John Martin letter book and letters

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Historical Society Creator: Martin, John, approximately 1730-1786. Title: John Martin letter book and letters Dates: 1782 Extent: 0.05 cubic feet (1 folder) Identification: MS 0543

Biographical/Historical Note

John Martin (ca. 1730-1786) was a naval officer at the port of Sunbury, Georgia, a delegate to the Provincial Congress, a member of the Council of Safety, officer in the , , commissioner of several Native American treaties, and state treasurer.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of a letter book containing copies of letters from Governor John Martin, as well as three additional letters. One of these is copied in the letter book; the others are to Governor Martin. The letters in the letter book are to military and government officials. The letters are concerned with Native American troubles, copies of Native American talks, raising of local troops and quota of Continental troops, payment and supplies for troops, aid to Continental forces, desertion and apathy among soldiers, situation of British troops occupying Savannah, lack of food and supplies for civilian population, confiscated property, trouble between inhabitants of Georgia and East Florida, withdrawal of British soldiers from Savannah, appointment of officials, and a proposed salary increase for the governor. Some of the correspondents include: Alexander Martin (1740-1807), governor of North Carolina; John Mathews, governor of South Carolina; Patrick Tonyn, governor of East Florida, Generals Nathanael Greene, Anthony Wayne, Andrew Pickens, Lachlan McIntosh, Tallasee King and other Creek Indians; Speaker and member of the House of Assembly; delegates for the state of Georgia in Congress at Philadelphia; Colonels Elijah Clarke, James Jackson, John Cooper, Stephen Johnson, Edward Carrington, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney; Major John Habersham; Mr. Dunlap, printer at Parker's Ferry, S.C.; Messrs. Washington and Charles Odingsell, commissioners of Chatham County; many Savannah merchants; Aedanus Burke; Richard Howly [sic]; Dr. John Waudin; Richard Henderson; Edmund Davies; Frederick Rolfes; Commissioners of forfeited estates; Cornelius Collins; Captains Patrick Carr, John Hill, Robert Greer. One of the loose letters is from William Gibbons, Speaker of the House of Assembly, dated 1782, in which Gibbons notifies Martin of his appointment of governor. Another letter from Stephen Heard to Martin, dated 1782, congratulates Martin for being in possession of Savannah and talks about Native Americans who fought under British provocation against American that now wish to make peace.

Index Terms

Georgia--Boundaries--Florida. Georgia--History--1775-1865. Georgia--Politics and government--1775-1865. Georgia. Militia. Indians of North America--Georgia. Letter books. Letters (correspondence) Martin, John, approximately 1730-1786. South Carolina--Politics and government.

Administrative Information Custodial History

Unknown.

Preferred Citation

[item identification], John Martin letter book and letters, MS 543, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia.

Acquisition Information

Unknown.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.,Materials are fragile and cannot be photocopied.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Georgia Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Division of Library and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Georgia Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Sponsorship

Encoding funded by a 2012 Documenting Democracy grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Container List

Fldr

1 Item 1: Letter book, 1782 January 1-October 22 View online. Online Inventory Contains Digitized Items

Fldr

1 Item 2: William Gibbons, Speaker of the House of Assembly to John Martin. Augusta, Georgia, 1782 January 2 ( 2.0 p. ) Notifies Martin of his appointment as governor.

Fldr

1 Item 3: John Martin to the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly. Augusta, Georgia, 1782 January 2 ( 2.0 p. ) Martin thanks members for their support and discusses what he intends to do as governor, particularly preparations for defense. The first letter of the letter book is a copy of this.

Fldr

1 Item 4: Stephen Heard to John Martin. Fort Charlotte, 1782 July 24 ( 2.0 p. ) Congratulates Martin for being in possession of Savannah and talks about Native Americans who fought under British provocation against Americans now wishing to make peace.