John Marshall Martin (March 18, 1832 – August 10, 1921) was a slaveowner, an officer in the Confederate Army, and a member of the

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...

Biography

Martin was born in

Edgefield County Edgefield County is a county located on the western border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,657. Its county seat and largest municipality is Edgefield. The county was established on March 12, 17 ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and moved to

Marion County, Florida Marion County is located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,908. Its county seat is Ocala. Marion County comprises the Ocala, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. it includes par ...

in the 1850s. Marion County Tax Book records dated 1860 attribute to Martin the ownership of 3,000 acres of land and 53 enslaved people. Martin used the forced labor of enslaved people to work his

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

, on which cotton, sugar, and rice were grown. He served in the Confederate Army and represented the state in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

, replacing James Baird Dawkins, who had resigned. Martin was Captain of the Marion Light Artillery until he was seriously wounded at the

Battle of Richmond The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, fought August 29–30, 1862, was one of the most complete Confederate victories in the war by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith against Union major general William "Bull" Nelson's forces, which were defending ...

. He surrendered under

General Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of North ...

‘s command at Appomattox Court House in 1865. He was also the last survivor of the Confederate Congress. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Ocala, Florida.

Notable relatives

Martin was the paternal grandfather of the 24th Governor of Florida,

John W. Martin John Wellborn Martin (June 21, 1884 – February 22, 1958) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Florida, 24th Governor of Florida, from 1925 to 1929. He also served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Mayor of Jacksonville, Flo ...

, by way of his son, John M. Martin Jr., whom he fathered with his first wife, Willie Wellborn (also spelled Welboren or Welborn). Martin's second wife was Sallie B. Waldo, daughter of

Benjamin Waldo Benjamin Waldo (1816 - 1871) was a doctor and state legislator in South Carolina. He relocated to Florida with his wife. Waldo, Florida is believed to have been named for him. Dr. Joseph Waldo of Newberry, South Carolina was his father. Waldo s ...

. Martin's daughter-in-law, Willie Owens Martin, was the daughter of

James Byeram Owens James Byeram Owens ( c. 1816 – August 1, 1889) was a slaveowner and American politician who served as a Deputy from Florida to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862. He mounted legal arguments in defense of seces ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, John Marshall 1832 births 1921 deaths Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Florida 19th-century American politicians Confederate States Army officers People from Edgefield County, South Carolina People from Marion County, Florida American slave owners