THE BLUE HOLE - "Mother Martin" Jumps In At Age 70!
MARY SUSAN AUSTIN MARTIN
"Mother Martin"
BORN: July 18, 1859 DeKalb County, TN
DIED: February 12, 1942 Silver Point (Putnam Co), TN
Buried in Martin Family Cemetery - Baxter, TN
The photo above was taken around 1940
in Dry Creek, DeKalb County, Tennessee.
Dry Creek (DeKalb County) - along Dry Creek Road (according to deeds, there are 5,600 acres of land in the Dry Creek Community. The Valley is a long strip of rich fertile farmland with many hollows extended on both sides of the main Dry Creek Road. There is a steam of water in each of the hollows which flow into the main Dry Creek Stream.
Interesting Tidbit:
Mary Susan's Husband was Felix Matheson (Matt) Martin.
His father was Ammon Asbury Martin
and his mother was Parzetta E. Martin.
Ammon and Parzetta are my
Great-Great Grandparents on my
Daddy's Mother's side of the family.
Mary Susan is a 1st cousin 3X removed on my
Daddy's Daddy's side of the family.
In 1880 the family lived in District 8 of Putnam County, TN.
In 1900, Mary Susan is widowed at the age of 52.
She is listed as the head of the house, widowed with children, and living in the 14th Civil District of DeKalb County, TN.
MARY SUSAN AUSTIN
(1859 - 1942)
1st cousin 3x removed
mother of Mary Susan Austin
father of Susan Betty Robinson
(My 2nd Great Grandmother)
daughter of John William Robinson
(Great Grandmother)
daughter of Elizabeth Robinson
son of Louisiana Ann Gracy
son of William Luther Allison
daughter of Ernest Haywood Allison
Mary Susan's father was Solomon Austin and her mother was Susan Robinson Austin. Solomon is listed as TENN. CONSCRIPT - which means he was inducted into the military against his will. He is one of 6,000 Confederate soldiers buried in Oak Woods Cemetery, Confederate Mount, Chicago, Illinois. Solomon died as a Prisoner of War at Camp Douglas in Chicago. The photo below is Oak Woods Cemetery.
Mary Susan and her twin brothers, Ammon and Albert learned to swim in the "Blue Hole" (a swimming hole - a large number of 'blue holes' were known - not sure which one this one is) Susan outdid both the boys. She was very competitive all her life and tried to outdo them and most of the time she did. She would dive from the top of the bluff into the Blue Hole with a dress on.
She would pull her dress up between her legs and pin it in place before she jumped--an awesome sight!
The last time she did this act she was in her 70's!
I want to be just like her!
She would pull her dress up between her legs and pin it in place before she jumped--an awesome sight!
The last time she did this act she was in her 70's!
I want to be just like her!
DeKalb County, TN - 1888 MAP
1860 District Map - DeKalb County, TN
After her husband Matt died in 1908, she never remarried and she raised her children alone. She ran a grist mill on Dry Creek. The water ran the big wheel to grind corn and wheat.
This mill belonged to the Cripps' family.
They lived in the same area.
http://www.dekalbtennessee.com
In the back yard, just before the hills started, was the Austin Family cemetery covered by a grape arbor. Across the creek and to the left of the porch was a huge cedar grove. Timber was sold from there which was another source of income for her.
They lived in the same area.
http://www.dekalbtennessee.com
In the back yard, just before the hills started, was the Austin Family cemetery covered by a grape arbor. Across the creek and to the left of the porch was a huge cedar grove. Timber was sold from there which was another source of income for her.
Susan drank tea laced with whiskey every afternoon.
She considered it a good tonic. She raised and sheared sheep, dyed the wool with various vegetable dyes and spun the yarn, knitted and wove garments.
Some of the dyes were black walnut, with bits and pieces of dirt from "Copper Hill" included which made a beautiful bitter-sweet pink color.
She also raised and dug Ginseng for sale to China.
She considered it a good tonic. She raised and sheared sheep, dyed the wool with various vegetable dyes and spun the yarn, knitted and wove garments.
Some of the dyes were black walnut, with bits and pieces of dirt from "Copper Hill" included which made a beautiful bitter-sweet pink color.
She also raised and dug Ginseng for sale to China.
She collected stamps from all over.
Susan hated the Yankees. None of the Austin's had slaves and just wanted to be left alone. But, unfortunately, things didn't work out that way. Yankees came and took all their winter food supply. They took hams, bacon, leather britches, potatoes, and caught all the chickens. They left the dried pumpkins because they didn't know what it was. The pumpkin was dried for pies in the winter. These things happened about 1863 or 1864. One night, to keep from being killed by the Yankees, her father, Solomon, hid in the cellar under a sheet with dried pumpkin on top to keep from being found by the Yankees. He left that same night around midnight to try to get to Kentucky or Shiloh to join up with the Confederacy. At that time, Tennessee was trying to decide if they would secede from the Union or not. Solomon was never seen again. Solomon died a prisoner of war at Camp Douglas, Illinois. Mary Susan was only 3 years old when the Civil War broke out. The loss of her father was the beginning of a pattern for Mary Susan.
Her mother, Susan Austin, raised her children alone as did Mary Susan. Mary Susan made mattresses from fresh wheat straw every year. After the wheat was thrashed, large quantities of wheat straw were put up in the loft for storing apples, vegetables and for the making of mattresses. Each bed had a feather bed made of ticking and filled with goose feathers gathered from her geese that roamed the farm. The beds were so high, steps were needed to get into them. She had an ash hopper to make lye to use in making soap. She made soap every February right after the hog killing. Lard was rendered and stored in the smokehouse. She canned cracklings and sausage. The bacon and hams were smoked and cured in a huge curing box in the smoke house. There was always ham or bacon hanging in the smokehouse. The other room there was for storing canned goods. The fire never went out and helped to keep the jars from freezing.
Her daughter, Maggie, died at age 43 in 1935. She was devastated to lose her youngest and greatest love. It was Mother Martin (as she was called) who took care of Maggie's children after their mother died. Maggie was bedridden for a long time, from August to December of 1935. Not really so long, but it seemed a long time for her children. Susan continued caring for the children until Maggie's husband, Fate began courting, Estelle Fleming. Mary Susan and her son-in-law, Fate, did not get along after Estelle came into the picture. Neither one liked the other and neither would compromise. Once Fate married Estelle, Estelle began causing much family friction.
In 1940, Susan moved back to Dry Creek. In the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Mary Susan (age 81) is listed as widowed, head of house, living in rural DeKalb County, working as a farmer, and taking care of a number of grandchildren.
Some Austin family members grave sites were moved from Austin Family farm when Tennessee Valley Authority took over her property.
KNOWN SIBLINGS
John Jesse Austin - Illinois M Austin
Hiram R Austin - Albert Riley Austin -
Ammon Wylie Austin
PARENTS
Solomon Wiley Austin (1815 - 1863) and
Susan Betty Robinson (1825-1877)
SPOUSE
Felix Matheson Martin (1859 - 1908)
CHILDREN
Liona Parsetta Martin Mooneyham (1879 - 1955)
Albert Neal Martin (1882 - 1951)
Solomon Oscar Martin (1884 - 1914)
Ammon Hershel Martin (1887 - 1952)
Maggie Illinois Martin Patton (1892 - 1935)
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