Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
MARTIN L. SCHERMERHORN is a real
estate dealer and the land commissioner at Lind. He is a native of
Lewis county, New York, born October 13, 1842, the son of Luther and Jane
(Simpson) Schermerhorn, natives of Dutchess county, New York. They
removed to Wisconsin in 1855, located at Watertown where Mr. Schermerhorn
followed blacksmithing, and where both died later. Some of the brothers
of the father served in the war of 18l2. The father was born in 1797
and died in 1881.
Martin L. Schermerhorn, was a member of a
family of ten children, nine of whom grew to maturity, received a high
school education, and at the age of seventeen was thrown upon his own responsibility.
He served three years at Hartford, Connecticut, as apprentice to the trade
of carpentering, then left his work to ally himself, September, 1862, with
Company B, Second Artillery, under Colonel Green. He served in all
two years and three months, being discharged on account of illness, in
May, 1864.
After the war he returned to Connecticut where
he finished his trade, then went to Wisconsin and worked as a millwright,
and also followed bridge building to a considerable extent. In 1872
he left Wisconsin for Ludington, Michigan, lived there four years, then
ten years in Nelson, Nebraska, and came west to Fresno, California, in
1886. He lived there until coming to Lind in 1900, during a portion
of which time he was city marshal of Fresno. Previously he had been
justice of the peace in the state of Wisconsin. Upon coming to Lind,
Mr. Schermerhorn worked for a time at his trade, then entered the real
estate business, at which he has practiced with signal success ever since.
He has accumulated a considerable amount of property, and has a fine home
in town. He has a quarter section of well improved grain land one
mile from Lind, raises some stock, and a great amount of fruit is produced
by his orchard of several hundred trees.
Mr. Schermerhorn was married in 1886 to Annie
Brayman, daughter of John and Hannah Brayman, of Horicon, Wisconsin.
Her parents were natives of New York, and pioneers in Wisconsin.
Mrs. Schermerhorn in her youth was a school teacher, later took a medical
course in Hahnemann college, Chicago, became a graduate and practiced her
profession for twenty-four years with great success in Nebraska and California.
She retired, however, when she came to this state.
Politically, Mr. Schermerhorn is a Republican,
and active; he is at present serving as United States land commissioner,
to which position he was appointed in 1902. He is a royal arch and
knight templar Mason, having joined the order in 1871, and the royal arch
in 1873. He also belongs to the A. O. U. W., and Mrs. Schermerhorn
holds membership in the Eastern Star, and the Degree of Honor.
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