Series: Documents Available in Paper Form, 1805-1887
Scope and Content Note

The paper records are organized in three subseries: Correspondence, Writings of Elizabeth Smith Martin, and Bound Volumes, Primarily Financial Records. They document the following topical areas.

Fur Trade-- Geographically, the papers for the years up to 1827 relate to Detroit, Michilmackinac, and to a lesser extent Montreal. There are letters, invoices, and other business papers of the three Abbott brothers-Samuel, James, and Robert, relating principally to collection and payment of accounts and to other financial transactions, including a lawsuit between Robert and James Abbott involving settlement of the parental estate. There is also scattered information concerning the struggle between the North West Fur Company and the Hudson Bay Company in the years prior to the 1821 merger of the two companies.

Also related to the fur trade is a copy of the agreement concluded in 1834 by which John Jacob Astor sold his interests in the American Fur Company to Ramsay Crooks, John M. Catlin and others, and several letters (1842-1843) by Ramsay Crooks regarding the bankruptcy of the firm.

Martin's Personal Career and Territorial Politics-- Beginning with Martin's emigration to Wisconsin in 1827 there are numerous business and legal papers--receipts, deeds, and notes--relating to his work as collection agent for Wisconsin people and eastern concerns. Interspersed with these are numerous letters of a personal nature from relatives and friends in New York state, especially at Martinsburgh and Lowville, and numerous legal papers having to do with cases in which Martin was retained as attorney. There is also material relative to Territorial politics--offices, appointments, lands, roads and other internal improvements, mail routes, and claims of various kinds against the government; Martin's activities as member of the Territorial Councils of Michigan and Wisconsin; and passage of the act (during Martin's term as delegate) making a grant of lands to the state upon its admission to the union for the improvement of the Fox River and the building of a canal at Portage. Miscellaneous information about Territorial political figures, particularly concerning the career of James D. Doty, is included.

Early Banking-- Martin was one of the promoters of the Bank of Wisconsin at Green Bay and was for a time president of the institution. There are checks, notes, drafts, and similar papers relating to this bank, and to the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank of Detroit. A number of very informative letters written by Henry Stringham, cashier of the Wisconsin bank, from Detroit and Philadelphia, giving advice about the administration of the bank and declaiming loose banking practices then current in Michigan, and elsewhere, are in the collection.

Fox-Wisconsin Improvement-- Comparatively little material relating to the Fox-Wisconsin project with which Martin was so intimately connected is found in this portion of the collection. These include a daybook of Martin when he first undertook work on the project at Kaukauna in 1851, a ledger and a journal relating to the company formed in 1853, several letters from Hiram Barney, an eastern investor in the company, a copy of a financial balance sheet of the company, and a few papers relating to the claim of Martin against the State of Wisconsin.

Early Milwaukee History-- Martin early realized the future importance of Milwaukee's strategic position, and abstracts for several years of taxes paid by him on lands there indicate his extensive holdings at Milwaukee. A Milwaukee lot salesbook of Solomon Juneau's, statements of account between Juneau and Martin, and a number of letters from Juneau, sometimes in French, written from Milwaukee for a decade and a half after 1830 regarding land operations of his and Martin's in Milwaukee, defense of claims, and similar topics are present. Also included are letters of early Milwaukee residents, usually short and routine, sometimes contain information about the early history of the city.

Indian Affairs-- There is occasional information relating to Indian affairs, usually having to do with claims by traders against certain tribes. A letter of twenty pages (1841) by George Boyd of Green Bay, although written from the standpoint of one having a grievance, contains information about the connection between government Indian policy as influenced by prominent political figures and the fur trading interests. For the 1870s, there is a limited amount of material concerning the affairs of the Stockbridge Indians.

Historical Topics-- Among the writings of a historical nature in the collection is a description by Martin of his trip from Martinsburgh, New York via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes to Detroit, and his impressions of Detroit in 1826; a draft of a letter written in 1878 by Martin, giving an account of a trip by land in 1838 to Green Bay from Detroit; biographical and historical sketches pertaining to early Wisconsin (in Martin's handwriting); and a folder of rough-draft notes by Mrs. Morgan L. Martin on early Wisconsin history.

Miscellaneous Items-- These include a memorandum book (probably belonging to Jacob Franks and John Lawe); an agreement of apprenticeship between minor wards and Henry Brevoort in 1828 and the Rev. Richard F. Cadle in 1832, a reference or two to anti-Masonry activities in Michigan Territory about 1829; a reference in 1831 to smallpox at Mackinac; papers relating to charges filed in court martial against Major William Whistler; a diary of Mrs. Morgan L. Martin in her girlhood days, giving among other things, some information about St. Louis in 1835; bills and accounts (1837-1839) relating to the building of the Martin home in Green Bay, Hazelwood; the contract and specifications for the building of the Milwaukee courthouse in 1836, signed by Enoch Darling and Solomon Juneau; occasional mention of early steamboats and some miscellaneous information about early transportation; a daybook of the Thomas L. Franks Company at Green Bay, including a list of boat arrivals for 1838 and 1839, and ledger of the same firm; a real estate account book, two ledgers, and two cashbooks of Martin (one of them containing information about the Milwaukee Boat Company); a letter book of Morgan L. Martin, Jr., 1889-1890, concerning his business activities as agent for Hall's Safe and Lock Company; and a number of miscellaneous volumes.

Letters of outstanding importance not already mentioned include one by Doty in 1828 regarding a bill to confirm land claims and relating to Territorial courts; a letter in 1831 by Dr. Addison Philleo of Galena in regard to his proposed newspaper; and a letter in 1848 by Eleazar Williams in regard to his dauphinship claim.

Names of persons not already mentioned for whom there is one or more letters of importance in the collection include: Henry Brevoort, J.B.N. Brown, the Rev. Richard Cadle, John Catlin, Henry S. Cole, S. Conant, Nelson Dewey, James Dickinson, Robert Dickson, Henry Dodge, Michael Dousman, Charles and Francis Dunn, A.G. Ellis and J.A Noonan (with references to Wisconsin political affairs while Martin was in Congress), Byron Kilbourn (chiefly in regard to lands), John Lawe, Amos and Abbott Lawrence, David M. Loy (in 1830 in regard to Fox River Improvement from DePere to Lake Winnebago), Lucius Lyon, David Mitchell, George B. Porter, George Reed, Dr. R.S. Satterlee, John P. Sheldon, H.H. Sibley, Jeremiah Slingerland, Moses M. Strong, B.J. Stevens, Otto Tank, George F. Walker, A.E. Wing, Sibley Whitney; there are also several bills for medical services rendered by Drs. William Beaumont and Lyman Foot.

Subseries: Correspondence

1747-1829

1830-1835

1836, Jan.-July

Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Detroit, 1835-1836

1836, August-1838, May

1838, June-Dec.

Bank of Wisconsin, 1836-1839

1839-1840

Bills for the House, 1837-1839

1841

1842-1846, June

1846, July-1849

1850-1864

1865-1888 and undated

undated

Subseries: Writings of Elizabeth Smith Martin

Hazelwood

“A Wisconsin Semi-Centennial in Washington City,” 1846-1847

A brace of Indian Sachems

Chief Oshkosh

A summer holiday of 1836

Pioneer women, 1837

“The Immortal Three”

Early Green Bay

Dr. William Beaumont

Miscellaneous and clippings

Subseries: Bound Volumes, Primarily Financial Records

Unidentified daybook, 1822-1839

Unidentified daybook, 1839-1846

M.L. Martin daybook, Little Chute, 1853-1854

M.L. Martin daybook, 1851-1856

M.L. Martin cashbook, 1839-1853; Milwaukee Boat Company Book, , 1836-1837

M.L. Martin personal cashbook, 1877-1887

M.L. Martin Ledger, 1851-1856

M.L. Martin Ledger, 1851-1858

Unidentified Ledger, 1873-1874

Ledger [William Mitchell?], 1835-1849

T[homas] L. F[ranks] Company Ledger, 1837-1841

Fox-Wisconsin Improvement Company Ledger, Grand Chute, 1853-1854

Fox-Wisconsin Improvement Company, Timekeeper's Journal, 1854-1855

Milwaukee Lot Salesbook, Juneau and Martin, 1835-1841

Real Estate Account Book, M.L. Martin, 1857-1886

Index of Indian Names

Memorandum and Account Book of [Jacob Franks and John Lawe], 1797-1804

Account Book of Samuel Abbott, 1815; 1831

Collection Agency Letterbook of Martin and Eastman, 1830-1843, and Ledger, , 1839-1841

Military Post Orders, Camp Marshall, D.C., 1864, Feb.-June

Commonplace and Notebook of Mrs. M.L. Martin and others

Log of U.S. frigate Brandywine and sloop of war Vincennes, 1827; 1829, and Elizabeth Smith's Diary, , March-Dec. 1834; Aug.-Nov. 1835

Letterbook of M.L. Martin, Jr., 1889-1890

Daybook of Thomas L. Franks Company, Green Bay, 1838, Aug.-1842, Oct., including Boat Arrivals, , 1838-1839

Daybook of M.L. Martin about the Fox-Wisconsin Project at Kaukauna, 1851 June-1852 Oct.

M.L. Martin Cashbook, 1851-1854

M.L. Martin Purchase and Salesbook, 1851-1855

Series: Documents Available on Microfilm, 1645-1931
Scope and Content Note

The microfilmed records are primarily those loaned for copying by the Neville Museum in 1959. On Reels 1-19, these are organized as a run of chronological Correspondence and other unbound papers, followed by 12 volumes consisting of letter books, diaries, and account books. The additional reel produced in 1974 contains a letter book (1865-1882), an 1883 letter and reply on Spanish exploration of Wisconsin, pages from a publication on the Fox River, and 1873-74 letters received by Leonard Morgan on Fox River Improvement. The following paragraphs concern the subject matter of the papers on Reels 1-19.

Papers concerning Morgan L. Martin--his business and legal activities-- Business correspondence concerning Martin begins to appear in the papers at the time that he settled in Green Bay (1827), and for the next few years there are scattered letters and documents relative to legal matters in Detroit and Green Bay, Indian affairs, and land grants made to Martin (1837). A letter book of carbons of Martin letters in 1837 concerns land purchases, plans for banking projects, and early financial transactions; and contains communications to men such as Henry T. Stringham, Solomon Juneau, Lucius Lyon, Gen. G. W. Jones, and John Y. Smith. Although Martin was in the Michigan Legislative Council during this period there are no references to his work there.

Between 1838 and 1844, while Martin was a member of the Wisconsin Territorial Council, there are few letters directly relating to his work in the council, though these are the years in which correspondence with Henry Dodge, Alexander J. Irwin, John P. Sheldon, and Ben C. Eastman began. There are frequent communications from Solomon Juneau relative to land transactions and postal service at Milwaukee, and from H. L. Dousman regarding legal matters in connection with the estate of Pierre Pauquette. Since Martin was an administrator of the estate of Lewis (Louis) Grignon, Indian Agent, there are many documents relating to Grignon and his nephew, P. B. Grignon, during the 1830's and 1840's. The increasing pressure of financial commitments becomes evident in these years and never ceases to Martin's death.

The period of Martin's representation in Washington, 1845-1847, yields many letters concerning Wisconsin problems such as land claims, mineral rights, pensions, appointments, internal improvements, and petitions for post offices. Letters Martin received from his constituents often referred to Wisconsin politics, especially those letters from John Catlin of Madison, J.A. Noonan of Milwaukee, and Albert G. Ellis and John F. Meade of Green Bay.

In 1851 a memorandum first appears concerning Martin's agreement to construct and finish improvements on the Fox River. For the following four years there are many papers relating to this work, including letters from Theodore Conkey, John and Horatio Seymour, and Hiram Barney. Debts against the Fox River Improvement Company and the inability of the company to finish construction on time began to plague Martin in these years. The misunderstandings and failures resulting from this phase of Martin's life are responsible for copies of many petitions and memoranda filed in the papers from 1856 on.

For the period of the Civil War there are only a very few letters and documents concerning Martin's office as paymaster.

As Indian Agent between 1866 and 1869, Martin's papers are concerned with Indian claims, annuities, and treaty agreements. He supplied provisions and services especially for the Menominee, Stockbridge, and Oneida Indians. At this time his son, Leonard, seems to have tried without success to operate a store at Keshena under his father's direction.

After Martin resumed an active legal practice in 1870, more routine receipts for household and legal transactions appear in the papers. Memoranda and claims concerning the Fox River Improvement Company continue to occur throughout the period from 1875 until Martin's death in 1887. During this time he served as Brown County judge as his means of livelihood, continuing always to press his claims against the state.

Letters and documents to and from people of particular note in the history of Wisconsin and the nation-- A large number of these letters are indexed in an appendix to this finding aid. For additional letters from many of the pioneers of this period, including men such as Arndt, Baird, Brevoort, Doty (4 letters), Ellis, Irwin, Juneau (10 letters), Lame, and Williams (judgment against), see the letterbook designated Volume 1, following the unbound papers.

Letters and notes associated with the personal life of the Martin family-- One quality that seems to distinguish the microfilmed portion of the Morgan L. Martin Papers is the large number of letters and notes dealing with purely personal matters in the families of both Mr. and Mrs. Martin. Of the 56 pieces dated before 1820, fully half are related to Mrs. Martin's father, Melancton Smith II and his family and antecedents. In the 1820's there are several letters and class notes Martin wrote while at Hamilton College; and letters exchanged with his family a few years later frequently mention his cousin, James Doty. In 1835, Elizabeth Smith went to St. Louis to visit her sister, Mrs. William Beaumont, and the letters of this period, as well as her diary (Vol. 3,) describe her life with the Beaumonts at Jefferson Barracks.

After their marriage in 1837 many letters are from Elizabeth to Morgan L., although in his replies to her from Madison and Washington he wrote only briefly of his work; writing, instead, of affairs at home and his financial problems. Throughout the next several decades there are many letters from relatives, and communications from Martin's brothers--almost always regarding loans and money needs.

After the two sons, Leonard and Lewis, grew up and left home, letters from their mother were frequent; replies from the sons were concerning their struggles to find and keep jobs and pay debts. In fact, after the Martin disaster in connection with the Fox River Improvement Company in 1856, the never-ending urgency for meeting interest and tax payments, and the satisfaction of mortgages and loans, were a constant plague on the Martin household. The pressure was so burdensome that a note of pathos runs through the family letters in Martin's later years, and in July, 1880, he wrote to Leonard, “It is painful that the grave is to be my only release.”

Although Leonard became a captain in the Quartermaster's Corps and served throughout the Civil War, there are virtually no letters from him, or from Martin, during that period. One small group of letters from Leonard in 1871 and 1872 deserves mention. These describe his work and life as a member of a survey party for the Northern Pacific Railroad in Montana, where he helped survey Cadotte's Pass and Lewis and Clark's Pass.

Because Deborah and Sarah became Brown County historians and Deborah, the librarian at Green Bay, the papers after Martin's death are concerning their work and personal affairs. Both they and their father were staunch supporters of the State Historical Society, and the papers contain many letters from its directors--Draper, Thwaites, Quaife, and Schafer.

Scattered through the correspondence files are invitations and programs giving some indication of the social life in Green Bay through the years.

Papers relating to Admiral Melancton Smith-- Since Admiral Smith was Mrs. Martin's brother, and spent his last years at her home in Green Bay, his papers are a part of this collection. Although they help to round out the family picture, they have no special value except perhaps for one incident in Admiral Smith's career. As captain of the warship Mississippi , during the Civil War, he was given credit for capturing the rebel ram Mannassas . A controversy arose over credit for this capture in 1869, and papers supporting Smith's claim are filed here.

Miscellaneous Materials-- After the chronological correspondence are miscellaneous notes and memoranda of claims and petitions by Martin, rough drafts of both his and Deborah's historical sketches, and historical information gathered by Deborah. Also filed here is information on the Martin family, including genealogical data on related families: Melancton Smith, Richbell, Mott, Taring (Herring), Brinkerhoff, Roosevelt, Jones, Green (Greene), Hewlett, and Bleecker. There are a few notes on the Juneau, La Roil, and Vieaux families.

Some items in the materials loaned by the Neville Museum for copying were returned without being microfilmed. These include a letter book (labeled “Vol. 3” but designated Vol. 2 in the Archives' sequence) which contained carbons of letters written by M. L. Martin, Jr. when manager for prospecting a manganese mine in Virginia, 1899. In this volume on pages 99-113 was a penciled inventory of contents of the Martin home at Green Bay; because it was illegible, it was not microfilmed. A diary kept by Mrs. Martin, 1862-1864 (designated Vol. 6), consisting entirely of notes on the death of Annie; a class notebook kept Leonard Martin at West Point (Vol. 8); a volume of notes on law, probably Martin's, circa 1826 (Vol. 9); and three boxes of miscellaneous bills, receipts, poems, essays, valentines, Christmas cards, and envelopes also were not microfilmed. Maps also loaned with the other materials are not on the microfilm, though a few were copied and cataloged with the Historical Society's map collection. Other material not filmed is noted in the reel list below.

Subseries: Correspondence

1645, Sept. - 1829, Sept. 4

1829, Sept. 20 - 1837, Jan. 17

1838 - 1840, April 20

1840, April 22 - 1845, May 22

1845, May 24 - 1845, Nov. 24

1845, Nov. 24 - 1846, Jan. 25

1846, Jan. 26 - 1846, April 3

1846, April 4 - 1846, Dec. 29

1846, Dec. 3 - 1847, Nov. 1

1847, Nov. - 1852, Aug. 10

1852, Aug. 16 - 1856, Sept. 8

1856, Sept. 20 - 1864, June 14

1864, June 10 - 1867, Dec. 31

1868, Jan. 2 - 1871, Oct. 12

1871, Oct. 20 - 1880, Sept. 16

1880, Sept. 21 - 1888, April 28

1888, April 28 - 1911, Dec. 31

1912, Jan. 1 - 1931, undated

Subseries: Notes, genealogies, miscellaneous

Subseries: Volumes

Letter Book, 1807 - 1849
Scope and Content Note: A letter book containing original letters of well-known people in these early years. Indexed. [A letter of July 15, 1831 from Dr. William Beaumont had been removed from this book and could not be microfilmed.]

Diary, Mrs. Martin, 1835 - 1847
Scope and Content Note: Concerns journey from N.Y. to Green Bay, 1835; life at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, 1836-1837; meeting with Black Hawk at Fort Des Moines, 1836; trip from St. Louis to Green Bay via Fort Dearborn, 1837; description of Mount Vernon (especially good), 1847.

Letter Book, Mrs. Martin, 1859
Scope and Content Note: Copies of Mrs. Martin' s letters to family and friends. [Second portion of volume consisted of a scrapbook and essays. This portion was not microfilmed.]

Diary, Mrs. Martin, 1861 - 1862

Diary, Mrs. Martin, 1863

Account Book, Mr. Martin, 1838 - 1840

Account Book, Mr. Martin, 1837 - 1848

Diary, Deborah Martin, 1876
Note: [The second portion of the volume contained class notes and was not microfilmed.]

Subseries: Additions, 1865-1883 from Brown County Circuit Court
Scope and Content Note: Included with these records were two volumes concerning Morgan L. Martin: a letter press copy book kept by Martin concerning his service as U.S. Army paymaster during the Civil War and primarily his legal practice later; and a scrapbook of letters received by Martin's son Leonard concerning his work as assistant engineer for the Fox River Improvement project of the U.S. government. Correspondents include N.M. Edward, assistant engineer in charge of the improvement; William J. Bryson, assistant engineer; various suppliers of equipment; job applicants; and [N?] W. Blanchard, also employed on the project. Two other items were enclosed with the volumes: two Xerox pages from The Control and Development of the Fox and Wolf Rivers, Wisconsin, 1946, providing a brief history of laws affecting Fox River improvement; and one 1883 letter with the draft of a reply from the senior Martin on the question of whether Spaniards preceded Father Marquette in the exploration of Wisconsin. All of these materials were microfilmed and the originals then sent to the Neville Museum, Green Bay, to be added to their holdings of Martin Papers.

Martin Letter Press Copy Book, 1865-66, 1870-79, 1882
Note: Much of the writing is very faint and faded.

, 1883 letter and reply re: Spaniards' exploration in Wisconsin

Pages from The Control and Development of the Fox...

Letters, 1873, April - 1874, June, received by Leonard Morgan re: Fox River Improvement
Note: These letters were attached on their left sides in a scrapbook of gummed strips. The letters have been removed from the scrapbook but occasionally the writing is obscured by pieces of the gummed strips which remain. Many other letters have faded writing where the ink came in contact with these strips.