First of all ….Congratulations FHS class of 2021, organizers, donators, and bidders on another successful QVSA held last week. The auction in its 57th year was once again a Facebook event but in spite of the restrictions, all involved did an amazing job and raised a huge amount of funds for scholarships, an accomplishment rarely seen in any community let alone a community of our size.
One of my most favorite things to do …in addition to praising my amazing community is researching stuff …
I get calls/emails each week for answers to questions, sometimes simple things, sometimes people seeking lost relatives; a few weeks ago a guy that had paid into a local union in the 1960s was looking for his money …I was able to set him on the right track.
So on Monday, a group from Minnesota was in town. They were seeking information on a lost relative. My own search for lost relatives makes this my favorite research!
I have not had time to do any searching yet due to this problem … of my job and deadlines …so I thought first I would reach out to the community.
John Philip Martin was born in Forks on June 11, 1945. He stopped by my office Monday with his sister, who he just found about a year ago, (she is from Beaverton, OR), and a couple of other family members. They were on a mission to find info on John’s father.
Arthur F. Martin (Skip) lived in Forks when John was born and worked in the timber industry and/or local mills. John’s mother was Lenora Haines Martin and she at that time worked as a nurse at Dr. Ford’s Hospital, which once was located near where the Firehall and PUD are today on Spartan Ave. Lenora and Skip divorced and Lenora shared pretty much nothing with John about his father. John’s father was married three times hence the long-lost sister John just recently found with the help of DNA and Ancestry.com.
The new-found siblings think they may have other siblings out there. John said, “The main thing I would like to see is a photo, I have never seen a photo of my father.” John’s sister had possessed photos of their father but …sadly they had been thrown away … “I would never have thrown them out if I had known I would one day find a sibling,” she shared.
Oh, one other thing …Arthur (Skip) also spent some time in prison and had a distinctive tattoo … a star on his earlobe!
Another clue …the Martins were friends with the Whiteheads …the group had also made a stop at Whitehead’s Auto Parts while they were here in Forks. But time has passed and which Whiteheads is uncertain and most likely they have passed on.
As time goes by … memories are lost … and time is running out …If anyone out there remembers either Arthur (Skip) or Lenora please contact the Forks Forum …360-374-3311.
Christi Baron
Editor
