Martin, Samuel

Abt 1759 - 1832  (~ 73 years)

• Name	Martin, Samuel
  Birth	Abt 1759
  	Birth date calculated from date of and age at death (73 years) on grave monument. Samuel's birthplace is undocumented but may be Connnecticut, Massachusetts or Vermont. Our Samuel Martin may be the same as the Samuel Martin (I726) bap. 1758 in Woodbury, Connecticut or the Samuel Martin (I1949). born 1758 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1783	Lanesborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts
  	Samuel's son Silas was born in Massachusetts about 1783. Lanesborough is an hypothesis.
  Land	2 Oct 1787	Samuel Martin's Land, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York, USA
  	Samuel Martin, his brother-in-law Samuel Baker and Josiah Skinner (unrelated) leased lot 147 (164 acres) in the Town of Rensselaerville from Stephen van Rensselaer III, the Patroon of Rensselaerwyck. The pin on the map (below) is the estimated position of the southern boundary of lot 147. Samuel's brothers-in-law, Rowland and Levi Greene, leased lot 166, the adjacent lot to the north. A copy of the lease is under documents, below.
  Residence	1790	Rensselaerville, Albany, New York   [1]
  	Samuel Martin is found in the 1790 US census for Rensselaerville, Albany County with his brothers- in-law Levi (Levy) Greene, Rowland Greene, Samuel Baker and Jonathan Joice (Joyce). Also living in nearby Middleburgh, Schoharie, New York were Timothy Greene, who might have been Samuel's father-in-law, Wardwell Greene and James Greene, but it is not clear if they were related.
  Financial	1 Oct 1793	Catskill, Greene, New York, USA   [2]
  	Samuel had debts as indicated by this advertisement: "Lost on 30th day of September, a large black leather pocket book containing 5 notes of £.17.17 0 each, 1 of £.6.0.0. due in January next: 1 for two Cows, valued each at 5 pounds. The whole of above Notes on Samuel Martin of Rensselaerville. — A handsome reward will be given to any person who will deliver the above Pocket Book and its contents, at the Printing Office Catskill, by Neal McBall.
  Civic Organization	13 Mar 1798	Rensselaerville, Albany, New York   [3]
  	Samuel was a founding member of the Rensselaerville Federal Library. Each share cost $2.00, but I don't know the number of shares he bought.
  Relocation	Mar 1800  [4]
  	Burford, Upper Canada (now Ontario)
  	Samuel moved from New York with his wife and nine children (six sons and three daughters). He lived at first on lot 9 on Dundas Street with his brother-in-law Samuel Baker who had arrived two years earlier. His son Earl is believed to have stayed behind in Middleburgh, where his Greene relatives were living. Earl joined his parents in Canada after he married.
  Naturalization	26 May 1800	York, Upper Canada   [4]
  	Swore allegiance to the Crown
  Land	3 Jun 1800	York, Upper Canada   [4, 5]
  	Petitioned for a grant of Lot 20 on Dundas Street in the Eastern Division of Oxford River Thames. (See letter to Maud Latham under documents, below.)
  	Petition was approved by the Lt. Governor, 18 May 1804, but by that time he had already been granted a Crown Patent on Lot 24, Concession 1 in Burford.
  Land	3 Jun 1800	York, Upper Canada   [6]
  	Petitioned to lease Lot 8 on Dundas Street in Burford. This land was directly across the road from from the land he bought in 1808.
  	Dundas Street is now known as Governors Road and Oxford County route 2. It divides Blenheim to the north from Burford to the south.
  Land	5 Sep 1801	Lot 24, Concession 1, Burford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
  	Samuel received a Crown Patent on 200 acres of land in Burford (see document below). in 1808 he sold 100 acres to his son Calvin. In 1810 he sold 100 acres to James Griffin who sold it to Calvin in 1815.
  Military Service	1800 -1805	Oxford, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Served in the Burford and then Blenheim Company of the First Regiment Oxford Militia.
  	In June 1805, the Company comprised 1 officer and 37 non-commissioned officers and men. Of these, 22 were AWOL including "such good men and true, as James Smiley, Comfort Sage, the Martins [meaning Samuel and his sons Silas and Calvin], Eatons and Burches, etc." Apparently the problem was severe disorganization within the Company rather than any unwillingness to serve.
  Land	22 Sep 1808	Lot 8, Concession 1, Blenheim, Oxford, Ontario, Canada   [8, 9]
  	Samuel bought Lot 8 and then sold the property piecemeal. In 1813 he sold the last piece to his son Elial. (Blenheim is now Blandford-Blenheim.)
  Death	28 Aug 1832
  Burial	Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, Oxford, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I27	Martin-Bloom
  Last Modified	5 Jul 2020

  
  

  Family	Greene, Silence,   b. 14 Apr 1762, Coventry, Kent, Rhode Island, d. 29 May 1811, Blenheim, Oxford, Ontario, Canada (Age 49 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1780	Lanesborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts
  	Samuel and Silence very likely were married in Lanesborough or a nearby town, although no record has been located yet. Silence's family moved to Lanesborough in 1773 when she was 11, her sister Huldah was married in Lanesborough in 1782, and Silence's son Silas was born in Massachusetts in 1783.
  Children	+ 1. Martin, Earl,   b. 15 Jun 1780   d. 1 Aug 1837, Brantford, Canada West, Canada (Age 57 years) + 2. Martin, Silas,   b. 1783, Massachusetts, USA d. 22 Feb 1858, Sterling, Whiteside, Illinois, USA (Age 75 years)   3. Martin, Eunice,   b. 1785, USA d. Aug 1875, Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada (Age 90 years) + 4. Martin, Calvin,   b. 1787, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. 5 Mar 1875, Blenheim, Oxford, Ontario, Canada (Age 88 years) + 5. Martin, Elial,   b. 1787 or 1789, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. 5 Apr 1873, Woodstock, Oxford, Ontario, Canada (Age 84 years)   6. Martin, Lydia,   b. 1790, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. Ontario, Canada + 7. Martin, Martha Matilda,   b. 21 Sep 1792, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. 24 Nov 1874, Ensley, Newaygo, Michigan, USA (Age 82 years)   8. Martin, Francis,   b. 1796, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. 13 Mar 1869, Blenheim, Oxford , Ontario, Canada (Age 73 years)   9. Martin, George,   b. 1798, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. 14 Jul 1870, Blenheim, Oxford , Ontario, Canada (Age 72 years)   10. Martin, Solomon,   b. 1798, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York d. 15 Feb 1809, Blenheim, Oxford, Ontario, Canada (Age 11 years)   11. Martin, Reuben,   b. Abt 1802, Oxford, Ontario, Canada d. 17 Apr 1881, West Oxford, Oxford, Ontario, Canada (Age ~ 79 years)
  Family ID	F10	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Oct 2016

  
  

• Event Map		Marriage - Abt 1780 - Lanesborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts Residence - Samuel's son Silas was born in Massachusetts about 1783. Lanesborough is an hypothesis. - 1783 - Lanesborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts Land - Samuel Martin, his brother-in-law Samuel Baker and Josiah Skinner (unrelated) leased lot 147 (164 acres) in the Town of Rensselaerville from Stephen van Rensselaer III, the Patroon of Rensselaerwyck. The pin on the map (below) is the estimated position of the southern boundary of lot 147. Samuel's brothers-in-law, Rowland and Levi Greene, leased lot 166, the adjacent lot to the north. A copy of the lease is under documents, below. - 2 Oct 1787 - Samuel Martin's Land, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York, USA Residence - Samuel Martin is found in the 1790 US census for Rensselaerville, Albany County with his brothers- in-law Levi (Levy) Greene, Rowland Greene, Samuel Baker and Jonathan Joice (Joyce). Also living in nearby Middleburgh, Schoharie, New York were Timothy Greene, who might have been Samuel's father-in-law, Wardwell Greene and James Greene, but it is not clear if they were related. - 1790 - Rensselaerville, Albany, New York Civic Organization - Samuel was a founding member of the Rensselaerville Federal Library. Each share cost $2.00, but I don't know the number of shares he bought. - 13 Mar 1798 - Rensselaerville, Albany, New York Land - Samuel received a Crown Patent on 200 acres of land in Burford (see document below). in 1808 he sold 100 acres to his son Calvin. In 1810 he sold 100 acres to James Griffin who sold it to Calvin in 1815. - 5 Sep 1801 - Lot 24, Concession 1, Burford, Brant, Ontario, Canada Land - Samuel bought Lot 8 and then sold the property piecemeal. In 1813 he sold the last piece to his son Elial. (Blenheim is now Blandford-Blenheim.) - 22 Sep 1808 - Lot 8, Concession 1, Blenheim, Oxford, Ontario, Canada Burial - - Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, Oxford, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Documents » Slide Show		1790 US Census, Rensselaerville, Albany, New York Samuel Martin is listed in the right hand column near the bottom of the page. Samuel Baker and Levi (Levy) Greene are in the left column.
  		1787 Lease of land in Rensselaerville, Albany, New York to Samuel Martin, Samuel Baker and Josiah Skinner. Lease for lot 147 (164 acres) in the Rensselaerwyck Manor West to Josiah Skinner, Samuel Martin and Samuel's brother-in-law Samuel Baker. Rowland Green and Levi Green, who were brothers-in-law to both Samuels, leased lot 166, which was the adjacent lot to the north.
  		Historical Marker at the Baptist Church of Preston Hollow Four members of the Green family and their spouses were almost certainly founding members of this church in 1787 (Silence Green and Samuel Martin, Huldah Green and Samuel Baker, Levi Green and Asenath Robinson, and Rowland Green and Elizabeth Champlain). Elder Timothy Green, their father, was the first pastor of the church (abt 1790).
  		Martin, Samuel land petition (608 KB pdf). Letter to Maud Latham from Public Archives of Canada showing Samuel's arrival in Canada, that he stayed with his brother-in-law Samuel Baker upon arrival, that he swore allegiance to the Crown, his request for a land grant, and its approval.
  		Martin, Samuel: Land Petition Samuel's petition for a grant of Lot 20 in the Eastern Division of Oxford River Thames, Upper Canada (now Ontario). Image courtesy of Frank Martin.
  		Martin, Samuel: Lease Petition Samuel's petition to lease Lot 8 on Dundas Street in Burford, Upper Canada. Image courtesy of Frank Martin.
  		Martin, Samuel -- Abstract Index of Deeds for Concession 1, Lot 24 in the Township of Burford. This document is a record of the transactions on this parcel from the awarding of a Crown Patent to Samuel on 5 Sep 1801 through 18 Mar 1890 (registry date).
  		1787 Lease of land in Basick (Rensselaerville), Albany, New York to Rowland Greene and Levi Greene Lease of Lot 166 (155 acres) in the West Manor of Rensselaerwyck to Rowland Greene and his brother Levi. Their brothers-in-law Samuel Martin and Samuel Baker along with Josiah Skinner (unrelated) leased lot 147, which was adjacent to the south.

  
  

  Headstones		Martin, Samuel and Silence Greene The memorial was a stone box. The inscriptions were on the top (which was cracked) and were badly eroded and sometimes illegible. In addition to Samuel and Silence, the monument also memorialized their son Solomon, who died as a boy, and also their son Elial and his wife Mary and several of their sons. Inscriptions: [illegible] the remains of / SAMUEL MARTIN / who died Aug 28[?], 1832 aged 73 yrs / SILENCE / his wife died May 29, 1811 48[?] yrs / sons of Elial and Mary Martin / SUMMERS/ died Mar[?] 3 1812[?] / ANDREW / died Oct[?] 17 1812 / ISAAC / died Dec 1 1816 AE 11 yrs / JACOB / died April 16 1851 AE 22 yrs / SOLOMON / died Feb 15 1809 AE 11 yrs / ELIAL MARTIN died Apr[?]1873 / Aged 81[?] yrs | MARY / wife of ELIAL MARTIN / died M[?] 1812 / aged 29 yrs Plot: Pioneer Section
  		Martin, Samuel and Silence Greene Inscription on memorial.

  
  

• Notes

  It is unclear why Samuel Martin and his family emigrated to Canada. Some descendants have said that Samuel was a loyalist, but it is impossible to determine the accuracy of this assertion or how strong his loyalist opinions were, if in fact he was a loyalist. Certainly he remained in the United States for many years after the Revolutionary War. We don't know if Samuel served in the war, but he did not try to avoid Revolutionary War veterans, as both Josiah Skinner, with whom he shared the lease in Rensselaerville, and Levi Greene, his brother-in-law who lived on a neighboring lot, were soldiers in the War. Another and probably important factor in the family's decision to emigrate was the availability of free land in Canada, as their situation in Rensselaerville was unfavorable. Samuel and his partners leased land in Rensselaerville from the Patroon Stephen van Rensselaer III, who owned the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, an almost feudal fiefdom which had been founded by Kiliaen van Rensselaer in the 1630's. The Manor of Rensselaerwyck was a 1000 sq. mile block of land divided by the Hudson River. It included most of present day Albany and Rensselaer Counties and small parts of adjacent counties. For 150 years after its founding, most of Rensselaerwyck was vacant land. In the 1780's, Stephen van Rensselaer tried to improve his income by having his property surveyed so that he could systematically lease lots to the farmers he was trying to attract to his land. Some people, known as squatters, were already living on the land, and he forced them to sign leases. (Samuel and his partners may have been squatters, as we do not know exactly where they lived before they signed the lease.) Farmers were offered leases to clear and farm the land for several years for a nominal rent after which they would pay full rent to the Patroon in perpetuity. If a tenant wanted to sell his lease (after turning wilderness into farmland), the landlord took 25% of the sale price. The farmers were obligated to pay all taxes. The Patroon retained mineral, water, and timber rights, and all rights to build mills and roads on the land. This system of tenant farmers continued until Stephen died in 1839. When Stephen's heirs began to rigidly enforce the leases, the farmers rebelled and there was a period of turbulence called the rent wars. Eventually, Stephen's heirs sold the land to speculators and Rensselaerwyck dissolved. Samuel and his partners signed a standard lease which contained all of the restrictions favoring the Patroon, including the payment to the Patroon of 25% of the selling price were they to sell the lease. They were allowed to develop lot 147 for farming for six years at the cost of one peppercorn per year. After that they had to pay 30 skipples of good merchantable winter wheat, four fat fowls, and a day's service with carriage and horses per annum (one skipple was about 3/4 of a bushel). Under these circumstances, Samuel would never have a chance to own land or to build an independent life for his family. This would have been a strong motive to leave -- which he did in 1800. Samuel's in-laws (the Greene siblings) also had left Rensselaerville by 1800. Jonathan and Molly (Greene) Joice and Levi Greene bought land in nearby Middleburgh, Schoharie County in 1797, Samuel and Huldah (Greene) Baker arrived in Burford, Canada in 1798, and Rowland Greene was in Middleburgh in 1800. [1, 10, 11, 12] Research: The problem of Samuel's ancestors. The only record I know for Samuel's birth year is his grave monument, which gives his date and age at death (73 years). It is possible Samuel was born or raised in Lanesboro, Massachusetts. Samuel's wife's family (the Greenes) lived in Lanesboro and probably neighboring Cheshire after it was formed, and Silence's sister Huldah married Samuel Baker in Lanesboro. (See the History of town of Lanesborough, Massachusetts, 1741-1905 [Book on Ancestry.com]) Five of the Greene siblings (Levi, Rowland, Huldah, Silence and Mary) and their families moved to Rensselaerville, New York; all were in the 1790 US Census for Rensselaerville. Our Samuel did live in Massachusetts, as his son Silas was born there circa 1783 [See Silas Martin (I533).] One candidate to be our Samuel's father is Captain Samuel Martin, the second settler of Lanesborough. Capt. Samuel Martin is the same person as the Samuel Martin (b 1722; I29 on this site) of Cothren's History of Ancient Woodbury, who married Ann Hurd and was the father of a Samuel Martin bapt. 1758. However, there is no documentary evidence connecting our Samuel to Capt. Samuel. There was a Samuel Martin of Lanesborough who was in the Revolutionary War. The record of this Samuel Martin in All Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, 17 Vols. (Appendix IX) reads "Martin, Samuel, Lanesborough. Receipt dated Lauesborough, April 23, 1781, for bounty paid said Martin by Gideon Wheler, on behalf of the town of Lanesborough, to serve in the Continental Army for the term of 3 years; also, descriptive list dated Lenox, Aug. 20, 1781, of men raised in Berkshire Co., agreeable to resolve of Dec. 2, 1780, and delivered to William Walker, Superintendent for said county; Capt. Brown's co., Col. Simonds's regt.; age, 28 yrs. [i.e. b. 1753]; stature, 5 ft. 7 in.; complexion, freckled; hair, sandy; occupation, laborer; residence, Lanesborough; enlisted for town of Lanesborough; enlistment, 3 years; receipted for by Capt. Smith." Thus, the soldier Samuel Martin would be too old to be our Samuel, if the record in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors and on our Samuel's grave monument are both correct. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors listed seven Samuel Martins as Revolutionary War Soldiers. [13, 14] Acknowledgements: I thank Frank Martin and Mary Lou Finn for their contributions to my knowledge of the early generations of the Martin and Green Families. I have had very interesting e-mail discussion with each of them. Frank pointed me to information on Rensselaerville and provided documents on Samuel's land in Ontario. Frank also provided information on Silas Martin, as did Mary Lou.

  
  

• Sources

  [S126] 1790 US Census, (National Archives and Records Administration), Rensselaerville, Albany, New York; Roll: M637_6; Page: 187; Image: 108; Family History Library Film: 0568146. [S161] Catskill Packet, Vol II, number 60, 1 Oct 1793, 071 E12 84 25695 NY. [S159] Shareholder List -- Rensselaerville Federal Library. [S40] Maud Martin Latham's papers (in file), Letter from Public Archives of Canada dated 25 May 1948. In file. [S148] Martin Family Records, Copy of land petition in file, courtesy of Frank Martin. [S148] Martin Family Records, Copy of lease petition in file, courtesy of Frank Martin. [S144] R. Cuthertson Muir, Early History of Burford, (Le Cie D'Imprimerie Commerciale, Quebec), pp. 8, 189, 200-201. [S147] Abstract Index to Deeds, Oxford County, Blenheim Township, Vol A. Concession 1 Lot 8. [S148] Martin Family Records, Copy of Abstract Index to Deeds in file, courtesy of Frank Martin. [S29] L. Frederick Martin's papers, Genealogy summary, p. 2. [S122] Henry Christman, Tin Horns and Calico, (Cornwalville, New York: Hope Farm Press, 1978.). [S153] Stephen Van Rensselaser III, Lease on lot 147 in Rensselaerville (copy in file), (Manor of Renselaerwyck). [S85] Charles J. Palmer, History of Lanesborough, Massachusetts, (N.p.: Author, 1906.). [S102] Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolutionary War, (Wright and Potter Printing Co., state printers 1896-1908), Appendix IX, 973.3444 qA2.