America 250
Dear Reader, I've been deep in the weeds writing the Conner family book, and sometimes the time is just perfect. As I traced my husband's Martin line back I found he has a Patriot ancestor, and what better time to share such a find than the week of the 4th of July. Meet Richard Martin Sr. He's my husband's 5th great-grandfather — and he's a Revolutionary War patriot. Richard was born January 3, 1749, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Before the Revolution, his family had made their way south to North Carolina. I know he was already there by February 28, 1775, because a land grant record in Dobbs County puts him squarely in the colony while the political crisis with Britain was still building to a head. He was already an established landowner before a single shot was fired. When the Revolution came, he didn't wait around. On May 7, 1776 — less than two months before the Declaration of Independence was signed — Richard enrolled in the First North Carolina Regi...