Martha D. Bridgman

Martha D. Bridgman was born April 14, 1810, in Wythe County, Virginia. She was the daughter of William Bridgman and Mariam Brown. (Some descendants of this line of the family used the Bridgmon spelling variation of the surname.)

Martha married John Archer about 1831, in Campbell County, Tennessee. John Archer was born January 1, 1803, in Tennessee, possibly in Campbell County.  

Researchers disagree on the identity of John's father.  We have been told that his father's name may have been Richmond Archer, but we have not found a Richmond or Richard Archer in early census records.  Some say his name was William Archer, born about 1785, in either  England or Tennessee and died about 1850, in Virginia.  Some say his father was John Archer, born about 1774, in Grainger County, Tennessee and died about 1841, in Whitley County, Kentucky.  The 1810 Tennessee census, which is made up of compiled tax lists, shows a John Archer in Grainger County.  Many researchers believe John's mother was Sarah Diedama Claxton, who was born about 1787 in Grainger County, Tennessee and died in 1851, in Campbell County, Tennessee.  The 1850 Campbell County census shows Sarah Archer, 63, born in Tennessee, living in the home of her son James L. Archer (born about 1810) and his family.  Some researchers say John Archer married Sarah Diedama Claxton on January 16, 1807, in Grainger County.  If that is correct, Sarah was not the mother of our John, as he was born in 1803. 

Census records indicate to us that John's father, name unknown at this time, was born about 1770 and died between 1840 and 1849, and that his mother died prior to 1840.  The 1840 Campbell County census shows the family of John Archer as one male 70-79 (probably John's father), one male 30-39 (John), one male 20-29, one male under 5 (William), one female 20-29 (Martha), one female 10-14, two females 5-9 (Elizabeth and Sarah), and two females under 5 (Eliza and Emily).

The 1850 Campbell County census, 17th Subdivision, shows the family living next door to Martha's widowed mother, Mariam Bridgman and her family. The census shows John Archer, 47, farmer, real estate valued at $2230; Martha, 41; Elizabeth, 18; Sarah A., 16; William, 14; Eliza J., 12; Emily G., 11; Martha N., 8; Richmond S., 7; John F., 4; and Isabella, 2. Living with the family was Manuel Mallet, 16, a farmer.

About 1852, John and Martha moved their family to Holt County, Missouri. John farmed in Holt County.

The 1860 Holt County census shows John Archer, 55, farmer, $10,000 real property, $1800 personal property; Martha, 51; William, 23; Martha, 19; John F., 12; Isabell, 10 and David, 9 years old.  Listed next to them was their daughter, Sarah Hammond and her family.  Listed next to Sarah's family was Martha's uncle, J. W. (John Washington) Bridgman and his family.

John died in Holt County, Missouri on January 10, 1865.

We have been unable to locate Martha in 1870 and 1880.  We have been told that Martha died November 2, 1880, in Holt County.

Children of John Archer and Martha Bridgman