Annual Martin Reunion

Hello Extended Martin Family, Friends, and Researchers,

It is almost time for the annual Martin Reunion. This always brings up the need for a way to communicate and a place where we can post photos, genealogy documents and other details. So we are trying a blog.

Welcome to the "Martin Family of Carroll County GA" blog. I hope you will contribute special family news, photos, newspaper clippings and other family memorabilia. Together we can discover and share the stories of the descendants and ancestors of our family. To protect privacy, publication will focus on people and events prior to 1975. More recent information will be carefully edited.

First up is our annual Martin Reunion:

Concord United Methodist Church
4694 S Hickory Level Rd
Sunday August 1 shortly before noon
Bring a covered dish to share. Paper goods and ice provided.
Donations accepted for facility and event expenses.

It is a great opportunity to catch up, visit and share some good food with our kinfolks. Who exactly are our kinfolks, the common link for us, and the reason for this annual get together?

James Edward “Ed” Martin and Martha Ann Rebecca “Becky” Shadinger married 21 January 1877 in Carroll County, Georgia. He died in 1914 and she in 1936. As I understand it, the family started coming together around Grandma Becky’s birthday (August 30) at her house during her widowhood. My daddy and his numerous cousins recalled sleeping on wall to wall pallets on the floor with one room dedicated to boys and the other to girls. The men would stay up all night tending to the barbeque while the ladies made all the other goodies. Over 200 relatives, friends and neighbors would enjoy these annual visits.

Ed and Becky Martin had 10 children of whom 9 made it to adulthood. It is their descendants who continue the tradition of the Martin Reunion. They are:

Looney or Lunie Edward “Looney” Martin (1877-1971)

John Marvin “Marvin” Martin (1879-1981)

Willie Watson “Will” Martin (1881-1967)

Georgia Martin (1882-1980)

Maude Martin (1885-1974)

Jennie Lee Martin (1887-1888)

Florence Lee “Florence” Martin ( 1889-1964)

James Clifton “Cliff” Martin (1891-1974)

Mattie Martin (1894-1993)

Seaborn Glenn “Glenn” Martin (1896-1967)

We are thankful for our ancestors Ed and Rebecca Shadinger Martin. Ed’s ancestors came to America in 1754 when John Nicholas Martin arrived in Philadelphia from Germany. He soon brought his family and migrated via North Carolina to Charleston, South Carolina. There he served as pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church for three separate terms including the time of the dedication of the building adjacent to the cemetery and during the Revolutionary War. Rev. John Nicholas Martin had a big influence on the church and community. Yet there is no fitting memorial to him at the church.

Some of the descendants have donated funds towards a memorial plaque at the church. After investigation it was determined that additional funds are needed to install a plaque in keeping with others in the sanctuary and the impact of Rev. Martin. Please consider a contribution to this fund. Contact martinfamilyofcarrollcoga@gmail.com for more information. Additional details will be available at the reunion.

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday August 1, 2010 for an enjoyable lunch. And hope to see you here for more Martin family history.