Bradley and Sarah Catherine (Vaughn) Martin had 2 children who were born in 1867 and 1868. They had 5 grandchildren who were born between 1892 and 1909, and at least 1 great-grandchild who was born in 1922. Total identified descendants equals 8.

Philetus Bradley Martin was the fifth son and youngest child of the nine children of Jonathan Martin and Lydia Read. He was born 2 February 1845 in Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey (Kern 1938; Union Brick Cemetery). As an adult, he appears in documents as P. Bradley Martin, hence Bradley appears to have been his prefered mode of address. In 1850, "Philetus" (as given in the census) was a 5 year old boy living in his parents household in Hardwick township. Several of his older siblings had already moved out of the house. His brother Benjamin and sisters Elizabeth, Hannah and Sarah were all married and his brothers David and John were both serving apprenticeships. David was in Belvidere, New Jersey apprenticed as a cabinet maker and John Ogden was in Northfield on Staten Island, New York learning the trade of tailoring (1850 United States Census, Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, page 86B; Belvidere, Warren County, New Jersey, page 487B; Town of Northfield, Richmond County, New York, page 165B). In 1850, the only Martin children still living at home were Philetus and his older sister and brother—Lidia and Jonathan Oliver (1850 United States Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 495B). By 1860, Lidia was married and Jonathan Oliver was living with their brother John Ogden Martin. Philetus was 15 years old. He still lived at home with his parents, his 12 year old nephew, Martin Allen, also lived in the household. Martin's father had died in 1857 and the whereabouts of his mother (Hannah Martin Allen) are currently unknown. Both Philetus (or Flyetus as given in the census) and Martin were in school (1860 United States Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 555, 14 July 1860).

The Civil War began nine months after the 1860 census was enumerated. Late in the summer of 1861, Bradley's brother David R. Martin enlisted in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry and his brother-in-law Baltis K. Wintermute enlisted in the Iowa Volunteer Infantry. The following summer, his brother John Ogden Martin enlisted in the 15th New Jersey Infantry. John enlisted on 9 August 1862. On the same day, Bradley also enlisted in the 15th. According to Snell, he was not mustered into service (Snell 1881:144), nor does he appear on the regimental roster of the 15th (Beegle n.d.). However, the National Park Sevice records have him as enlisted as a private in the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry (NPS). It is possible that the 15th refused to accept him because he was 17 years old and did not have parental consent. Or, he was not mustered in because he was an apprentice and could not get his master's permission to break his contract. This occurred throughout New Jersey and the United States during the war. In 1861, Alfred Bellard, an eighteen year old carpenter's apprentice in Hudson City, New Jersey, "noted that his 'military spirit...rose to a fever pitch,' but was frustrated by his employer's refusal to let him enlist" (Bilby and Goble 1998:4). Bradley does not appear to have tired to enlist again after 1862. He lost two of his brothers during the war. David R. Martin died in November 1861, a few months after he enlisted. His brother John Ogden was killed in May 1864 at Spotsylvania Courthouse. Of the three men in his family who went to war, only his brother-in-law Baltis Wintermute returned.

After the war, Bradley married his second cousin, Sarah Catherine Vaughn⁴ (Benjmin Vaughn³, Hannah Read², Joseph Read¹), the daughter of Benjamin O. Vaughn³ and Margaret Freese (Kern 1938). She was born 18 June 1840 in Warren County, New Jersey. Sarah Catherine had a twin named Susan, who married Reuben W. Vanauken (Kern 1938). In 1850, ten year old Sarah lived with her parents and siblings on the family farm in Blairstown township. The farm was near Walnut Valley and was probably on the south side of the Paulinskill. The Vaughn household included Sarah Catherine's older brothers Daniel and Darius, her twin sister Susan, and her younger brother William. Her two older sister, Cecila and Hannah were already married (1850 United States Census, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 451A, 24 September 1850; Kern 1938). The composition of the Vaughn household had not changed by 1860. Both of the older boys were still unmarried and living at home, neither Sarah nor her twin were married (they were 20 years old) and the youngest child, William was still in school (1860 United States Census, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 571, 26 July 1860, Post Office Walnut Valley). The next few years after the census were hard years for the family. Sarah Catherine's father died on 16 September 1863 when she was 23 years old (Kern 1938; Union Brick). Her brother William died the following year on 6 September 1864 (Kern 1938). He does not appear to have been in the Union Army, hence his death was probably not related to the Civil War [this needs to be verified]. There were two deaths in the family in 1866, Sarah Catherine's brother Daniel died on 13 April and her mother, Margaret Freese Vaughn, died on 10 September (Kern 1938; Union Brick). Sarah Catherine and her twin Susan probably both married in late 1865 or early 1866. They both had their first child in 1867. Sarah Catherine's son Darius Vaughn Martin was born in March 1867 and Susan's son Marklan Vanauken was born later that year.

Darius Vaughn Martin, the eldest of the two Martin children was joinned by a sister in October 1868. She was named Minniette and was sometimes called "Minnie." Bradley and Sarah Catherine did not have more children after Minnie was born. In view of later events, this may be an indication that their marriage was already souring. In 1870, Bradley, Sarah Catherine and their two children lived on a farm in Hardwick Township (Table 1). Their post office was Columbia, New Jersey. They owned the farm, which was valued at $3,800 and they had a personal estate valued at $700 (1870 United States Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, pages 147-148, 1 August 1870, Post Office Columbia).

Table 1: Household of P. B. and Sarah C. (Vaughn) Martin in 1870
1870 United States Federal Census
Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, pages 147-148

Bradley moved his family from Hardwick to Frelinghuysen Township by 1880. The 1880 census places Bradley and Sarah Martin in the later. Their two children, Darius and Minnie lived with them (Table 2). Both children were in school and Bradley was a farmer (1880 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 193, Frelinghuysen Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 319A, 3 June 1880).

Table 2: Household of Bradley and Sarah (Vaughn) Martin in 1880
1880 United States Federal Census
Enumeration District 193, Frelinghuysen Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 319A

By 1910, Bradley was remarried. P.B. Martin appears on the census with his second wife Irene (Last Name Unknown), whom he had recently married. The census indicates that this was a second marriage for both Bradley and Irene. She was born circa 1855 in New Jersey. They lived in a rented house on High Street in Blairstown, Warren County. Bradley was retired and lived on his own income (1910 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 123, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey, sheet 9B, 28 April 1910). In the same census year, Sarah Catherine was listed as living with her daughter Minnie and son-in-law Charles B. Williams in an apartment at 143 Franklin Avenue in Midland Park Borough, Bergen County, New Jersey. The couple had just had their first child, a daughter named Margaret. Sarah Catherine continued to give her marital status as widow on the 1910 census (1910 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 18, Midland Park Borough, Bergen County, New Jersey, sheet 13B, 27 April 1910).

In 1920, Sarah Catherine still lived with her daughter Minnie and her husband Charles B. Williams at 47 Franklin Ave. in Midland Park in Bergen County. This is the only census on which she appears with the marital status of divorced (1920 United States Federal Census, Borough of Midland Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, Enumeration District 21, sheet 8A, 6 January 1920). Bradley was still alive in 1920, but I have been unable to located him in the 1920 census. He died in 1928. I currently have no further information concerning his second wife Irene.

By 1930, Minnie and Charles Williams had moved to Erie Avenue in Midland Park. Sarah Catherine also moved to the new home. She was almost 90 when the census was taken. Sarah Catherine described herself as a widow on the 1930 census. Bradley Martin had died two years previously, but he had also remarried before he died. Sarah Catherine never remarried after her marriage to Bradley Martin ended (1930 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 2-165, Borough of Midland Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, sheet 12B, 14 April 1930). She died at the age of 90 on 3 December 1930, probably at her daughter's home in Midland Park. She and and Philetus are both buried in Union Brick Cemetery, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey. However, they are not buried together. There is an epitaph for Philetus carved on his parents monument. Sarah Catherine is buried in another part of the cemetery.

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