Wavetops: Reconstructing Charles Martin
The burden of proof requires more evidence
The most important question in any research is: “How do you know that?” If you’re lucky, the answer prompts you to say, “Huh, that’s interesting…” and you learn something new.
If you saw last week’s post about William and Oscar Martin or the original “Family Reunion: Martin” post from last year, you already know we’re looking for what we can learn about William’s father, Charles Robert Martin (1847-1916). We know a lot, but so far, his parents have eluded us.
Let’s begin at the end, with Charles Martin’s obituary - from the 23 January 1916 edition of The Daily Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Page 7:
Charles Robert Martin, aged 65 years. died at 9:30 Friday evening at St. Bernard's hospital, where he was taken three years ago for treatment for mental trouble. He is survived by his wife, residing on East Pierce street, and two sons. W. F. Martin, 2204 Second avenue, and and O. J. Martin of Superior. Wis.
Mr. Martin was born in Virginia and had been a resident of this city for forty years. He had been retired from active years. for a number of years. He was a member of the old volunteer fire department of early days and was prominent in other local enterprises. He was a member of Hazel camp No. 171, Modern Woodmen of America.
The body was removed to Cutler's undertaking rooms and the funeral will he held in their chapel Monday morning at 10:30 o'clock. The service will be private. Interment will be made at Walnut Hill cemetery.
In addition to the easily verified facts here, we have some vague statements that will be harder to pin down. (Like not naming “his wife”—about whom we will have a lot to say at a later date.) Despite its flaws, this obituary helps us establish who we are looking for, and the evidence supporting its facts will build on that foundation.
Supporting Evidence:
1915 Iowa State Census: confirms Charles’s residence at St. Bernard’s
1916 Council Bluffs city directory: Wm F Martin living at 2204 2d av.
Building a Life
Until his commitment to St. Bernard’s in 1913, the City Directories in Council Bluffs show Charles residing at 121 East Broadway, where he ran a “confectioners”—more likely referring to a corner store that sold candy—from 1907 to 1913. The 1910 Census also gives his occupation as “Laborer/Packing house,” suggesting that he was engaged in more than one business at a time.
Before 1907, Charles worked as a watchman for the Union Pacific Railroad and resided at 918 E. Pierce (still in Council Bluffs) with city directories showing him at that address from 1889 through 1900. The Iowa state census shows the family at 417 E. Broadway in 1885, and the U.S. Census for 1880 places them in Atlantic, Cass County, Iowa.
All of these records show details that are consistent with the life of the family we’re looking for: the children (William and Oscar) and wife (Elizabeth) are recorded, and the addresses match over the years. The records that give Charles’s middle initial, “R,” are consistent—this is useful for distinguishing him from other men named Charles Martin living in Council Bluffs over the years.
Now we hit the limits of what Ancestry has to tell us. There is an 1870 Census record showing Charles and Lizzie living in Merrick County, Nebraska (two months before Oscar’s birth in Nebraska), and marriage records for Charles Martin and Elizabeth Caughey in Henry County, Iowa.
We are left with precious few clues to Charles’s origins after all of that. His grave marker gives a birth date of 2 Apr 1847, and the census records that give a birth date are consistent with that. Most sources say he was born in Virginia; one says West Virginia, which did not exist before 1863, so I’m inclined to think his birthplace was in the western counties that became West Virginia.
But, if we go over to FamilySearch.org, we find one tiny clue: his Iowa death record provides a father’s name for Charles: Robert Martin.1
Huh. That’s interesting…
What Do We Know About Robert?
Charles’s census records that ask for this information give Robert’s place of birth as “Virginia”—the 1880 and 1910 censuses. It is reasonable to guess that Robert resided in Virginia in 1847, and the best place to look for evidence is in the 1850 Census; we should find a Robert Martin (born in VA) with a 3-year-old son named Charles.
That isn’t a lot to go on, and the searches I’ve been able to try haven’t turned up anything useful. It is possible that Robert died when Charles was a baby, or that the informant on Charles’s death record was wrong about his name.
Whatever the case may be, we appear to be at the end of our search for the present. Unless we can uncover more clues, Charles Robert Martin is our “Wavetop” for this family.
For now.
"Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992", FamilySearch: Entry for Charles Robert Martin and Robert Martin, 21 Jan 1916.