Click here for the John Martin Family home page. 3rd Generation - Elsie Martin 

Elsie Catherine (Martin) Roderick, the 15th child of John Martin, Jr., and the third born to John’s second wife, Lavina (Plowman) Martin, was born 21 Sep 1867 at Camargo, Douglas County, Illinois.  On 27 Feb 1887, she married James Owen Roderick (commonly known as “Owen”) in Douglas County.  He had been born 13 Nov 1864 in Camargo, the son of John Wesley and Emmerzilla (Huffman) Roderick.

The 1900 census shows Elsie, Owen, and their three children living in Garrett Township, about 14 miles west of Camargo but still in Douglas County.  By 1910, they had moved down to Bowdre Township, south of Camargo.  Only the youngest child, Lynn, was still in the household at that time.  Elsie died there in Bowdre 24 October 1910 and is buried in the Van Voorhis Cemetery.

Owen lived on until 16 April 1947 and, as far as I can tell, he never remarried.  I have been unable to find him in the 1920 census, but in 1930 and 1940, he was living with his son Lynn in Bowdre Township.  Eventually, he was buried next to Elsie in the Van Voorhis Cemetery.

Elsie and Owen were the parents of three children:

  • John Everett Roderick, 1887–1977 (married (1) Mary Ellen Craig and (2) Ruby May Stone).
  • Ethel May Roderick, 1890–1916 (married Arthur B. Cox).
  • Lynn Arlington Roderick, 1895–1958 (married Vena Pauline Shelton).

If you can suggest any corrections to the information above or provide any further details about the lives of Elsie, Owen, and their descendants, please contact me at the address shown in the image below:

P L Martin C O at G mail dot com

Thanks,      
     —Pete Martin

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