JOHN SAMUEL MARTIN CIVIL WAR QUESTIONNAIRE
FORM NUMBER 2
The chief purpose of the following questions is to bring out facts that will be of service in writing a true history of the Old South. Such a history has not yet been written. By answering these questions you will make a valuable contribution to the history of your State.
MARTIN, J. SAMUEL
1. State your full name and present post office address. J. Saml Martin Brownsville Ten
2. State your age now. 76 years
3. In what State and county were you born? Haywood County, Tenn
4. Were you a Confederate or Federal soldier? Confederate
5. Name of your Company? 12 Ten Calvary (B) Number of Regiment Forres Div.
6. What was the occupation of your father? Farmer
7. Give the full name of your father Jim Martin Born at Dancyville in the County of Haywood State of TN. He lived at his country home near Dancyville
.Give also any particulars concerning him, as official position, war services, etc.; books written by, etc.
8. Maiden name in full of your mother Mary Dancy She was the daughter of Cpt. Isaac Dancy and his wife Mary Dancy Who lived at Dancyville .
9. Remarks on ancestry. Give here any and all facts possible in reference to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., no included in the foregoing, as where they lived, office held, Revolutionary or other war services; what country the family came from to America; where first settled, county and state; always giving full names (if possible) and never referring to an ancestor simply as such without giving the name. It is desirable to include every fact possible and to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from loss My Grand Father Dancy was of Scotch Irish decent and came here from virginier in the setling of this country in the pioneer days. My grand Father Martin came to Haywood from the Middle States and of Irish decent and was one of the pioneers.
10. If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of property you owned, and state the value of your property as near as you can. I was the owner of property at the beginning of the war.
11. Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many? they did not
12. If your parents owned land, state about how many acres. they were not owners of land
13. State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents, including land, when the war opened. ------
14. What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a log house or frame house or built of other materials, and state the number of rooms it had. It was a log building four rooms
15. As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did. If you worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe, and did other kinds of similar work. (Certain historians claim that white men would not do work of this sort before the war.) I did all kinds of farm work the Historian mad a great mistake in sering (?) up the white class of people in this section.
16. State clearly what kind of work you father did, and what the duties of your mother were. State all the kinds of work done in the house as well as you can remember -- that is, cooking, spinning, weaving, etc. My father managed farm work. My Mother looked after domestic affiars and indulged in all the presuits mention above.
17. Did your parents keep any servants? If so, how many? They did not
18. How was honest toil -- as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest work of this class -- regarded in your community? Was such work considered respectable and honorable? It was
19. Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work?
They did20. To what extent were there white man in your community leading lives of idleness and having other do their work for them?
The majority were up and buoysy doing their own work.21. Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own slaves, or did slaveholders in any way show by their actions that they felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own slaves?
As a general thing they were on equality with the poorer class of people.22. At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slaveholders and non-slaveholders mingle on a footing of equality?
They did23. Was there a friendly feeling between slaveholders and non-slaveholders in your community, or were they antagonistic to each other? Will say the social feature was good and things worked harmoniously.
24. In a political contest in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not, did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the contest? I Dont think so
25. Were the opportunities good in your community for a poor young man -- honest and industrious -- to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business for himself? Fairly good
26. Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders? they all had the encouragement neccessary
27. What kind of school or schools did you attend? the pay school
28. About how long did you go to school altogether? two years
29. How far was it to the nearest school?
two miles30. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood? Marrican and Dancyville
31. Was the school in you community private or public? private
32. About how many months in the year did it run? about eight
33. Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly? they did
34. Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman? at times both
35. In what year and month and at what place did you enlist the Confederate or of the Federal Government? In Feb 1863
36. After enlistment, where was your Company sent first?
Colierville37. How long after your enlistment before your Company engaged in battle?
Jast a few days38. What was the first battle you engaged in? Somerville
39. State in you own way your experience in the War from this time on until the close. State where you went after the first battle -- what you did, what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the results were; state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how you slept, what you had to eat, how you exposed to cold, hunger and disease. If you were in the hospital or in prison, state you experience here. The first Somerville the next Colarville, Tenn then Gu___ily? Miss and then Memphis from there into Alabama at huntsville from Huntsville on the first rade to Nashville and back into Miss and then into Alabama fighting at different points along the way.
40. When and where were you discharged? Ganesville Alabama at the close of the war
41. Tell something of your trip home.
My trip home was on a mule taken war from the wagon train and of course was some mule had more or less trouble passing the lines42. What kind of work did you take up when you came back home?
Farming43. Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, stating what kind of business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church relations, etc. If you have held an office or offices state what it was. You may state here any other facts connected with your life and experience which has not been brought out the the questions. In closing will say the hardest fought battles were on the second rade toward Nashville where we met Hood's infantry at the culvert soles coming in contact with the lightening brigade mounted on white horses. All select men the engagement accured at Franklin Ky_______ (from) there to Franklin we had the airliest thing that ever happened with all other wars considered since the war I have turned my attention to farming mostly I think it is the shurest way to make an honest living I joined the ME Church in early life in my ________ (feebeness) tried to discharge the duties inposed upon one to the best of my ability. In refering to my war recod can truthfully say that I was always ready for military serice subject to orders at any and all times. I feel that I am not ashamed of my war record and can give the names of a few that still live that were with me in Co. F, 12th Tenn Reg____Calvary
44. On a separate sheet, five the names of some of the great men you have known or met in your time, and tell some of the circumstances of the meeting or incidents in their lives. Also add any further personal reminiscences. (Use all the space you want). ----
45. Give the name of all the members of your Company you can remember: (If you know where the Roster is to be had, please make special note of this.) Capt. Bell of Somerville Tenn; First Lieutenant Jno Mathews; second N. Pewitt; M. Brooks (Gor B?) orderly Dargant: S. Johnson; Corpals e. Applebern, D.O. Mays, S. Stanley, Appleberry, J. Colton, W. Nicholson, G. Nicholson, C. Clark, C. Smith, J. Smith and many others
.46. Give here the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of living Veterans of the Civil War, whether members of your Company or not; whether Tennesseans or from other State The closing lines of my experience above may have orginated from the knaing of cow bones as that was a part of our diet cow bones hard lackro corn doggers as long as a cow could travel she was let to live but when she gave down along the way her hide was pulled of and the bones thrown in the comisary wagon to be chawed later on. will say our sleeping quarters was out on the ground made of some leaves resting sometimes under the snow
Jno Saml Martin