To all who might have connections to MARTIN family: For several years I have been searching for my step-grandfather - with no results in Alabama. Hence, I am spreading out and posting messages EVERY-WHERE. His name was EDWARD RUFUS MARTIN, born 20 April 1881 in Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama, son of Edward R. Martin and Sarah E. Miller. Edward Rufus Martin died on 20 July 1958, pbly in Concordia/Catahoula Parish, LA. The entire story PROVEN WITH PAPERS is: The father of Edward Rufus was Edward R. Martin - don't know if the "R" was a Rufus or not. The elder Edward was b in April 1839, pbly in SC. He married Sarah E. Miller, b in GA in 1841 and they were residing in Barbour County, AL in 1870. Testimony shows that Edward R. Martin (the elder) met Pleasant B. Patterson, both on horseback, in a public road 2-1/2 miles from Mount Andrew, Alabama, on 24 Aug 1883 and Martin shot Patterson. He immediately reported the shooting and surrendered himself. Martin was indicted for murder of Patterson, defendant pleaded not guilty, was convicted for murder in the second degree and sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of 20 years. (Testimony shows that Patterson had thrown an axe at Martin and shot him four times BEFORE Martin fired a shot.) Martin must have been in Montgomery, AL- the prison - and there were papers in 1964 and the case was printed/published in legal reports. (Martin appealed; Supreme Court of Alabama, December Term, 1884, 77 Ala 1, Martin v. The State. Martin was PARDONED, FULLY, 16 July 1893.) BUT the prison papers were never available. Sarah E. Miller Martin, the wife of the prisoner, went to Louisiana and brought her young son, EDWARD RUFUS MARTIN, in 1884 when he was three years old. Sarah married to a Mr. Fincher in Ruston, La; did she lie? did she get a divorce? How did she get married when she had a husband in prison? If you are convicted of a felony, is your divorce automatic? Don't know. Anyway, it appears that Mr. Fincher was abusing young Edward and she moved to Extension, LA, Franklin Parish, and she resided in the Tom Matthews family. In June 1990 Sarah lived in the household of J.Y. Christiansen and Sarah died in Franklin Parish, LA after 1930. The young Edward Rufus Martin married my grandmother, Alice Phenia (nee DuBell) Green as her second husband on 18 Oct 1914. My grandfather was Thomas Green, husband of Alice; after he died, Alice married Mr. Martin. Mr. Martin was not related to me, but he was the only grandfather we had, and I would like to find his family. I have seached for years for Barbour County, the Internet, genealogical records, family trees, IGI, Soundex, census - nothing has surfaced. The elder Martin had a large family; he was the son of David MARTIN and Nancy; they had nine children: Edward R. (the prisoner), two daus m before 1840, Sarah Martin, Alex(ander), Tobe, Frank, Benjamin and E.J. Frank Martin, brother to the prisoner, moved to Baldwin County, Ala where he resided in 1900. No further trace of the family. Sarah E. Miller, who m Edward R. Martin, was the dau of John D. Miller and his wife, Malinda. She had siblings: A.J., Robert G., James, John and Lucinda, all residing in Barbour County, AL in 1880. When Sarah moved to LA while her husband was in prison, she denied the existence of her son, kept him out of school, moved from one home to another; it appears she was terrified of her husband, the prisoner. It is possible that she had something to do with the killing in 1883 and she did not want to find out his whereabouts. WHAT A MYSTERY. Edward R. Martin was pardoned and he went SOMEWHERE. Where? He was 54 years of age when he was pardoned on 16 July 1893. He could have been living in 1900 at the age of 61; he could have been living in 1910 at age 71. WE CANNOT FIND HIM. I reviewed ALL of the census records for 1900 and 1910 for AL, GA, MS, LA and ARK. No Edward R. Martin, b SC, April 1839. I would appreciate ANY information. Thank you. Dorothy of Phoenix, AZ.