52 Ancestors - #7 Bertia Mae Duncan

The epitome of a loving, caring and brave frontier mother, Bertia Mae Duncan was the last child born to Matthew Madison Monroe Duncan and his wife, Rebecca Baxter Duncan.  She was the only child to be born in the Indian Territory that would become the state of Oklahoma.  Prior to her birth all of her siblings had been born in Tennessee. Sometime between the birth of her brother Nathan in 1873, in Tennessee and her birth on February 19, 1877, the family had moved to Lebanon, Indian Territory.  At the time of her birth, Lebanon was part of the Chickasaw Nation.  It is now part of Marshall County which was created when Oklahoma became a state.

In 1894, she married Alexander Campbell Martin in Mannsville, Indian Territory.  Mannsville would be included in Johnston County when Oklahoma became a state. Alex and Bertie would become the parents of 11 children.  Lovingly caring for her children and home made for full, busy days.  In addition to her other homemaking skills, she was an accomplished quilter and cook. She was known to have the talent of being able to recreate any dish she tasted without needing a recipe.

As a child of the plains, she discovered an aversion to mountains, which she discovered when she made a visit to her son and his wife in Utah. John and Babe were excited to share the beauty of their state with his parents; however, a drive to Park City proved to be rather terrifying for Bertie as she felt the mountains might topple on top of her.

During her lifetime, she personally witnessed the entry of Oklahoma into the Union as its 46th state in 1907; the devastation and tragedies associated with the Galveston Hurricane in 1900; the shift from horses for travel and farming to the automobile and tractors; the oil boom and its resulting oil fields; as well as two World Wars.

Martin Family about 1902
Front:  Walter, Bess, Verna
Back:  Alex, John, Bertie

Martin Family about 1926
Front:  Ethel, Bess, Alex, Ken, Bertie, John
Second Row:  Don and Vieva
Third Row:  Edith, Ora, Bill, Walt, and Verna