James Roy (J. Roy) Martin was born 7 January 1897 in Mt. Zion, Carroll County, Georgia, the son of Claude Quillain Martin and Rosena Belle Martin. He was married first to Carrie Antonette Hudson on 13 February 1925. She was born 3 April 1884 in Napoleon, Ohio, and died October 2, 1960 in Mt. Zion. Roy and Carrie were the parents of two adopted children. Roy was married a second time in February 1967 in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Alberta (Carroll) Grant. Martin served in the U.S. Navy during World War I. He attended the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A farmer, Martin was instrumental in the beginning of the chicken broiler industry in Carroll County.
After the death of his first wife and at the age of sixty-five, he was accepted into the Peace Corps. Following training in Princeton, New Jersey, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, Martin was stationed at Monsefu, Peru, from May 1965 until June 1967. While there he organized a co-operative for the pasteurization of milk. He also wrote an instruction book for young people with no agricultural training. While in Peru, he lived in the home of the village chief and was accorded a great deal of respect because the people were not accustomed to seeing anyone of this "great age," Martin being seventy years old when he left Peru. Upon his return to the United States, Martin remarried and accepted a position as Assistant Director of the Harpst Home for Children at Cedartown, Georgia, overseeing the farm program. In June 1986 he was awarded the Lillian Carter Humanitarian Award at the Peace Corps' 25th Anniversary celebration in Atlanta. He died September 4, 1987 at the age of 90 from injuries received in an automobile accident.
From the description of [James Roy Martin 1897-1987]. 1874-1968. (University of West Georgia). WorldCat record id: 38475969
