Josiah Martin
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Josiah Martin (23 April 1737 – 13 April 1786) was the last colonial governor of the Province of North Carolina
(1771-1775).
, third son of his father's second marriage. His elder half-brother Samuel Martin
(1714-1788), was secretary to the Treasury in London. Another brother Sir Henry Martin
(1735-1794) was for many years naval commissioner at Portsmouth and Comptroller of the Royal Navy. Sir Henry was father of Thomas Byam Martin
.
This Josiah Martin's uncle, also Josiah Martin (1699-1778) but born in Antigua, left Antigua after 1750 and settled at Far Rockaway, Long Island. He was a member of the first board of trustees for King’s College (now Columbia University) in 1754 and a member of the royal council of New York in 1754-1755. He was on the council of the governor of the province of New York from 1759 to 1764.
Josiah Martin (1699-1778) of Far Rockaway, Long Island was also governor of the Province of North Carolina for a short time in 1770. Josiah Martin, the younger, married his first cousin Elizabeth, daughter of the elder Josiah Martin of Long Island in 1761.
in the British Army
in 1756 where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel
in 1769.
On 29 December 1758, Josiah was appointed to the New York royal council, a position once held by his uncle. Because of his trips to London and Antigua the council, in November 1762, temporarily replaced him with Lawrence Read, superseded in turn by his father, Joseph Read, to sit in Martin’s place until he returned. He was given “a full year to determine whether he will return to the council from the West Indies".
. Handicapped by illness he remained in New York and was unable to present himself in the governor's palace at New Bern until Monday, 12 August 1771.
Governor Martin tried to give the North Carolinians useful and fair government, but he was hampered by his instructions from Lord Hillsborough, and later by Lord Dartmouth. Tryon left a legacy to Martin of five major problems that plagued North Carolina. These problems were the unsettled and expensive dispute between the Carolinas about their mutual boundary line;
the struggle over the court law bills and the judiciary, especially the attachment of the property of debtors who had never lived in the province;
the old quorum trouble in the House of Commons that caused conflict between the House and the governor; and
the conflict over the selection of the chief personnel of the provincial government by the crown rather than through the assembly.
After his home was attacked by Whigs
on 24 April 1775, he sent his family to Elizabeth's in New York and took refuge on board the sloop-of-war
Cruiser, transferring his headquarters to Fort Johnston
on the Cape Fear River
.
When the Mecklenburg Resolves
were published in May 1775, Martin transmitted a copy to England, which he described as "setting up a system of rule and regulation subversive of his majesty's government." Martin then requested a supply of arms and ammunition from General Thomas Gage
in Boston
.
In July 1775, a plot instigated by Martin to arm the slaves was discovered. In retaliation, John Ashe
led a group of colonists against Fort Johnston on 20 July. Martin was forced to flee aboard the Cruiser while the colonists destroyed the fort. Martin remained off the coast of North Carolina, directing the rising of the Loyalists
, whom he supplied with weapons brought from England.
After two attempted invasions during the Carolina campaign of the American Revolutionary War
to re-establish his administration were turned back, Martin, who was then in ill health due to fatigue, left for Long Island
and then England.
He died in London.
Province of North Carolina
The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina in British America, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietor. The province later became the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee....
(1771-1775).
Family and connections
Martin was born in Dublin Ireland of a planter family well established on the Caribbean island of AntiguaAntigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
, third son of his father's second marriage. His elder half-brother Samuel Martin
Samuel Martin (Secretary to the Treasury)
Samuel Martin was a British politician and administrator.-Family:He was the son of Samuel Martin, the leading plantation owner on the West Indies island of Antigua, where he was born, and eldest half-brother of Sir Henry Martin, 1st Baronet , for many years naval commissioner at Portsmouth and...
(1714-1788), was secretary to the Treasury in London. Another brother Sir Henry Martin
Sir Henry Martin, 1st Baronet
Captain Henry Martin, 1st Baronet was a naval commander whose final appointment was Comptroller of the Navy 1790–1794.Martin was born at Shroton House, Dorset, 29 August 1733...
(1735-1794) was for many years naval commissioner at Portsmouth and Comptroller of the Royal Navy. Sir Henry was father of Thomas Byam Martin
Thomas Byam Martin
Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin, GCB was a highly influential British Royal Navy officer who served at sea during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and then as a naval administrator until his death in 1854...
.
Josiah Martin senior of Antigua and Rock Hall, Long Island
This Josiah Martin's uncle, also Josiah Martin (1699-1778) but born in Antigua, left Antigua after 1750 and settled at Far Rockaway, Long Island. He was a member of the first board of trustees for King’s College (now Columbia University) in 1754 and a member of the royal council of New York in 1754-1755. He was on the council of the governor of the province of New York from 1759 to 1764.
Josiah Martin (1699-1778) of Far Rockaway, Long Island was also governor of the Province of North Carolina for a short time in 1770. Josiah Martin, the younger, married his first cousin Elizabeth, daughter of the elder Josiah Martin of Long Island in 1761.
Career
At first undecided he became an ensignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1756 where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in 1769.
On 29 December 1758, Josiah was appointed to the New York royal council, a position once held by his uncle. Because of his trips to London and Antigua the council, in November 1762, temporarily replaced him with Lawrence Read, superseded in turn by his father, Joseph Read, to sit in Martin’s place until he returned. He was given “a full year to determine whether he will return to the council from the West Indies".
Governor
On 1 March 1771 Martin received his appointment as royal governor of North Carolina, succeeding James HasellJames Hasell
James Hasell was the acting colonial governor of North Carolina in 1771 and again in 1774. When Governor William Tryon was reassigned to New York, Hasell as the senior member of the council was named to succeed him in July 1771. He resigned when newly appointed Governor Josiah Martin arrived in...
. Handicapped by illness he remained in New York and was unable to present himself in the governor's palace at New Bern until Monday, 12 August 1771.
Governor Martin tried to give the North Carolinians useful and fair government, but he was hampered by his instructions from Lord Hillsborough, and later by Lord Dartmouth. Tryon left a legacy to Martin of five major problems that plagued North Carolina. These problems were
After his home was attacked by Whigs
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
on 24 April 1775, he sent his family to Elizabeth's in New York and took refuge on board the sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
Cruiser, transferring his headquarters to Fort Johnston
Fort Johnston
Fort Johnston, also known as Fort Geary, is a Civil War era earthen fort atop a peak of Catoctin Mountain just west of Leesburg, Virginia. Constructed in the winter of 1861-62 following the Battle of Balls Bluff, it is one of three forts constructed to defend the town from the threat of possible...
on the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
.
When the Mecklenburg Resolves
Mecklenburg Resolves
The Mecklenburg Resolves, or Charlottetown Resolves, and sometimes referred to as the "Mecklenburg Declaration", was a list of statements reputed to have been introduced in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to the Mecklenburg Committee of Safety on or after March 20, 1775 and adopted by the...
were published in May 1775, Martin transmitted a copy to England, which he described as "setting up a system of rule and regulation subversive of his majesty's government." Martin then requested a supply of arms and ammunition from General Thomas Gage
Thomas Gage
Thomas Gage was a British general, best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as military commander in the early days of the American War of Independence....
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
In July 1775, a plot instigated by Martin to arm the slaves was discovered. In retaliation, John Ashe
John Ashe
John Ashe may refer to:*John Ashe *John Ashe , American Revolutionary War figure*John Baptista Ashe , North Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress...
led a group of colonists against Fort Johnston on 20 July. Martin was forced to flee aboard the Cruiser while the colonists destroyed the fort. Martin remained off the coast of North Carolina, directing the rising of the Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
, whom he supplied with weapons brought from England.
After two attempted invasions during the Carolina campaign of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
to re-establish his administration were turned back, Martin, who was then in ill health due to fatigue, left for Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and then England.
He died in London.