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Note: N201 Orson Martin was born in Bengal twp., Clinton Co., Michigan, about seven miles west of St. Johns, Clinton Co., Michigan. The 1900 census showed him as a three year old, living with his parents and his sister, Pauline, next door to his grandparents - Frederick and Anna Sell Martin. Closeby in the Bingham township were his other grandparents, Silas and Elizabeth Wohlscheid Losey. His great-grandmother, Catharine Wohlscheid, now widowed, lived with her son John not far away.
1910 census: Fulton twp., Gratiot Co., Michigan p. 364, HH#5 Orson L., son, 13, could read and write
Orson's parents moved to Gratiot Co. when he was 4 or 5 where they lived 2 miles south of Perrinton. The farm, called Springbrook, was 2 miles south of Perrinton, 80 acres, with dairying, hay, corn, oats, wheat and beans. His father kept the farm until late 30s or early 40s. Orson was working on his father's farm when he and Mabel married in 1917 and soon worked in the condensory in town. Mable taught school and worked in a book-binding company in Flint while he was in World War I, from Jan., 1918 to June, 1919. Orson was in Alsace, France from April - Nov 1918 and was on the field of combat when the Armistice was signed. After service he lived on the farm while his parents lived with Grandmother Losey at St. Johns. Ivan and Nelda born there on the farm. Then they moved to a place 1/2 mile from the farm 1920 - 1925.
1920 census: Fulton twp., Gratiot Co., Michigan, p. 2a, HH #34 William Martin, 54, farmer Adellia, wife, 51 Orson L., son, 23, farmer Mabel R., daughter-in-law, 21, teacher This census was taken between Feb. 14 and 19, 1920, so Mabel was pregnant at the time with Ivan, who was born in May, just 3 months later.
He worked as a truck driver, operated a thrashing machine, and was a mechanic. Lester was born there. The family moved to Perrinton and were there 1925 - 1926.
1930 census: Estey Street, Perrinton, Fulton Twp., Gratiot Co., Michigan, p. 3a, HH #53 Orson Martin, head, 33, salesman at a hardware store Mabel, wife, 32 Ivan, son, 9 Nelda, daughter, 7 Lester, son, 5 Wayne, son, 6 mos.
He was in the American Legion Hospital in Battle Creek and his conditon was chronic bronchitis and suspected TB, and lung difficulties suspected from poison gas (mustard gas in the war). After the hospital, they lived in Perrinton for 4 years. Wayne was born 1929. During this time Orson worked in a filling station and a hardware store. Then they moved to Middleton, 1 1/2 miles from Perrinton, where he was in the hardware business, a clerk, for 3 years.
During this time, his health was still poor, and the doctor suggested that he move to Florida, which they did in the fall of 1932. The Martins moved into a Michigan cattle-buyer's house in Istachatta, Florida. They spent the winter there, and returned to Middleton in spring of 1933 until the fall. They moved back to Istachatta in the McIndeffer house, for a year, where Richard was born in 1934. From there they moved into Shindledecker house til the fall of 1936. They traded the Istachatta house for the S. farm, and that's when Istachatta house became known as S. House, and farm as Martin farm.
From1934 - 1941 he worked for Mr. Henry Smith, mainly driving the moss route. He would buy moss from people on the road, and take it to the moss gin in Bushnell or Inverness, to be used in automobile upholstery. 1941 he began working for Food Machinery Corp (machinery for citrus groves) in Dunedin. During the war they built amphibious tanks for use in the Pacific and then converted back to food after the war's end. The corporation moved to Lakeland, and so did Martins, in Jan. 1942. He worked with them until fall, 1944. Then he worked with an auto glass company, until they moved back to the farm in summer 1945. There he worked in a tung grove. In the summer,1948, he went to work with Allen Hardware in Inverness, until Oct. 1961, when he retired.
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