The gravestone of Dr. Charles E. Martin at Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita is unique, though at first glance it doesn’t appear very special, and has a “severely plain” look.
Dr. Martin designed his own gravestone, which was commissioned by his wife and daughter after his death. It isn’t topped with the typical Holy Bible, but instead an entire Freethought Library. Dr. Martin “was widely known as the most stalwart of the Freethinkers in the Sunflower state.”
The carved books that rest atop Dr. Martin’s gravestone are Darwin’s works, Buckle’s works, Draper’s works, Shelley’s works, Voltaire’s works, with Col. Ingersol’s works and Paine’s Age of Reason as the crowning books.
The base of the monument has minimal decoration, and includes the doctor’s name and credentials, his death date, and his age. It also includes a large Woodmen of the World logo with a dove and olive branch, the motto “dum tacet clamat” (“though silent he speaks”), and “Sedgwick Camp No. 12,” the name of the local Woodmen of the World camp of which Dr. Martin was a member.
The “queer monument” and its “remarkable inscriptions” and “strange design” that promoted and featured “apostles of infidelity” was newsworthy to the conservative editor of one of the local papers.
I didn’t find a receipt for the gravestone, but I did find an invoice for the plot and opening and closing the grave.
I also found an invoice for the funeral service.
Dr. Charles Edwin Martin
The following biography of Dr Martin was published in the Freethinker publication the Blue Grass Blade on May 17, 1908. Paragraph breaks and photo insertions were done by me.
Dr. Charles Edwin Martin, deceased, formerly of Wichita, Kansas, must be included in the Blade’s list of Immortals. During an active and busy life he held truth and honor to be the highest virtues that manhood could keep. Primal duties shine most resplendent when done without self-interest and the subject of this sketch never sought self glorification but was ever ready to break a lance in intellectual combat, believing that true glory lay in duty done, true honor resting upon integrity of principle. True greatness may not make proclaim from the housetops, but it is ever ready to scale the highest crags. True greatness keeps the soldier firm, the statesman pure and through it a halo of glory surmounts the brow of the independent thinker.
Dr. Martin was born in New York city on the 16th day of April, 1838. He was the eldest son of John Martin and Emeline Martin, nee Ferguson. In the closing days of his life he was widely known as the most stalwart of the Freethinkers in the Sunflower state. From early childhood he had entertained an inherent aversion to all religious creeds. He inherited this from his mother, for while, in her younger days, she had attached herself with the orthodox church, as was, and is now, the fashion among women, she became liberal in her views and dropped her name from the church lists. As a child Dr. Martin was required to attend Sunday School, but finding no delight in that sanctified institution, he frequently played truant and spent the Sunday among the forest and fields at every opportunity. The monument that now marks his last resting place will proclaim to posterity the strength of his Freethought views and infidel tendencies.
His younger days were spent in the great metropolis where he attended the public schools and while still a young man, attended the medical college of Genoa, from which institution he graduated with honor. Shortly after this he went with his parents to Ohio where they settled in Plymouth and young Martin now made an attempt to practice his profession, which he did with varying success. In 1860 he was married to Miss Clarissa Brewer from which issue two daughters were born. The next year came the civil war and Dr. Martin enlisted with the 11th Ohio Cavalry, but did not take part in that fratricidal strife in that he went with Col. Collins into the Indian branch of the service in the department of the Rocky Mountains. Here he served his full term of three years securing an honorable discharge from the army. He returned to Ohio, but now settled in Sandusky where he embarked in the boot and shoe business. During all this time he had never allied himself with any church and kept constantly aloof.
In 1877, with his wife and two daughters, Linnie Gwendolin, and Isis Blanche, he moved out west to Kansas, and settled on a farm 32 miles west of the city of Wichita. Two years of unsuccessful farming brought him to the city. Here he engaged in business, first as a dealer in real estate and later as a commission merchant. In both he proved successful and was able to acquire a competency upon which he could furnish his children with a desirable education and enjoy some of life’s luxuries. He became one of the leading and influential citizens of Wichita. He refused to join any church, though frequently importuned, and took no part in the religious work of the town. His manifested interest in the welfare of the people gave him a nomination for Mayor of Wichita, but while the election campaign was in progress the Haymarket riots took place at Chicago with such fatal results and his political enemies, consisting of church people, used this as an argument against him, claiming that the radicalism of Dr. Martin, if elected, would involve Wichita in a similar conflict. This had its effect and Dr. Martin met with defeat. Though frequently urged to make the race again he steadfastly declined. He now took a post graduate course at the Rush Medical College, and once more resumed the practice of medicine.
Dr. Martin was essentially a Fraternalist. As a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, he rose, step by step, to the 33rd degree, or the highest that masonry can confer. This had been one of the ambitions of his life but he never realized it. Before he could leave for Scotland to take the degree he was stricken with paralysis from which he never recovered. This affliction came over him in 1891 and after lingering for more than three years he died in September, 1894. His daughter, Isis B. Martin, became one of the most widely known women in Kansas, was a frequent contributor to the Freethought press of the country, and finally became the wife of John R. Charlesworth, who was then lecturing on the Freethought platform, and is now the Blade’s associate editor.
At the death of Dr. Martin there were no religious services. No orthodox functions were performed. His monument, erected by the Woodmen of the World, of which he was also a member, a picture of which adorns this page, is one of the most unique in the country. It is a Freethought monument in every sense of the term and a standing challenge to orthodoxy. It was the joint design of his wife, Clarissa Martin, and his daughter, Isis B. It is of polished granite and surmounting the base is the carved form of a large book upon which is inscribed the words “Freethought Library.” Upon the top of this book are five others, upright, and upon the backs thereof are shown the names of those infidel writers, Darwin, Buckle, Draper, Shelley and Voltaire. Resting again on the top of these is another book inscribed “Col. Ingersoll’s Works” and to crown the entire structure, as if casting a glorious lustre over them all, is “Paine’s Age of Reason.” This monument still marks his last resting place in the cemetery at Wichita, Kansas.
I found these facts about Dr. Martin fascinating and worth mentioning (or re-mentioning).
Dr. Martin volunteered for military service
- Before joining the service in 1863, Dr. Martin was working as a shoemaker in Ohio.
- His Volunteer Enlistment document dated July 25, 1863 includes his signature and a physical description: the 26-year-old was 5 feet 9-3/4 inches tall with gray eyes, brown hair, and a fair complexion.
- In the military, he was a saddler at Fort Laramie for nearly a year before he was sent to Fort Halleck, where he deserted his position. A few months later, his records indicate he was “taken from desertion,” and another noted he “joined from desertion.”
- His pension files indicate that he suffered from respiratory disease and headaches, and that he received a pension of $12 a month for “disease of respiratory organs and heart.”
- You can view and download his service, medical, and pension files for free here.
Dr. Martin had significant ties to early Wichita
- The doctor’s brother, G.A. Martin, was a proprietor of the Wichita Herald in the 1870’s.
- Dr. Martin was said to be among the first to settle in Morton Township (around Cheney/Garden Plain), where he took up farming before moving into Wichita.
- He rose the 33rd Degree of Freemasonry here in Wichita, and was the Mt. Olivet Commandery’s official Recorder for several years.
- In addition to being a Wichita real estate dealer and a merchant, he was also a bookkeeper for a local store.
- As a merchant or “commission dealer,” Dr. Martin sold flour, feed, and seed that kept local farms open.
- His daughter Isis is credited with two Wichita firsts: the “first librarian of Wichita” and the “first woman in Wichita to ride a bicycle,” which she did in “a short, divided skirt.”
- He was the step-brother of Blanche Niederlander, the wife of N.F. Neiderlander. N.F. Neiderlander was a Wichita pioneer and “real estate rustler” who was a member of the Wichita Town Company, President of Kansas Loan and Investment Co., and a director of Wichita National Bank. When Dr. Martin dabbled in real estate, it was with his brother-in-law.
- Dr. Martin’s refusal of religion played a part in being defeated in his run for Wichita mayor, despite his sincere interest in the welfare of the citizens of Wichita.
- In 1888, he was appointed joint police commissioner of Wichita, an position he took very seriously during the year and a half he served.
- After serving as Wichita police commissioner, Dr. Martin said in 1889: “I desire to say in all candor … I regard it as utterly impossible to rigidly enforce the prohibitory law.”
Dr. Martin’s descendants were vaudeville stars
- The “dramatic branch of the Unity Club” met at Dr. Martin’s home frequently, likely because his daughter was involved.
- His daughter Linnie married a Wichita music teacher who later became the conductor of Shaw’s orchestra, W.W. Sanford. Linnie played the slide trombone across the country and performed in different bands and orchestras, including the Chicago Ladies Orchestra and a traveling vaudeville act with her husband and children.
- He was the grandfather of Beatrice Diamond, one of Linnie’s daughter who was also musically gifted and well-known. Beatrice performed with her family, but also later traveled the world performing with her husband, Charles Diamond. She was in the Barnum & Bailey circus in Paris and was credited as “the first woman saxophonist to tour Europe” and “the only lady Soprano Saxophone Virtuoso Soloist on the American stage.”
- Linnie and Beatrice’s gravestones are at the base of the tree directly behind Dr. Martin’s gravestone.
- Dr. Martin’s granddaughter was Carlena Diamond, the daughter of Beatrice and Charles Diamond, and “the delightful little harplet” who continued the tradition of performing in vaudeville acts alongside family. Carlena was born in Austria, was raised in England, and attended school in Wichita for two years. By 1919, she was billed as “vaudeville’s youngest harpest” and was performing solo across the country. As an adult, she performed with the Hour of Charm Orchestra. She was a “Harpest Supreme” and could also sing and dance, and often performed a a dancing act with her harp similar to one her father did.
Carlena’s dancing act, in honor of her father, can be seen in the video below.
Carlena may have been the harpist in this video.
Additional Resources
Blue Grass Blade, Volume XVII, May 17, 1908
Dr. Charles Edwin Martin, Find a Grave
Charles Martin Service, Medical, and Pension files
Phil Spitalny’s Hour of Charm All-Girl Orchestra Short Film, You Tube
Carlena Diamond – Harpist Supreme (1929), YouTube
Carlena Diamond: Dancing Harp Player
Mr. C.E. Martin of New York, The Wichita Weekly Beacon, Wichita, KS, Jan 17, 1877
Dr. Croskey has associated with Dr. C.E. Martin, The Wichita Herald, Wichita, KS, Mar 29, 1879
Mr. C.E. Martin of Chicago, The Wichita Herald, Wichita, KS, Jun 7, 1879
Partnership, The Weekly Eagle, Wichita, KS, Nov 20, 1879
Dr. C.E. Martin, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, May 28, 1884
Conway Springs, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Dec 13, 1884
Commission and Feed Store, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Mar 26, 1885
C.E. Martin opened a commission, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Mar 27, 1885
Among the recent arrivals, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Jul 16, 1885
Mr. B.F. Huson, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Jul 27, 1885
Grass Seed, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Aug 29, 1885
Mr. C.E. Martin, The Arrow, Wichita, KS, Jan 9, 1886
Several changes, The Wichita Citizen, Wichita, KS, Nov 14, 1886
Special Notice, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Feb 28, 1887
Special Notice, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Mar 3, 1887
Announcements, Wichita Daily Call, Wichita, KS, Mar 14, 1887
For Mayor, The Wichita Citizen, Wichita, KS, Mar 19, 1887
Announcements, The Wichita Citizen, Wichita, KS, Mar 19, 1887
Thos. Shaw sold C.E. Martin a piano, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Mar 24, 1887
Labor Ticket, The Wichita Citizen, Wichita, KS, Apr 2, 1887
Wichita’s Weal or Woe, The Wichita Star, Wichita, KS, Apr 4, 1887
The Wichita City Election, Wichita New Republic, Wichita, KS, Apr 9, 1887
A False Alarm, The Wichita Citizen, Wichita, KS, Apr 9, 1887
Mouth-Breathing Inhibitor, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Dec 13, 1887
The Homoeph’s, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, May 3, 1888
Martin & Rochelle, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, May 15, 1888
From Topeka, The Wichita Star, Wichita, KS, May 15, 1888
Two Hundred Casks, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Jun 23, 1888
Dr. C.E. Martin, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Jun 24, 1888
Fire, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Aug 19, 1888
Unity Club, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Oct 19, 1888
The Annual Meeting, The Democrat, Wichita, KS, Dec 9, 1888
Dr. and Mrs. C.E. Martin, The Democrat, Wichita, KS, Jun 15, 1889
One Who Knows, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Nov 21, 1889
C.E. Martin, ex-chairman, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Nov 22, 1889
The King’s Daughters, The Wichita Star, Wichita, KS, Mar 21, 1891
Proclamation, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Apr 1, 1891
Unity Club enjoyed a social, The Democrat, Wichita, KS, Apr 25, 1891
Dr. C.E. Martin arrived home, The Wichita Star, Wichita, KS, May 23, 1891
The Valhalla, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Jul 22, 1891
The Wichita Valhalla, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Jul 22, 1891
Mr. C.E. Martin leaves for New York, The Democrat, Wichita, KS, Jan 9, 1892
Not an Aspirant, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Apr 7, 1892
Dr. Martin Paralyzed, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Nov 3, 1892
Dr. C.E. Martin is seriously ill, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Mar 25, 1893
Dr. C.E. Martin has been very ill, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, May 5, 1894
Dr. C.E. Martin became very ill, The Wichita Eagle, Jul 26, 1894
Dr. C.E. Martin very ill, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Sep 10, 1894
Dr. Martin Dead, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Sep 11, 1894
Dr. Martin’s Death, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Sep 12, 1894
Dr. C.E. Martin, Wichita Herold, Wichita, KS, Sep 13, 1894
Dr. Martin’s Death, The Weekly Eagle, Wichita, KS, Sep 14, 1894
Dr. C.E. Martin, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Sep 19, 1894
A Queer Monument, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Apr 20, 1895
Going to France, The Weekly Eagle, Wichita, KS, Nov 22, 1901
Helen May Butler’s Band, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Jul 1, 1906
Wichita Women With Ladies Military Band, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Jul 12, 1906
Carlena Diamond, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Jan 3, 1925
See Wichita Girl in Movies Here, Evening Eagle, Wichita, KS, Dec 10, 1929
First Librarian of Wichita Back to Visit Friends, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Sep 11, 1932
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