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Person

Charles I. "Charlie" Martin

Also Charles Martin · Charles I. Martin · Charlie Martin

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
Born1906
Died1984
WithinBeaver Island · Saint James
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Born
1906
Died
1984
Member of
Hyde and Doolittle Fisheries
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
healthcarecommunityfishingeconomymaritimeheritage
Within
Beaver Island · Saint James

Summary

Charles I. “Charlie” Martin (1906–1984) of St. James, Beaver Island, owned a share of Hyde and Doolittle Fisheries, bought and relocated the former Life-Saving Station building, and married Marion E. McGinnis, daughter of Leo McGinnis. He and Marion raised at least six children and appear repeatedly in the Beaver Beacon across 1961–1975 as parents and grandparents.

History

In October 1961 the Beacon’s “Whitefish Return” report names Charles Martin as an owner of Hyde and Doolittle Fisheries of St. James. Two months later, in December 1961, “The Changing Face of Beaver Island” names Charles Martin of St. James as the purchaser of the former Life-Saving Station building, who moved it to a new location. The October 1960 obituary notice for Leo McGinnis states “He was the father of Mrs. Charlie Martin,” which the Holy Cross Cemetery index reads against Marion E. (McGinnis) Martin, spouse of Charles I. Martin.

The couple’s children appear in later Beacon notices as parents and grandparents in their own right: an April 1966 births notice identifies Charles Martin as a grandparent of Michael Joseph Delia, born to the Hesperia, Michigan family of the Martins’ daughter and her husband Mike Delia; a March 1975 births notice identifies him as grandparent of David Allen Delia, the same Delia family’s second son; and a May–June 1975 births notice identifies him as grandparent of Erin Terese Martin, born to his son’s family on the island. In May 1973 the “Hospital Notes” column lists Charles Martin as a patient at Little Traverse Hospital, with no diagnosis or admission date given.

Significance

Martin’s fishery ownership and his purchase of the Life-Saving Station building are two small entries in the record of St. James’s working waterfront in the early 1960s; neither notice by itself would identify him as more than a name, but read together with the family notices they place one man in the harbor economy, in the built environment of the former station site, and at the center of a large island family across a decade and a half of the Beacon’s pages.

Evidence and limits

Identity bridge. The Holy Cross Cemetery index lists exactly one Charles I. Martin (1906–1984), spouse of Marion E. (McGinnis) Martin, son of James “Shing” and Nellie (Johnson) Martin, with children including Sarah “Sally” (Delia), Emmett, Ernie (Francis Ernest), Erwin Charles, James Lee, and Mary Jane. This one cemetery record fully accounts for the family names given in the whitefish, Life-Saving Station, hospital, and births notices — the recurring St. James Charles/Charlie Martin household, the children Sally, Erwin, Francis/Ernie, and Emmett, and the 1960 obituary line naming Leo McGinnis father of Mrs. Charlie Martin. No competing Charles Martin household appears in any of the sources read for these three notices. This is a converging bridge (same spouse, same in-law, same set of children’s given names, all reading onto a single cemetery entry), not a bare surname match, so the three source episodes — fishery owner, building purchaser, hospital patient/grandparent — are treated as one man.

No source read for this article gives Martin’s occupation beyond the 1961 fishery-ownership notice, a residence beyond St. James, or the reason for the 1973 hospitalization.

Open questions

  • No source read for this article states Martin’s full-time occupation or the extent of his interest in Hyde and Doolittle Fisheries.
  • The 1973 hospitalization’s cause and outcome are not given by any source found.
  • What later became of the relocated Life-Saving Station building is not established by any source read here.

See also

Kin

This articleCharles I."Charlie" Martin1906 – 1984Daniel Emmett"Emmet" Martin1947 – 2007Francis Ernest"Ernie" Martin1947 – 2005
Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

The dated record

3 dated events · 1906–1984These years on the timeline →

Sources

  1. Lists Charles Martin as a patient in Little Traverse Hospital but gives no admission date, diagnosis, or treatment. The Island newspaper’s recurring St. James Charles/Charlie Martin family notices identify his children as Sally, Erwin, Francis, and Ernie; a 1960 notice identifies Mrs. Charlie Martin as Leo McGinnis’s daughter. This bridges the hospital entry to the cemetery record for Charles I. Martin, spouse of Marion E. McGinnis; the cemetery gives only years.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-05_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held nine-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1973-05_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Lists Charles I. Martin (1906–1984), spouse of Marion E. McGinnis, and their children including Sally, Erwin, Francis/Ernie, and Emmett.
  4. States "Mr. Leo McGinnis died at Grandview Hospital October 5. He was the father of Mrs. Charlie Martin." This is the direct textual bridge, independent of the cemetery index, identifying Mrs. Charlie Martin as Leo McGinnis's daughter — read against the cemetery's Marion E. McGinnis, spouse of Charles I. Martin.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1960-10_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Identifies Charles Martin as a grandparent in the birth notice for Michael Joseph Delia, born to the Hesperia family of Mike and Mrs. Delia. The repeated Hesperia/Delia/Charles Martin pattern supports the family continuity but does not add a civil genealogy.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1966-04_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1966-04_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Identifies Charles Martin as a grandparent of David Allen Delia (7 lbs 3/4 oz, born March 5), son of Mike Delia and his wife of Hesperia. CORRECTION: this article previously cited the April 1975 issue for this notice; the notice is in the March 1975 issue, verified directly against the held OCR text, and the April 1975 issue does not contain it. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-03_Beaver-Beacon
  8. The held issue confirms the grandparent notice.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1975-03_Beaver-Beacon
  9. Identifies Charles Martin as a grandparent in Erin Terese Martin’s May 26 birth notice. The notice does not add a civil genealogy. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-05_Beaver-Beacon
  10. The held combined issue confirms the grandparent notice.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1975-05_Beaver-Beacon
  11. Names Charles Martin as an owner of Hyde and Doolittle Fisheries of St. James. Recurring St. James Charles/Charlie Martin family notices identify his children as Sally, Erwin, Francis, and Ernie; a 1960 notice identifies Mrs. Charlie Martin as Leo McGinnis’s daughter. These links match the cemetery entry for Charles I. Martin, spouse of Marion E. McGinnis; the cemetery gives only years.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-10_Beaver-Beacon
  12. The held five-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1961-10_Beaver-Beacon
  13. Names Charles Martin of St. James as the purchaser of the former Life-Saving Station building and says he moved it to a new location. The recurring St. James Charles/Charlie Martin is identified as the father of Sally, Erwin, Francis, and Ernie in 1962–69 Beacon notices; a 1960 notice identifies Mrs. Charlie Martin as Leo McGinnis’s daughter. Together these bridge this record to the cemetery entry for Charles I. Martin, spouse of Marion E. McGinnis; the cemetery gives only years.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-12_Beaver-Beacon
  14. The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1961-12_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 5 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Charles I. "Charlie" Martin”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/charles-martin/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, May 1973, “Hospital Notes.” (and 13 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-05. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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