Decatur County IA Archives Biographies.....Martin, James H. 1855 - 
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Nettie Mae Lucas IAGWArchives@aol.com May 18, 2005, 6:17 pm

Author: History of Decatur Co.

James H. Martin still owns two hundred acres of excellent land in Bloomington
and Fayette townships, his home being on section 22, Bloomington township, and
he held title to six hundred acres of land until he divided the greater part of
his holdings among his children. 
He was born in 1855, in Birmingham, Staffordshire, England, a son of William and
Martha (Tucker) Martin. About 1857 the father emigrated to America and a year or
so later the family followed him to this country. They resided at Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, for one year, after which a removal was made to Rock Island,
Illinios, where they lived for two years. Subsequently the family residence was
maintained at Kewanee, that state. The father owned a small coal mine, and as he
was a practical miner and very energetic and industrious, he gained financial
independence. He passed away in Kewanee in 1889 when about sixty years old, but
his widow is still living at the advanced age of eighty years. The homestead is
still in the possession of the family. Mr. Martin was a devout member of the
Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints, to which his wife also belongs. They
were the parents of five sons and three daughters, nameley: James H.; John, a
farmer of Fayette township; Mrs. Martha Tucker, Mrs. Rosanna Lyons and Mrs.
Elizabeth Lamb, all of Illinois; William, who was killed on a railroad at
Independence, Missouri; George of Fayette township, this county; and Thomas, a
farmer living near Cainesville, Missouri. 
James H. Martin was reared in Illinois and there received his education. In
1880, when a young man of twenty-five years, he removed to Decatur county, Iowa,
and settled near the state line in Fayette township, buying eighty acres of land
on section 26 from the United Order of Enoch. Subsequently he added forty acres
adjoining and remained upon that farm for ten years, making a number of
improvements. In 1890 he sold that one hundred and twenty acres and purchased
three hundred and twenty acres on section 22, Bloomington township, to which he
later added forty acres. He remained upon that place for ten years, after which
he removed to Lamoni, where he resided for one year. At the end of that time he
purchased one hundred and eighty-six acres in the Evergreen Settlement southwest
of Lamoni, where he resided for about a decade. He then returned to his farm on
section 22, Bloomington township, where he has since made his home. He has
improved his place well and keeps everything in excellent condition, while his
well directed industry has made him a successful farmer and stock-raiser.
Although at one time he owned six hundred acres of land, he has but now two
hundred acres, as he has divided his holdings among his children. The first
eighty acres which he purchased cost twelve dollars and a half per acre, but is
now easily worth one hundred dollars per acre. He began his independent career
with a capital of less than four hundred dollars and the financial independence
which is now his is the merited reward of energy and good management. 
Mr. Martin was married in Illinois to Miss Sarah Ann Atkinson, a native of
England, who came to America when thirteen years of age and who passed away in
1911 when about sixty years of age, leaving five children: William, thirty two
years old, who is still at home; Martha, the wife of A. L. Keen, a farmer of
this county, by whom she has a daughter, MIldred; James, Jr. who owns a number
of farms and is sucessfully engaged in business in Lamoni, and who married, in
Illinois, Miss Hazel Roth; Clarence, a farmer of this county, who was married in
Missouri to Miss Ora Cawfelt; and Ruth, the wife of R. A. Hammer, mentioned
elsewhere in this work. 
On the 26th Of October, 1913, Mr. Martin married Mrs. Emma (Hersha) Good. By her
previous marriage she has four children, of whom two reside in Lamoni: Clarence,
cashier of Farmers State Bank; Alma, a high-school graduate and a clever
cartoonist; Galdys (sic), who is attending school; and John, at home. 
Mr. Martin is a republican and although several times solicited to become a
candidate for public office, has always refused. He has, however, served as a
member of the board of education, as he recognizes the paramount importance of
an excellent system of public schools. 
He became a member of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints at Kewanee and
has since, or for a period of forty years, taken great interest in the welfare
and growth of that organization. He gave the local congregation an acre of
ground on which the house of worship was erected, and has contributed generously
to the current expenses of the church. His wife is also identified with the
Latter Day Saints. In addition to his farm, he owns an excellent residence in
Lamoni, where his daughter, Mrs. Hammer, now lives. 
He began his independent career with very little capital, but he believed that
energy and sound judgment, coupled with the opportunities of the middle west,
would enable him to achieve success and that faith has been amply justified, as
he is one of the substantial men of his township. 
Source: History of Decatur County, Published 1915, Volume 2, p.26-28 


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