==================== Joan Bixby started all this with a seemingly innocuous transcription (thank you Joan!!): -------------------- Source, The Brandon (Vt) Post--Thurs. July 11, 1850. DIED. In Perkinsville, on the 5th ult., Capt. Ephraim S. Martin, aged 66. -------------------- 4. The deceased is given a military title. In 1850, this would have suggested one of the following, although other possibilities exist: -- he was a member, active or former, of the Vermont militia. -- he was a veteran of the Mexican war (1846-1848) during which he would have been in his early 60s; possible, but unlikely. -- he was a veteran of the War of 1812 (1812-1814) during which he would have been in his late 20s or early 30s, "perfect" for a man holding the rank of captain. -- he was a veteran of the Revolution, but this is not possible since he was 2 months old when the Treaty of Paris was signed. OR: It was simply a title he acquired for some reason, having nothing to do with military, as sometimes happens. Ruth -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT