Ezra Martin Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1657-1658 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.


	EZRA MARTIN, of Northville, Spink county, was born in 
Martinsville, Wayne county, Michigan, on the 30th of September, 1860, 
being a son of Winslow P. and Emeretta Alida (Disbro) Martin, the former 
born in the state of Massachusetts and the latter in that of New York. 
The paternal grandfather of the subject was Joel Martin, who likewise 
was a native of Massachusetts and a scion of staunch old Puritan stock, 
the family tradition being that among those who came to America on the 
historic Mayflower, probably on the occasion of its second voyage, was 
one Christopher Martin, who figured as the original progenitor of the 
family in the new world. Winslow P. Martin was reared and educated in 
the state of New York, whither his father had removed from 
Massachusetts, and there he continued to reside until about 1852, when 
he removed to Michigan, becoming one of the early settlers of Wayne 
county, in which is located the city of Detroit, the beautiful 
metropolis of the state. He purchased a tract of wild land, heavily 
timbered, and set to himself the task of reclaiming the same to 
cultivation. He wielded much influence in the section where he thus 
established his home, having been called upon to serve in various 
important township and county offices, including that of superintendent 
of schools, in which connection it may be inferred that he placed that 
appreciative estimate upon the character of one fair school-teacher in 
his jurisdiction which led to his marriage to Miss Disbro, who proved to 
him a devoted wife and helpmeet. The last twenty-five or thirty years of 
his life were devoted to ministerial work in the Wesleyan Methodist 
denomination. He came to Northville, South Dakota, in 1882, and became 
pastor of the Wesleyan Methodist church here, continuing to hold that 
position until his death, which occurred in 1885. His widow survives. 

	Ezra Martin, the immediate subject of this sketch, entered the 
schools of Martinsville as a child of five years and there learned the 
mysteries of "Webb's Word Method" and other rudimentary text-books, and 
when he had attained the age of eleven years his parents removed to 
Pittsford, Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he completed the course in 
the graded schools, being graduated in the high school as a member of 
the class of 1877. For a time he was a successful teacher in the 
district schools of that locality, and also assisted in the work of the 
home farm which his father had there purchased. Just a few days before 
he had attained his legal majority he started for the west, passing 
about six months in Nebraska and thence coming to South Dakota, having 
made his advent in what is now the village of Northville on the 22d of 
January, 1882. The town was then represented by a depot and section 
house, and he purchased the first lot sold by the Western Town Lot 
Company in Northville, while he also took up a pre-emption claim 
adjoining the present corporate limits of the village. The tide of 
immigration began to flow in and the early settlers in this locality 
needed a place to secure provisions. Our subject accordingly associated 
himself with his brother Edwin and erected a store on the lot which he 
had purchased, and there established a general-merchandise business, the 
first in the town. The firm commenced operations upon capital furnished 
by their father, and though they secured a good support and were popular 
with the people of the community they were seriously handicapped by 
inexperience and lack of capital of their own, and after conducting" the 
enterprise about two years they abandoned the same, our subject turning 
his attention to agricultural pursuits, while his brother later became a 
clergyman of the Wesleyan Methodist church. 

	Mr. Martin has been signally prospered in temporal affairs during 
the intervening years and has erected substantial and attractive 
buildings on the place, including a commodious residence, while all 
other improvements indicate the progressive spirit and good judgment of 
the owner. Mr. Martin is now the owner of twenty-three hundred acres of 
valuable land in this vicinity, and has also accumulated a considerable 
amount of real estate in Northville, while in addition to all this and 
his large amount of personal property he also owns property in 
Wisconsin, Michigan and Cuba. For the past decade he has given his 
personal attention largely to the grain business, buying and shipping 
large quantities each year. 

	Mr. Martin is a man of distinctive public spirit, is a staunch 
advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and while he has 
taken a lively interest: in its cause he has never been personally 
ambitious for office. He and his wife are prominent and valued members 
of the Wesleyan Methodist church in Northville, the respective families 
having been among the charter members of the same and having contributed 
in a large measure to the erection of the chapel in Northville, and in 
the same the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Martin was solemnized on the same 
day which marked the dedication of the building. They have been 
specially active in the work of the church, and the subject served as 
superintendent of its Sunday school about fifteen years. 

	On the 12th of October, 1882, was solemnized, under the 
circumstances just noted, the marriage of Mr. Martin to Miss Mary J. 
Thompson, who was born near the city of Elgin, Illinois, on the 31st of 
January, 1864, being a daughter of Thomas J. and Hannah A. (Tucker) 
Thompson, who came to Spink county, South Dakota, in 1881, where the 
father still resides, the mother having died in April, 1904. Mr. and 
Mrs. Martin have six children, whose names, in order of birth, are as 
follows: Earl Levant, Fern Hannah, Glenn Richards, Frank Thompson, Floyd 
Winslow and Alida Pearl.