John Marlin (October 17, 1792 – March 12, 1847) was a colonist in

Mexican Texas Mexican Texas is the historiographical name used to refer to the era of Texan history between 1821 and 1836, when it was part of Mexico. Mexico gained independence in 1821 after winning its war against Spain, which began in 1810. Initially, ...

who was the namesake of

Marlin, Texas Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,462 at the 2020 census. Since 1851, it has been the county seat of Falls County. Marlin has been given the nickname "The Hot Mineral Water Cit ...

. He was also a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. According to a descendant, John and his brother James Marlin emigrated from Ireland, while genealogists state he was born in

Madison County, Alabama Madison County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 388,153, making it the third-most populous county in Alabama. Its county seat is Huntsville. Since the mid-20th centu ...

. He came to Texas in 1832 and settled near

Sarahville de Viesca, Texas Sarahville de Viesca or Fort Milam or Bucksnort is a ghost town in Falls County, Texas, United States. The settlement was established in 1834 by Sterling C. Robertson and named for his mother Mrs. Sarah (née Maclin) Robertson and Agustín Viesca ...

, in

Robertson's Colony Robertson's Colony was an empresario colonization effort during the Mexican Texas period. It is named after Sterling C. Robertson, but had previously been known by other names. It has also been referred to as the Nashville Colony, after the Ten ...

. John was granted a league of land (4,428 acres) east of the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...

in 1835 and started a settlement later honored on his behalf years after his death. Marlin's son-in-law, Samuel Blain, laid out the streets and lots of the town. John Marlin's wife was Mary Menefee Marlin (1789–1845), whom he married in Tennessee in 1817. The family left because of violent clashes with the Native Americans, but John and Mary returned to Bucksnort by 1837, near Fort Milam, along with the George Morgan family. There was a massacre in January 1839 that left several of the Morgans dead. John and Mary Marlin had seven children: *John Menefee Marlin (February 3, 1818 – November 4, 1836) *William Nimrod Perry Marlin (February 22, 1820 – January 1, 1871) *Louisa A. Marlin (born May 2, 1823), married Samuel A. Blain on May 19, 1841 *Rufus Anderson Marlin (January 9, 1824 – 1866) *Ashley Stephen Marlin (January 2, 1827 – September 30, 1885) *Oakley Dean Marlin (October 8, 1830 – died before July 25, 1853) *Emily O. Marlin (May 7, 1833 – died before 1851), married to James Wimberley Marlin died in Bucksnort in 1847. In 1850, when Falls County was established, the settlement was changed to Marlin and made the county seat.

References

American people of Irish descent People of the Republic of Texas Marlin, Texas 1792 births 1847 deaths {{Texas-bio-stub