My Genealogy Hound

HORACE MARTIN, a leading and well-to-do agriculturist of Freetown, who is extensively engaged in butter and cheese making, is a son of Simmons and Lucy (Wildman) Martin, and was born February 28, 1848, in the town of Freetown, this county.

The first member of the Martin family of whom we have record was George Martin, who was living at Chebacco, four miles from Ipswich, Mass., in 1680. Whether he was the first of the name to seek a home in the New World, of whether that distinction belongs to his father, cannot at present be definitely said, but it is safe to assume that the family emigrated from England, although the name and family characteristics would seem to give strength to the theory of a Norman or French origin. On September 17, 1680, a son was born to George Martin, who also received the name of George, and who, in 1706, was married to Anna Choate, a member of the afterwards famous Choate family, and about the year 1707 emigrated to Windham County, Connecticut, where many of his descendants still reside, and where, on November 16, 1753, his grandson, George Martin, the fourth of that name in direct descent, and the great-grandfather of our subject, was born. This George Martin voluntarily responded to the Lexington Alarm at the beginning of the Revolution, and on June 9, 1777, enlisted for three years in the 4th Connecticut Regiment, serving the full three years, being honorably discharged on June 9, 1780.

Cyril Martin, the grandfather of our subject, was a son of George and Sarah (Simmons) Martin, and was born in Connecticut, March 5, 1779. He married, in March, 1803, Lucy Welch, and removed to Cortland County in the spring of 1814. He settled in the town of Solon and engaged in farming and school teaching. He was originally a Democrat in politics, but afterward became a Whig, and later, upon the disruption of the Whig party, a Republican. He served his town in various capacities, and in 1823 was supervisor. He died December 9, 1865, aged eighty-six years. Cyril Martin had three sons: Simmons, Ralph, who removed to Michigan, and Giles; and two daughters, Laura and Lydia, the latter dying in infancy.

Simmons Martin, our subject’s father, was also a native of Connecticut, being but seven years of age when his parents moved to Solon. His wife, Lucy Wildman, bore him six children — three sons and three daughters; Jane, wife of Joseph Wavle of McGrawville; Romelia of Kansas; Ellen, deceased, wife of Simon Tarble; Horace; Orville of Oregon; and Aldin of East Freetown. Simmons Martin was a Whig, and in late life a Republican, but he gave very little time to politics, as he was a very industrious man, and his attention was closely given to the improvement of his land, in which he spent the greater part of his life, dying on his farm in Freetown.

Horace Martin was reared on the home farm, and received a common school education, that was no better nor worse than was usually given to the average country boy of that time. When he attained his majority, he at once began farming on the same property, which he now operates with such success. He now owns 217 acres of as fine farming land as can be found in his section. In addition to farming, he has devoted no small amount of his time and attention to the manufacture of butter and cheese, and now operates one of the largest plants in the county. About the spring of 1884, he became interested in the industry, mentioned above, and embarked in business on his farm, running an old factory until April, 1888, when it was burned down. He immediately set to work to rebuild, and had the new one in operation in July of the same year. This he ran until January, 1894, when he disposed of it. In the spring of 1897, he completed the largest and most thoroughly equipped creamery and cheese factory in the county, and is even now doing a large business. This new building is supplied throughout with new machinery of the latest and most approved pattern, both for the manufacture of cheese and the making of butter. The factory has the requisite facilities for utilizing the milk product of from five hundred to seven hundred cows. Our subject sells large quantities of butter and cheese, and is making the plant a most profitable investment.

In politics, Mr. Martin is a Democrat, and has served as road commissioner two terms, as supervisor in 1890 and 1891, and has represented his district a number of times as a delegate in the county conventions. He was united in matrimony with Miss Lavinia Underwood, daughter of Alanson Underwood, November 29, 1867, and two children have been born to them: Anna, born July 22, 1872, who married Clinton Maybury of McGrawville, this county; and George, born July 17, 1874, who works in the factory with his father, and lives at home. Mr. Martin is a member of Freetown Grange, No. 489.

Mrs. Horace Martin is the youngest of eight children, born to Alanson and Laura (Stafford) Underwood, who were natives of Virgil, N. Y. The Underwood family is of English extraction. At an early day, three brothers, members of the English family of Underwoods, left their native land and emigrated to the United States, taking up their home in the State of Massachusetts. The first of the Underwood family to settle in Cortland County was the grandfather of Mrs. Martin. He located in the northern part of the town of Freetown in 1798, being one of the first settlers in that section of the county. There he followed farming, and became one of the large land-owners of his time and place, being possessed of a tract comprising 900 acres. He married Jerusha Woods, and to them were born eighteen children: Erastus; Ziba; Alanson; Ruey; Ruby; Joanna; Philander; Eliab; Rosanna; Louisa; Norman; Nathan; Matilda; Vander; and four that died in infancy.

On a preceding page may be found portraits* of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Martin. Our subject is a man of decided enterprise, and is recognized throughout the county as a man of very superior business qualifications.

*A portrait was included in the original printed volume.