Citrus-Sumter-Marion County FlArchives Biographies.....Martin, Alice  August 18, 1880 - April 10, 1862
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Linda Flowers flowers472001@yahoo.com August 30, 2009, 2:56 pm

Source: Author is the source
Author: Linda Flowers

Alice Josephine Martin was born August 18, 1880 in Oxford, Sumter County, 
Florida to the parents of John Ulrich and Elizabeth (Brinson)Martin. She 
married Jacob Faithful Black January 15, 1899 in Crystal River, Florida.
When Alice married "Jake," she took on the raising of his two small children. 
She said his first wife was a friend of hers and when she died she "couldn't 
bare to see the children not taken care of properly, so she married their 
father to provide them with the proper care." Carl and Willie loved her as if 
she were their own mother.

Alice traveled a lot to various places around Florida. The family business of 
commercial net fishing would sometimes have them traveling to other locations. 
She spoke of Lake Okeechobee quite often. She had five sisters scattered about 
and she would visit them as often as she could. After the death of her 
husband, Alice spent extended amounts of time with each of them, especially 
her sister Melissa. The two of them were quite close. The two of them never 
missed an opportunity to attend the family reunion in Oxford where they grew 
up. She would often let her son Grady know she was coming for a visit and show 
up on a bus. A very independent lady!

After the death of her sister Mary Ann in 1955,who was Post Mistress of the 
Citronell, Florida Post Office and her sister Melissa in 1959, Alice decided 
to settle down and moved to her daughter Alma's home in Tarpon Springs, 
Florida. A trailer was brought in and placed at the rear of the main house; 
after all she still insisted on her independence and was not about to be a 
burden to anyone. No sir-e-e! Not Alice Black! She had an addition built on to 
the trailer for more space and while she was at it she had a one room little 
play house built in the back yard for her great granddaughter Linda that 
matched her own. Actually, I dont recall it being so little. I loved it!

Alice belonged to the Church of Christ and as long as she was able to get 
about, she never missed a Sunday; taking her great granddaughter with her. I 
remember how one time she held up a dollar bill and showed me the "All Seeing 
Eye"...To this day, I keep it in mind! As her health deteriorated and she was 
no longer able to attend Church, the minister would come by after the service 
to pray with her.

Granny was a little eccentric! I remember she would always brush her hair 
exactly one hundred strokes and when finished, save the hair from the brush, 
making it into a little ball and placing it into a covered dish that she 
saved. She was very thrifty, perhaps from having gone through the Great 
Depression whereby the family lost everything. Gone was the grand piano and 
camel hair coats replaced with quilts made out of feed sacks and rugs from old 
clothes. I still have a couple of her quilts along with a doll quilt she made 
me to match. She ate at the same time every day, no matter whether she was 
hungry or not. If the clock said it was time to eat that's exactly what she 
did, and everyday she downed that raw egg. 

When she became ill and moved into the main house, her son Grady came and 
wired a buzzer next to her bed, so she would be able to alert someone if 
needed. No sooner had he installed it and walked away, the buzzing could be 
heard on the other side of the house. Thw entire family rushed into her 
bedroom in a panic. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to see 
if it works." Because she was now feeble, Alice was never told her sister 
Dooley had passed away. One month later, she did as well on April 10, 1962. 
She is buried at Cycadia Cemetery in Tarpon Springs, Florida along side of her 
two grandsons, James an DS.   

Additional Comments:
Alice Josephine Black was my Great grandmother and she was my protector. She 
also taught me to love the Lord. I am gratefull for her influence on my life.

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