Blog post #1001: The family of Martin Root Jr. 1753-1822

If you don't mind my saying so, this family intrigues me.  Martin is a DAR recognized Revolutionary War soldier, for one thing.  For another, in his later years he moved from Westfield, Massachusetts, to Montgomery, (still in Hampshire County), Massachusetts and then later still to the Buchanan Settlement in Harrison County of what is now West Virginia.  Why did he leave Massachusetts, the home of his ancestors for generations?  So far, all I can deduce is that members of his family as well as other settlers from Montgomery traveled and settled together.  I'd love to find the rest of this story!

Martin was the son of Martin and Eunice Lamb Root, of Westfield, Massachusetts.  He was born in 1753 and died in 1822.  He was married twice, as I just recently learned.  His first wife is Ruth Noble, the daughter of Stephen and Ruth Church Noble.  She died in 1790 and he then married Lois Smith, the daughter of Warham and Martha Belding Smith, in 1793.  I have seen her referred to as Ann Lois, but the marriage records of Westfield list her name as Lois, so that is the name I'm using.

Martin and Ruth had at least 6 children together, all born in Westfield.  What I find fascinating about this family is that three of the six children married siblings, the children of Daniel and Rebekah Bosworth Barrett.  These two families must have been very close friends, probably members of the same church, and the cousin relationships are hard to keep straight.  

Noble Root was their first son.  He married Damaris Barrett, daughter of Daniel and Rebekah Bosworth Barrett.  Their children are Alanson, Belinda, Cynthia, Rebecca, Laurinda, Oriliana, and George.  After Damaris died, Noble then married Harriet Bushnell, the daughter of Ebenezer and Susanna Hubbard Bushnell.  They had three daughters-Harriet, Elizabeth and Susan. Noble died in 1831 in Granville, Licking County, Ohio.

Martin was the next born, in 1781.  He married Mary Barrett, daughter of Daniel and Rebekah Bosworth Barrett, and sister to Damaris above.  Their children are Marcus Aurelius, Linus, Mary, Moses, Martha, Samuel, Lysander and Damaris.  Martin died in 1838 in Granville, Licking County, Ohio.  

Ruth was the next born, in 1784 and she was their first daughter.  She married Samuel Falley, the son of Richard and Margaret Hitchcock Falley.  Their children are Lois, Clarissa, Richard, Charles, Samuel, Francis, Ruth, Edmund, Linus, Eunice and Charlotte.  (So many of these names are used over and over, I certainly hope I haven't mis-identified any!)   Ruth died in 1862 in Granville, Licking County, Ohio.

Charlotte was born in 1786.  She married Theodore Stearns, the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Edwards Stearns.  Their children are Mary, Charlotte, Daniel or/and possibly David, Henry, and Theodore.  She died in 1863 in Easthampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts.   I usually ignore middle names when I name the children, but this one is so unusual it must be mentioned.  Theodore's middle name was Obookiah.  He was likely named for Henry Obookiah, a native Hawaiian who was educated in Connecticut as a Christian pastoral candidate, but who died of typhus before he could return to Hawaii.  It would certainly be interesting to know how close Charlotte or Theodore were to this man, and the source of their relationship! Theodore is noted as being a deacon, so it's likely that there was a connection through church.

Charles was the next son, born in 1789.  He married Mary Jackson, the daughter of John and Jemima Davison Jackson.  Their children are Jemima, Charles, Elizabeth, William, another William, Carlton, Henry, Charlotte, and Truman.  Charles died in 1847 in Edwards County, Illinois.

Martin and Ruth's last child was Eunice, born in 1790.  (Ruth's death that same year may well have been connected to the childbirth.)  She died June 29, 1822 in West Virginia.  Her husband was Elisha Dow Barrett, son of Daniel and Rebekah Bosworth Barrett.  In the approximate six years of their marriage, they had four children-Lysander, Louisa, Eunice and Louvinia.  

Martin and Lois, his second wife, had at least two children.  

Edmund was born in 1795 and married Eva Reinhart, the daughter of George and Susannah Wiles Reinhart.Their children are George, Susan, Mary Jane, Flora, and a son who died in infancy.  Edmund died in 1848 in Bone Gap, Edwards, Illinois.  

Linus was born in 1797. He married Martha Burr, the daughter of John and Mary (Polly) Copeland Burr.  (If we follow the Burr line back far enough, she was a descendant of John and Mary Warren Burr, who are ancestors on the Holbrook side of the family).  Their children are Lois, Louisa, Martin, John, Mary Jane, Edmund, Linus, David, Charles, David again, Martha, and Richard.  Linus also died in 1848 in Bone Gap, Edwards County, Illinois. 

Martin is credited with 64 grandchildren.  His children settled mostly in Granville, Ohio and Bone Gap, Illinois, although one stayed behind in Massachusetts and one died shortly after arriving in West Virginia.  The family was growing as the country grew, thanks to the efforts of men like Martin, and other Revolutionary War soldiers mentioned in this post without reference to their military service.