Almost 200 years ago the matriarch of our family, Eliza Martin was born. Grandmother Eliza Martin was a slave. As a slave, Grandmother Eliza had to be a strong courageous and determined woman to endure all that she experienced. Grandmother Eliza or her parent had to make the journey through the “Middle Passage” which would have taken anywhere between five weeks to three months. Cargo Ships from Africa were stacked with human loads of 200 to 600 African slaves, which allowed almost no breathing room. The ventilation was bad and the food scarce. Anywhere from 14 to 20 percent of the “cargo”, African slaves where loss during the voyage, but our enslaved ancestor endured. Upon arrival to America, our enslaved ancestor would have been quarantined near Charleston on Sullivan’s Island before being sold in Charleston’s slave markets. The Carolina planters had specific ideas concerning the ethnicity of the slaves that they were seeking. The “ideal” slave was from the River Gambia or the Windward Coast and Angola. The ideal slave was tall healthy, male, between the ages of 14 and 18, “free of blemishes.” and as dark as possible. Carolina planters during the 18 Century paid on average of between 100 and 200 sterling, which translated into today’s money of between $11,630 and 23,200. Most of the slaves were put to work immediately to clear coastal lands and to work in the rice fields. African American slaves like Grandmother Eliza lived through Malaria and other diseases. Based on the best plantation accounts, one out of three slave children on cotton plantations died before reaching the age of 16, nearly two out of every three African American children on rice plantations failed to reach their 16th birthday and over a third of all slave children died before their first birthday. Grandmother Eliza and her children endured through slavery. She was a survivor.
Verbal histories handed down throughout our generations, reported that Eliza was purchased here in Charleston, S.C., by Calvin Martin and son Herbert. At the end of slavery in 1865, many families sought to reconnect with their family members in neighboring towns and states. Some former slaves and their families where successful and others had family member that were lost forever. Other slaves stayed on the land of their slave owners and worked as sharecroppers. Unlike many African American families, we are very fortunate to be able to have documented evidence and verbal accounts of our heritage. We know that during Reconstruction Liza Martin lived in Laurens, S.C., verified by the 1870 U. S. Census that Eliza lived in the home with Lewis Irby and the household consisted of Base, Irvin, Clay, Nelly (Nellie), George, Nannie (Nan) and Gabriel (Dunk).
In the U.S. Census of 1880 was the first to identify the relationship between family members. Eliza was identified as Lewis' wife and younger children Nellie, Dunk, George and Rose in Township of Laurens, South Carolina. Eliza was identified as a domestic and she could not read or write. She lived on the land of Ambrose H. Martin, son of Herbert Martin and his wife Harriett. According to the 1880 Census Eliza lived in close proximity to her sons Base Martin (Laura Hudgens) and Ervin Shell (Luticia Woody). Eliza was identified with the last name of Irby while her husband was living and then reverted back to Martin after Lewis' death.
There was a U.S. Census performed in 1890 but was destroyed by the government after a partial fire damaged the documents. There is a void for a period of 20 years until another U.S. Census was completed in 1900. According to the U.S. Census of 1900, Eliza Martin lived with her son-in-law Mark Hudgens and his children. Mark was identified as a widower. Mark's wife had recently died as evidenced by their son who was less than a year old. Mark's wife was Nannie Martin.
Nellie Martin was identified in the 1900 Census in the home with William Leake. There were nine children at the time. She appeared again in the 1910 Census with 6 of her children and was identified as married. Prior to the 1900 Census it was noted that she had additional children identified with the last names of Hudgens,
Clay Martin was married to Angeline Brown they were identified in the 1900 U.S. Census. They had no children together. However, he did have a daughter (Eliza) with Mandy Todd. Additional research is required on Herbert Martin and L. Rose Martin.
There have been numerous Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Military Records, US. Census, Maps, Land Records and Obituaries located over the years to support the journey of Grandmother Eliza and her descendants that are available. There is a great need for assistance in updating individual branches of the family tree.
Eliza had at least nine children, six boys and three girls. The boys were Ervin (Irvin) Earle, Herbert Martin, Clay Martin, Base Martin, Dunk Irby and George Irby. The girls were Nan Nellie and L. Rose Martin. Ervin Earle, Base, Nellie, Nan and Clay were born during slavery. The other children Dunk, Herbert and George were born after slavery. Dunk and George was identified as Irby.
Eliza Martin died in 1918 and is buried in our home church, Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church Cemetary. Her legacy includes eight generation of descendants residing all over the world. We continue to welcome and embrace all newly discovered family members.
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