- Born
- circa 1877
- Died
- 1974-01-16 · Holy Cross Catholic Church
- Burial
- 1974-01-16 · Holy Cross Catholic Church
- Work
- Commercial fisherman
- Member of
- Holy Cross Catholic Church
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- governancecommunitymaritimeheritage
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
John R. “Dick” Martin was identified in June 1947 as a 43-year-old Beaver Island commercial fisherman who was acquitted after a three-day Charlevoix circuit-court arson trial. A January 1974 obituary for a 70-year-old John R. “Big Dick” Martin, also a lifelong Beaver Island commercial fisherman, reports his death, Holy Cross funeral, and planned cemetery burial.
Evidence and limits
The matching name, “Dick” nickname, island residence, commercial-fishing occupation, and age progression make the 1947 and 1974 records strongly consistent with one person. That bridge is editorial and remains distinct from a civil identity record. The 1947 report establishes an accusation and a not-guilty verdict, not that Martin set the fire; neither report supplies a complete family or cemetery record.
Open questions
- Can the court docket or local directories establish Martin’s full identity?
- What was the later history of the alleged fire and its property?
See also
The dated record
Sources
- Charlevoix County Herald, June 6, 1947, “Beaver Islander Acquitted of Arson.”Identifies Martin as John R. (Dick) Martin, 43, a Beaver Island commercial fisherman, and reports his not-guilty verdict after a three-day arson trial. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
- Identifies John R. “Big Dick” Martin as age 70, a lifelong Beaver Island resident and commercial fisherman who died January 16 and had a January 17 funeral; it reports membership in Holy Cross Church and a planned Holy Cross Cemetery burial.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-01_Beaver-Beacon
- 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 · 1974-01_Beaver-Beacon
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “John R. “Dick” Martin”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/john-r-dick-martin/, accessed [date], citing Charlevoix County Herald, June 6, 1947, “Beaver Islander Acquitted of Arson.” (and 2 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
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