Person:Phlete Martin (1)

Sources: Family records, letters, photos: 1978 interview with daughter, Mary Elizabeth; book A History of Young County, Texas by Carrie Crouch, Newspaper article from The Landmark (Statesville, North Carolina); Wichita Falls Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas, and The Graham Leader (Graham, Young County, Texas)

Life of Judge P.A. Martin by Tammy L. Hensel (great-granddaughter)

Phlete A. Martin was born Sept. 9, 1866 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, the youngest son of Col. Leland Martin and Laura Corpening. He attended school at Oak Hill, Virginia. Several variations in spelling of his first name appear in records, but Phlete is the one he used himself. Other spellings are: Philetus, Philo, and Fleet, which is the way it is pronounced.

Tragically, on July 5, 1883, he accidentally shot and killed his best friend. After serving a six-month sentence for involuntary manslaughter, he decided to leave North Carolina and head for Texas. Martin spent all his money travelling to Ft. Worth, Texas, where he worked on the construction crew of St. Joseph's Hospital. He then went to Young County to work for Mr. Leberman of Graham, driving a team.

While learning something of the cattle and sheep herding business, he read law in his spare time. Judge B.F. Williams of the 30th District Court granted him a temporary license to practice law on Oct. 6 1886. He served two terms as county attorney and then entered private practice in 1890 for twelve years.

In 1902 he was again elected county attorney and in 1906 became attorney for the 30th Judicial District for two terms until he was elected County Judge. Crouch wrote in A History of Young County, Texas: "Judge Martin, who was young and adventuresome, often went with possemen on trips into the Indian Territory. He was a friend of General W.S. Cabell, 'Old Tige," as he was called, and one of the famous old U.S. Marshals. . . Judge Martin related meeting Chief Quanah Parker around a campfire one night, of sleeping beside him on a blanket, and exchanging confidences. Then, when they met again in the Indian country, chief Quanah was too great a chief to recognize a white man." (p.122)

Judge Martin married Lois Sophia Graves, daughter of Col. Jonathan Webb Graves and Sarah Inman. They had nine children. While living in Graham, Judge Martin often wrote articles for his father-in-law's newspaper, the Graham Leader, including a history of Young County published in 25 weekly installments.

Judge Martin moved his family to Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1912, because of the increasing litigation in the courts. After he completed his term as judge, he returned to private practice in the firm Martin, Bullington, Boene and Humphrey. He helped found Floral Heights Methodist Church in Wichita Falls in 1919. He was appointed by Gov. William P. Hobby to the newly created 89th District Court in 1920, an office he held for fifteen years. Gov. James V. Allred named him to the Court of Civil Appeals for the Second Supreme Judicial District of Texas at Ft. Worth.

Judge P.A. Martin died at 7 a.m., March 31, 1936 in Ft. Worth. Services were held in Wichita Falls, followed by a interment at Graham Cemetery.