On Saturday, June 24th, LuElla “Ella” Martin Hall celebrated her 97th birthday. I will always treasure the times spent at Ella’s kitchen table listening to her share stories and looking at old photographs. Ella is the wife of the late Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Hall of the Dobyns community and the daughter of English and Nettie Williams Martin.
English Martin was born in 1893 to Robert Fountain “Jockey Bob” Martin and Martha Jane Rakes, both of Patrick County. English was the oldest son in a family of twelve children. Nettie Williams Martin was born in the year 1900 to Charlie Dodd Williams and Luella Annie Light, also of Patrick County. Nettie had one brother, Benjamin Dodd Williams who married Annie Delilah Hall, and one sister, Vera Williams who married Samuel Adolphus Rickman.
English fought in World War I with the 29th Division, Company E, 104th Ammunition Train and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. An ammunition train was responsible for transporting the artillery and infantry ammunition of
each division from the ammunition refilling point to the area of engagement. During World War I, the train itself was likely a horse-drawn wagon. English departed from St. Nazaire, France on the 13th of May 1919 and arrived twelve days later at Newport News, Virginia. The ship that carried English across the North Atlantic was appropriately named The Virginian.
English and Nettie married in December of 1919 in Patrick County and shortly thereafter, moved to McDowell, West Virginia where English found work as a coal miner. The following year, their first child, Virginia Katherine was born, followed the next year by another little girl, Vera Evelyn. By the time their third child, Wayne Herman arrived in 1923, the family was living in Slab Fork, where English worked in the mine. Charles Edward was born in 1925, followed by LuElla Alice in 1926, Sadie Marie in 1928, and Robert Daniel in 1929.
On the 14th of October 1930, at approximately 12 noon, a horrible tragedy occurred. English was at work in the Slab Fork mines when a mine motor ran over his right leg and severed it. Sadly, 36-year-old English Martin died later that day. Nettie Williams Martin was now a 30-year-old widow with seven children, ages ten, nine, seven, five, four, two, and one. Nettie brought her young family home to the Dobyns community of Patrick County to raise by herself; all the children became successful members of the community. Many of you may have purchased furniture from one of her daughters; Sadie Martin Wigington and her husband Dick had a furniture store in Patrick Springs. Two of English and Nettie’s children are still living, (birthday girl) 97-year-old Ella Martin Hall and 94-year-old Robert Daniel Martin. Nettie Williams Martin passed away in 1993 at the age of ninety-two.
Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or 276-692-9626.
