Mildred Amelia Guernsey Martin

Lifespan: March 21, 1880 – December 15, 1971

Summary

Born March 21, 1880 in Ionia, Michigan. Maiden name Guernsey. Married Lile/Life Martin. Lived on Peter Street, Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin. At least three sons: Gerald, John, Henry. Died December 15, 1971 in Sturgeon Bay, age 91. Buried in Sturgeon Bay.

Relationships

• Husband: Lile/Life Martin (b. c. 1871, Illinois or Wisconsin)
• Sons:
  • Gerald Martin Sr. (Mar 8, 1903–Jun 14, 1931) — direct line. Predeceased her by 40 years.
  • John Martin (b. c. 1908, Wisconsin) — Sturgeon Bay (1931)
  • Henry Martin (b. c. 1912, Wisconsin) — Sturgeon Bay (1931)
• Father: John Loami Guernsey (1857–1940)
• Mother: Almeda Hinson (1860–1883) — died when Mildred was 3

Sources

• 1920 US Census, Door County, Wisconsin, ED 69, Sturgeon Bay Ward 1 — “Mildred Martin,” wife, age 39, born Michigan. Mother’s birthplace: Michigan.
• FamilySearch person record — Mildred Amelia Guernsey Martin, 13 sources. Born Mar 21, 1880, Ionia, Michigan. Died Dec 15, 1971, Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin.
• Gerald Martin obituary, Door County News, June 18, 1931 — “the son of Mr. and Mrs. Life Martin.”

Research Notes

• Maiden name: Guernsey — English/Norman surname, from the Channel Island of Guernsey. An established American family name, not Irish. Confirms the Irish ancestry in this branch comes solely through the Martin (paternal) line.
• Born in Ionia, Michigan — a small city in central Michigan, county seat of Ionia County.
• Mother also born in Michigan — the Guernsey family was in Michigan at least two generations by 1880.
• Lived to age 91 — outlived her son Gerald by 40 years, and likely outlived her husband Life as well.
• Albert H. Boyce of Hollywood, California attended Gerald’s 1931 funeral — possibly a Guernsey relative or family friend from Michigan.
• FamilySearch record has 12+ sources — further research there could identify her parents and siblings.

Research target — Guernsey line origins [FLAGGED 2026-06-10]

The Guernsey surname (English/Norman, from the Channel Island of Guernsey) is confirmed as the maiden name but not traced past Michigan. It’s the English thread on Helen Martin’s paternal-grandmother side. Open targets:

• John Loami Guernsey (1857–1940) and Almeda Hinson (1860–1883) — Mildred’s parents — push the Guernsey/Hinson lines back: when and where did the Guernseys immigrate, and from where (England, or Channel Islands directly)?
• Hinson is also English — worth a note on that maternal branch.
• The Guernsey family was in Michigan ≥2 generations by 1880; the immigration point is the thing to find.