History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

226 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
public-spirited citizenship have made him widely known in tliis
locality and have gained him the esteem and confidence of all
who are in any way associated witli him.
O. H. MARTIN.
O. H. Martin is individual proprietor of a dry-goods store in
Dixon and is treasurer of a syndicate owning twenty-six stores
in the middle west. The story of his life is that of orderly progi'ession
imder the steady hand of one who is a consistent master
of himself and whose qualities aiKl characteristics are well bal-
anced. His strong character inspires confidence in others and his
mature judgment makes correct estimate of his own capacities and
powers and of the peojDle and eh'cumstanees that make up his
life's contacts and experiences. He has thus become a leading
merchant of Hixon while his ramifying trade interests, reaching
out over the country now cover a wide territory.
Mr. Martin was born in Lee comity, February 23, 1866, and is
a son of Oliver H. and Catheiine (Whipple) Martin, the former
a native of New Hampshire and the latter of Massachusetts. The
paternal grandfather was one of the pioneer settlers of Lee county,
taking up his abode here in 1833—a year after the Black Hawk
war had settled the question of Indian supremacy in Illinois. The
few homes in Lee county were then largely log cabins. Much of
the prairie was still imclaimed and imcultivated and it seemed that
the work of development and progress had scarcely been begun.
Oliver H. Martin, who Avas a lad at the time of the arrival in Illi-
nois was reared upon the frontier with the usual experiences in-
cident to pioneer life. He became a school teacher and afterward
went to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where in 1867 he took up the
study of medicine. Having qualified for the profession he engaged
in practice successfully for many years but is now living
retired at Kewaimee, Wisconsin. He has long survived his wife,
who died in 1886.
O. H. Martin, whose name introduces this review, acquired
his early education in the public schools and with experience as
his teacher learned many valuable lessons. In early manhood
he became connected with mercantile interests at Merrill, Wis-
consin, and afterward engaged in the same line of business at
Hurlev, that state, working for various firms.