Philip R. Martin was born in England in the year 1844, and came to the State of Michigan as a lad in the year 1859. He spent his boyhood in Michigan, and as a young man he moved to Illinois where he was employed in, and became a part of, the blooded draft horse business.
On March 10, 1869, he was married to Sarah Berry. To this union were born two sons: Charles Henry (December 20, 1869) and Walter William (December 29, 1872). Sarah (Berry) Martin died February 7, 1876.
On August 15, 1877, Philip Martin married Mary E. Parsons. To this union were born two sons: Ross R. Martin and Clarence Martin; and one daughter, Eva Martin.
In 1879, he came to North Dakota to visit a Mr. Howe, who lived in the Buffalo area. Mr. Howe convinced P. R. to homestead in the area, and for the winter he held claim to his homestead by the simple expedient of piling some lumber on it. His wife, Mary, and two sons, Charles and Walter, came in 1880, accompanied by his sister-in-law, Gracie Berry.
One day on a trip to Casselton, he met a man who wanted to buy his team of horses. They made a deal for $200 cash, 50 bushels of potatoes, 50 bushels of wheat, and a quarter section of land. The land was a tree-claim that he had to "prove-up" on.
Meanwhile, many friends and acquaintances in Illinois wanted to come to this country, so a couple of years after his arrival he brought a whole trainload of immigrants and settled them at Page, North Dakota. In recognition of this, the Northern Pacific Railroad gave him a pass on the railroad. He decided to use the pass to go to Yellowstone Park, which was just being opened. He traveled as far as the end of track at Miles City, Montana. Miles City was a wild tent city at the time and he found that he would have to use other transportation to his destination, so he ended his journey there. During the night he had some holes shot in his tent by some gamblers having a gun fight, but much more frightening to him was a rumor of an outbreak of the dreaded smallpox in Miles City. He returned home immediately. There was no doctor in Buffalo at that time so he ordered smallpox vaccine from the "East" and vaccinated the whole family, including himself.
Being in the horse business for his life work, he was well versed in the ailments and trading of horses, and was for many years the only "Horse Doctor" the country knew.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 152