William Martin (businessman)

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William Martin

Captain William Martin (born January 30, 1806 in Halifax , Virginia , United States , † January 17, 1859 in Martin , Tennessee , United States) was an American merchant who is considered the father of the city of Martin in Tennessee. Because of its significant role in the region, the residents gave it the prefix Captain.

Life

Captain Martin was born on January 30, 1806 in Halifax, Virginia. He married Sarah Glass on September 30, 1828. Together with his wife and parents, he moved to Weakley County in 1832 , where they initially claimed to have only eight horses, about five or six slaves and $ 2,000 in cash. Initially, they settled six miles northeast of Dresden , Tennessee. They stayed there until 1838, when Martin's parents came to Weakley. They built their home on a hill north of today's East Side Cemetery one and a half miles northeast of the center of an area that today represents the city of Martin (about nine miles northwest of Dresden). There he raised nine children with his wife Sarah. Three of her sons, George Washington Martin, Thomas Dudley Martin, and Marshall Presley Martin, were instrumental in the development of the city of Martin.

Martin was the first to plant tobacco plants in Weakley County in 1831 . He made his living by trading and shipping tobacco to New Orleans . From 1840 onwards, Captain Martin had the vision of a railway line through his adopted home. From 1852 Martin campaigned for the Hickman and Obion Railroad to extend their existing railway line from Union City to Hickman accordingly. To speed this up, he personally invested $ 5,000. However, his private property was not enough to ensure the construction of the route. As a result, the few citizens of the region were asked to pay a tax for the necessary funds. At the time, he was a very respected man nationwide, both economically and politically, which resulted in people paying the tax. In 1857 the Tennessee Supreme Court approved the extension of the railroad through Weakley County.

The line was completed shortly after the Civil War began in 1861 . However, Captain Martin died in 1859, so that he could never see his vision of a completed railway line through his adopted home.

His grave inscription reads (translated):

Now if we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ , Romans 5: 1

Web links

Commons : William Martin (1806-1859)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Captain William Martin (1806-1859). Retrieved March 7, 2018 (American English).
  2. ^ A b Sarah Glass Martin (1810-1853). Retrieved March 7, 2018 .
  3. ^ Capt William Martin (1806-1859). Retrieved March 7, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Capt William Martin (1806-1859) - Epitaph. Retrieved March 7, 2018 .


personal data
SURNAME Martin, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Martin, Captain William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American businessman
DATE OF BIRTH January 30, 1806
PLACE OF BIRTH Halifax County, Virginia, United States
DATE OF DEATH January 17, 1859
Place of death Martin, Weakley County, Tennessee, United States