Elitha Smith Martin

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some folks leave their mark on a place just by passin' through. Elitha Smith Martin was not that kind of person.

Born on January 30, 1830, in Patrick County, Virginia, she married John Martin on June 27, 1848, and together they built a life worth followin'. In 1856, the two of them packed up four children and came to Texas, putting down roots in Llano County, where five more children were born. Nine children.

Let that settle for a moment. Then John Martin died, in 1869, and the story could have ended right there. It did not.

Mrs. Martin gathered up the younger children, moved to a new place, and did what apparently came naturally to her: she built things. A two-story hotel, sitting a hundred yards to the east of where this marker stands.

A livery stable. A general mercantile store. Not one, not two, three enterprises, raised up by a woman who had every reason to slow down and chose not to.

And then, as if running a hotel and a stable and a store wasn't enough to fill the hours, on December 4, 1879, Mrs. Martin was appointed postmaster. She kept that post office right there in the store, serving in that position until May 16, 1896.

Nearly two decades of mail moving through her hands. When Elitha Smith Martin died on August 10, 1899, she was buried beside her husband in Llano County, the place where their Texas story had first taken hold. She'd come a long way from Patrick County, Virginia.

And she made sure the place she landed knew she'd been there.

What the marker says

(Jan. 30, 1830-Aug. 10, 1899) Prominent local businesswoman; born in Patrick County, Virginia, she married John Martin (1826-69) on June 27, 1848. The couple came to Texas in 1856 with 4 children and settled in Llano County, where 5 more children were born. After John Martin's death, Mrs. Martin and the younger children moved here and built a 2-story hotel (100 yards E.), a livery stable, and a general mercantile store. On December 4, 1879, Mrs. Martin was appointed postmaster and served in that position until May 16, 1896, keeping the post office in the store. She was buried beside her husband in Llano County. (1974)