Shep's Place Family Tree

William A. Mart & Betsey Page.
State of Ohio Gallia County. I hereby certify that I joined in the holy state of matrimony, William Anderson Mart, and Betsey Page, on the 14th day of April; April 29 1836.
John Strait M.G.

This is what Hardesty's History said, "As a matter of historical interest, it is proper to give an account of the terrible visitation of cholera which occurred in 1849. In the summer of that year, William Martt, of Walnut township, assisted in moving a family in Lawrence county, and returning home was taken sick early in July. He lingered in his illness for over a week, and his friends and neighbors kindly assisted in the care of him. It was not until it had spread to the families of all those who had been exposed, that the disease was discovered to be cholera of the most malignant type. The first victim to the dread disease was William Clark, who died after an illness of about four hours. The death of his wife and daughter quickly followed. The local physicians were inexperienced and unable to cope with the fearful epidemic, which spread rapidly.

To Mr. Middleswarth, a farmer of Clay township, is due the credit of checking and finally subduing the terrible scourge. Although unskilled in medicine, he had previously obtained a recipe for the cure of the cholera from a physician at New Orleans, and being a skillful nurse, he volunteered and did good service among the sick.

At one time, eight of Mr. Martt's family, including himself, were lying dead in the house, and five of them were buried in one grave, as assistance could not be obtained to dig a sufficient number. Owing to the inability to obtain coffins many were buried without them. An excitement such as is seldom witnessed in any community for a time prevailed, and all who had been exposed expected to die. During the space of two weeks there were about one hundred cases in Walnut and the adjoining township of Harrison, thirty-seven of which were fatal, and the agonizing anxiety for the safety of the lives of dear ones in the minds of people of the little community can be better imagined than described.

The epidemic was confined to a radius of about four miles. There is nothing in the locality that should have caused its appearance, only in the manner described, as it is exceedingly healthy, and nothing of the kind had ever occurred before or has been experienced since."