| Notes |
- John Jacob Martin was born in East Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., Pa.
When he was twelve years old, his parents moved to Southampton Twp.,
Franklin Co., Pa. He grew up there on his father's 160-acre farm on the
Rowe Creek at Pinola.
On November 28, 1878, he was married to Sarah Rife in Franklin Co.,
Pa. by Preacher Franklin Dysin. As the custom was then, John and Sarah
went to Lancaster County on their wedding trip, visiting all their
relatives down to their parents' cousins.
After their marriage, they lived in part of the house with John's
parents and farmed with his father. Then they started farming for
themselves on a slate land farm in Letterkenny Township.
Some time after their oldest son, Henry, was born, they became
members of the Mennonite Church.
Later they moved to the Rife home farm in Letterkenny Twp and lived
in half of the house. Sarah's parents and her two unmarried sisters,
Elizabeth and Mary, lived in the other half.
The family moved away from the Rife farm in 1897 and lived at Salem
for several years. On January 24, 1900, John bought his father's 45-acre
farm at Pinola for $1700. They moved there soon after his father's death.
While living at Pinola, they attended the Rowe Mennonite Church.
As each of the children reached maturity, five of the seven left
home for jobs in other communities. Henry weat to Illinois in 1897 and
got a job in a factory. He married and settled there. In the fall of
1902, Stephen went to Ohio and worked on a farm. Fannie also went to Ohio
and worked in homes there. In 1909, Eber went to Ohio and worked for a
farmer.
Because of this dispersing of the family to distant communities, as
well as the wide gap in age between the oldest and the youngest, the
children were never all together at the same place at the same time. Ada
did not even meet her oldest brother till she was eight; Henry was then
thirty-two.
In the winter of 1910, Clara, Henry's wife, died. Henry was left
with his two children--five-year-old Royce and two-and-a-half-year-old
Gladys. He brought them to his parents, who provided a home for them.
That winter, John and Sarah decided to move to Ohio in order that
they could be closer to their children and so that Henry would not have
to travel as far to see Royce and Gladys. They sold their farm at Pinola
to their son-in-law, Calvin Martin, and moved to Ohio in February 1911.
They lived near their son Stephen. While living there, John did day work
among the farmers. Their son, John, went to Ohio about a week before his
parents and found work in Wayne County.
In the fall of 1912, John and Sarah moved back to Pennsylvania and
rented a house in Chambersburg for about a year. But John felt he should
be on a farm for the sake of his young ones, so he bought a 52-acre farm
near Shippensburg. He farmed with one horse; all his implements were one
horse-size. After farming for about six years, he bought a house on
Philadelphia Avenue extended, north of Chambersburg near the Chambersburg
Mennonite Church, January 11, 1921.
John and Sarah were praying parents, concerned for their children's
welfare. Church attendance was a "must," and to be on time was a "must."
John commanded his children to obedience. "Right forth immediately" was
one of his expressions. They taught their children to be honest. If any
of them told a lie, it was a serious offense. Sarah was diligent in
teaching her giorls to sew and there was no getting it done quickly. If
the stitches were not little and even, they had to be ripped out and
redone until they passed her inspection.
John did day work for different farmers up to the last year of his
life. He died September 16, 1922, age 67 years, after an illness of
several months. Sarah wrote in the back of her Bible, "How I miss John's
kind and helpful hand." A neighbor commented, "John's dry humor
complemented Sarah's more negative outlook on life."
After John's death, Sarah continued living with her daughter Ada and
her grandchildren, Royce and Gladys. She was free to spend time helping
her children. She was glad to be able to go and spend a week or even a
month at one of their homes, helping as needed.
Sarah always enjoyed good health until the late spring of 1944. Her
heart weakened and she died June 18, 1944, after being in bed several
weeks. The sermon text at her funeral was Mark 14:8: "She hath done what
she could."
John and Sarah Martin are buried in the Chambersburg Mennonite
Church Cemetery, Chambersburg, Pa. Their graves are located in the second
row east from the cross drive, and the tenth marker to the right of the
main drive. ("The John Jacob Martin Family", Daniel R. Lehman, 1978.)
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1855 - 1922 (67 years)