authority. This was a man who became a pillar of his community, not a marginal figure.
• Door County in the 1850s-1860s was raw frontier — lumber, fishing, farming. Irish immigrants came for the same opportunities as the German and Scandinavian settlers.
• The funeral officiant, Rev. David Lewis, may indicate a Protestant affiliation (Lewis is common in Methodist/Presbyterian clergy). This aligns with the family’s later Christian Science connection — they were Protestant, not Catholic. Many Irish immigrants were Protestant (Church of Ireland, Presbyterian), particularly from Ulster.

Eliza’s Canadian birth

• The 1870 census lists Eliza as born in Canada, not England. The 1920 census (Eliphlet’s record) says mother born in England — but Eliphlet was reporting from memory, 36 years after Eliza’s death. He may have meant her parents’ origin, or may have simply been wrong.
• Eliza’s parents on FamilySearch: Thomas Hutcheson (1808–?) and Sophia Miller (1805–?), whose mother was Margaret Laing (1783–?, Scottish). The Hutcheson/Miller family likely emigrated from England/Scotland to Canada (Upper Canada/Ontario) in the early 1800s, where Eliza was born c. 1830.

Father: Henry Martin Sr.

• FamilySearch shows a father also named Henry Martin with no dates — just “Deceased.” FamilySearch ID: L1C9-XB2.
• LDS temple ordinances have been performed, suggesting this record was contributed by LDS researchers. Should be verified against primary sources.
• If Henry Sr. was also Irish-born, the family was in Ireland for at least two generations before emigration.

Mother: Nancy Storm — County Down, Ireland

• From County Down, Ireland per FamilySearch (source: Henry Jr.’s November 12, 1862 marriage record, which listed his parents’ origin).
• Storm is an English surname (first recorded Norfolk, 1206). Nancy was likely descended from Plantation of Ulster settlers — English Protestants who were settled in northern Ireland in the 1600s. The Storm family had likely been in County Down for 200+ years by Nancy’s time.
• No dates recorded. FamilySearch ID: L1CS-95F.

Next steps

1. FamilySearch attached sources — Carolynn Walker has attached 1875, 1880, 1885, 1895 censuses + death record + marriage record + Find A Grave. Click through each for details.
2. Wisconsin death record (1901, “Harry Martin”) — may list Irish birthplace more specifically than the obituary.
3. Naturalization records — as postmaster, Henry MUST have been a U.S. citizen. Naturalization papers would list Irish county of origin. Search Door County courthouse records.
4. Immigration/ship records — Henry Martin, Irish, arriving in New York c. 1850-1855. Castle Garden records (pre-Ellis Island).
5. 1850 census — Henry (age ~15-19) may appear in New York, possibly with parents Henry Sr. and Nancy Storm.
6. Find A Grave memorial — attached to FamilySearch. May have headstone photo.
7. Rev. David Lewis — identify denomination. If Presbyterian/Methodist, supports Ulster Irish Protestant origin.
8. Eliphlet’s obituary (1956) — Door County newspaper archive. Would name parents.
9. Rudolph Zettel — neighbor in Sevastopol. German surname. Locating the Zettel farm would locate the Martin farm.