Person:Martin Porter (1)

Martin's home in 1918 was 311 Stanton st, Bay City. Martin came to Mich 1870...was blind, illiterate & lame acc to 1894 census. Irma MICHENER said Martin's leg had to be amputated due to a sore that would not heal.

1900 & 1902 Martin was trustee at Free Methodist Church, 1203 Garfield Ave, Bay City. Dec 1909 he was listed among sick.

acc to granddaughter: Martin had one leg and was completely blind. He never saw any of his children. He was a shoemaker and was whittling leather when his knife slipped and went into his eye. Later infection set in and spread to the other eye.

Martin and Susan moved to Bay City in 1917 from their rural home on Youngsditch Road in Essexville, (Hampton twp) Bay county, MI. Only thing left of old homesite years later was a pear tree. Martin and Susan are both buried in Seaman's Cemetery, Bay City.

acc to neighbor: Martin often stepped in cow dung and thus brought it into the house and was bawled out for it. Martin never got mad. He prayed in the barn and often told God to come down through the barn roof and he would pay for the shingles.

acc to Irma: "The leg you speak of had to be amputated because of an infected sore which would not heal.

wedding certificate stated Martin lived at Ionia.

Martin's obituary does not give burial place.

Some family members say Martin is buried Seaman's Cemetery (sw corner Lot 41) but the on-line (computer) transcription for that cemetery does not list any PORTER burials. Notes from George Albert PORTER give info that Deed for sw corner lot 41 in Seamens Cem, w/John WARNER's papers, was owned by Martin & Susan PORTER & Lewis TERRY...for use exclusively for burial.

What else would anybody do with a grave plot?  Perhaps somebody else is buried in this plot or they sold it?   

And who is John WARNER? A possible relative of Julia Ann WERNER, Martin's mother ??)

acc to George Albert PORTER: Martin was born 3 Jul 1842. Was 36 yrs old when married Susan NIVEN. Martin lost his sight in both eyes from an infection. He was whittling and got a wood chip in one eye which became infected and spread to the other, causing total blindness. He also had his right leg amputated from a fall off a buggy when his horse bolted. When infection set in, his wife took him by train to the University of Michigan Hospital in ann Arbor where the operation took place. A few days later Martin complained about the wound itching. when his wife took off the bandage, it was full of maggots. She took him out of the hospital, put him on a train and took him home where she cared for him herself. (I learned later that this was a common practice to use maggots to combat infection.)

1.   Betty Ruth ERWIN. (15 May 1984.).
2.   Charley STEWART. (interview with Alma Isabelle NEVIN circa 1976.).
3.   Irma MICHENER. (11 Oct 1984.).
4.   Porter - Niven Genealogy. (George's Oct 1991 address: 4101 18th Avenue North St Petersburg, FL 33713).