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Captain Wiley Martin was born in Georgia in 1776. He led a very active, restless life, and when very young had been a soldier, schoolteacher and clerk in a store. In 1805 he became connected with Aaron Burr in some business enterprise, and in 1812 joined the army of General Harrison and served as a scout against the Indians in the army of the northwest, culminating in the decisive battle of Tippecanoe. In 1814 he joined the army of General Jackson against the Indians and participated in the famous battle of the “Horse Shoe.” For his gallantry on this hotly contested field he was promoted from scout to a captaincy. After this he became involved in a duel, in which his antagonist was killed. He then resigned his captain’s commission, and in 1825 came to Texas and joined Austin’s colony. He was soon appointed an alcalde in the colony and became acting political chief of the department.
At the breaking out of the Texas Revolution, he opposed the Declaration of Independence as premature, but raised a company and joined General Houston’s army at Columbus. He and General Houston had served together under General Jackson and both took part in the “Horse Shoe” battle, where Houston, then a young ensign, was severely wounded.
When the Mexicans arrived near the Brazos Captain Martin was sent to guard the ferry at Fort Bend, as has already been narrated.
After the war he made Fort Bend County his home and went into the practice of law and was the first county judge of Fort Bend County. He had no family and died near Richmond in 1842 at the home of Captain Randall Jones. At the time of his death he was a member of the Texas Congress.