The first comers settled open, untilled, rich, fertile land and many of them were extended headright grants by the State of Texas for settling it. A man could obtain 300 acres of good, rich land for $30.00 and three years in which to pay for it. He usually paid off the mortgage after harvesting one crop.
Owlet Green was also the first religious community in the area, pre-dating Colfax, which later became the site of the famous mass-attended camp meetings, and ultimately the religious center for that part of the county. Other churches were subsequently established, after the Civil War, when thousands of people left the southern United States and migrated westward. One of these was Marvin's Chapel Methodist Church, the cemetery of which contains many of those who settled in or near Owlet Green.
Information relating to Owlet Green had been hearsay, handed down by old timers, until 1962 when Truman Tunnell, of Van, Texas, uncovered an old ledger in a trunk at the home of his aunt, Mrs. Sam Wilson, nee Birdie Tunnell, that it became possible to establish factually and accurately the scope of activity in the community of Owlet Green. The ledger was kept by the various Justices of the Peace and Notaries Public as the official record of the community.
By 1884, about 32 years after being settled, the community was fairly well developed. And it did not go out of existence overnight. First, a few families pulled away, and so did a business. Business continued falling off until the last one closed up his shop and moved away in the 1940s. Today, all that remains of Owlet Green is the ruins of a concrete foundation in the corner of a pasture. The ledger contains, in original hands of the various Justices of the Peace, the affidavits, estrays deeds, oaths, marriages, and mortgages executed in this community. The ledger is an excellent source for the original inhabitants of Owlet Green. It is rich in genealogical information.
A lot of mighty good people made up this community which was the flourishing center of trade in the last years of the 19th century. Most are gone now, but are not forgotten.
My sister, Jean and I, visited the area where our Martin ancestors lived and raised families in the Owlet Green community during the late 1800s and early 1900s. We had a map of the area marking the locations of all the Martins homesteads. The map was provided by Nell Everett, whose husband, Billy J. Everett, was a Martin descendant. She had done years of research on the Martin family and Van Zandt county. Below is a picture I took of the ruins of a concrete foundation in the corner of a pasture on property that was our great great grandfather's homestead and believed to be the remains of Owlet Green.
Bibliographies:
Van Zandt County History Book Committee, History of Van Zandt County (Dallas, 1984).
The Colfax Homecoming Committee, Colfax, Edited by Jack Geddie (Henry L. Geddie, Pub., 1963).
Billy Jo and Nell are my husband's grandparents. I somehow stumbled across your blog in researching the Martins and I'm so glad I did! Please feel free to email me anytime, I'd love to share histories and vice-versa.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Good to hear from another generation of Martins. Nell was quite a big help to me when I first started in genealogy over 20 years ago. I have her Martin book and refer to it often. If I can be of any help to you please let me know - always happy to share stories, info and pics.
ReplyDeleteYou have done an excellent job on your research. I believe we have a relative(pun intended)interest in genealogy. John Thomas Martin is my great grandfather. Luther and Evelyn are my grandparents. My name just happens to also be John T Martin(just thought you should know- lol. jtmartin@mail.com
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments. We do have a common relative in John Thomas Martin. Was he your great or great great grandfather? The only son he had named Luther was Martin Luther Martin who died in 1924 at the age of 24 and I thought unmarried. I don't know who Luther and Evelyn Martin are but would like to share info with you. I have been unable to find John Thomas Martin's parents in the past 20+ years I have been researching. Please let me know more about your ancestry.
ReplyDeleteI apologize! I went back to a book written by another Martin researcher and found Luther and Evelyn, married 4 April 1920, parents of one child, Bertis Elgin Martin, who I am assuming is your father. It's been a while since I worked on the Martins because my goal has been to find J. T. Martin's parents. I get frustrated and walk away from it for a while. Thanks again for writing - you have peaked my interest once again.
ReplyDeleteHi. I am trying to find out if there is a record someplace of people buried in theI Marvin Chapel cemetery. Family stories say that my 2x great grandfather was buried in the Owlet Green cemetery sometime in the late 1870's. Find a grave has no such name listed but they only have names of the grave stones. I highly doubt there was a stone set on his grave. The stories also say that his small son was also buried there. Please let me know if you know of such a record.
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