Among the hardworking and useful citizens of Fremont County, Idaho Oscar Martin^[1] of La Belle surely must be numbered in the front rank, for his life has ever been one of toil honestly performed from the age of ten years in practice as in theory, upholding the dignity of labor and at the same time, by his earnestness and his cheerfulness winning many friends.  He was born in Upsala, Sweden on 27 September 1862, a son of John and Christina (Abrahamson) Matson.  At the age of ten years Oscar was employed in the street paving operations of his father, who was a contractor in that line, continuing thus in the summer time for six successive years, then going into the stone quarry of his father.  He labored there in the months of the year when he was not employed at paving for four more years.  He emigrated in 1882 and landed in Chicago, three years before his parents' arrival, where he was engaged in carpentry until 1884, which was followed by work on a Wisconsin farm for nearly two years.  Then by a short season of carpenter work in Chicago.  Then he came west, locating at Ogden, soon going to Pocatello, Idaho, where he became connected with the surveying department of the Oregon Short Line Railroad as a chain man^[2] until the fall of 1885, when coming to La Belle, he located on a homestead of 110 acres, which in a greatly changed and improved condition is now his home.  To secure the means for the development of his property, he successively worked at carpentry at Ogden, and in the rock quarry at Idaho Falls, returning to La Belle in 1887, where he has since resided.  He assisted in building the La Belle canal and built the double headgates of that ditch.  After taking a private ditch high water carried off the flume they had built across the slough, necessitating a reconstruction and they have now secured a good and lasting ditch, which is a private canal.

Although quite entitled to be called a farmer, Mr. Martin has never owned a horse, but, as he says, "he grubbed as long as he could," and then concluded he could do more profitable work for himself at his trade of carpentry, building the first mill erected at Menan, the Smith store and the Smith residence.  He also worked on Sam Harrop's house in 1902.  Altogether his services have been of much more than ordinary value to the people, as he can turn his hand to any trade or occupation with consummate skill.  He is of that class of citizen who are a direct benefit to the community in which they reside.

On October 24, 1887 he married Miss Anna Grandine, a daughter of John and Emma (Forslund) Grandine, natives of Sweden, where she was born 2 November 1869 coming to the United States in 1879 and locating in Ogden, whither her parents also came in 1891 and now reside.  The children of this marriage are as follows:  May Victoria, born August 9, 1888, died December 28, 1893;  Oscar born 28 May 1891, died 29 December 1893;  Minnie S. born 21 July 1894;  Otto R. born 30 July 1822[this can't be correct!]; John E. born 19 March 1896;  Kissie D. born 13 February 1900.

[1]  According to some genealogical records, his given name was Martin Oscar Mathiasson.

[2]  Railroad curves were layed out in "chains" and a chain man probably moved the measuring chains and marked their locations for the surveyor.

August 14, 1999:  Transcribed by Matt Young from a copy of a handwritten document written by Phyllis (Matson) Peterson.  Spelling and punctuation are original to the handwritten copy.