Isaac Martin, born in 1757, died Nov. 6, 1832, at the age of seventy-five, and was buried in the Middle Ridge Cemetery in Madison, Lake County, Ohio. He enlisted early in the Revolutionary War in the Connecticut Troops.  He served in the first regiment of Gen. Wooster, in the ninth company under Capt. James Arnold, and 1st lieutenant James Blakesley on the first call for troops. The regiment marched for the protection of New York, and later engaged in the affairs of Lake George and Lake Champlain. He was discharged on November 25, 1775, and received a pension.1

During Lafayette's visit, surviving Revolutionary War veterans came from surrounding areas to see Lafayette and they were celebrated for their service to the cause. Accounts from Lafayette's visit for June 13, 1825, specifically mention Revolutionary War veterans attending the festivities in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and at his final arrival that evening in Worthington, Massachusetts.

It is important to determine the proximity of Isaac, Philo and Homer to the events of June 13, 1825 in Albany. Isaac married Mary Baldwin (b. 6 Nov 1760, d. 8 Mar, 1833) and together they had five children, all born in Woodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut (the latest birth being Anna Martin, b. 1796). Philo Martin was their oldest child, and he married Fanny Hurd (b. 6 Dec 1780, d. 19 Aug 1841). Philo and Fanny had ten children. Birth records for Philo and Fanny's children show that their last two children, Joel Martin (b. 1821), and Isaac Mitchell Martin (b. 1824), were born in the town of Jefferson, Schoharie, New York, which is just 50 miles from Albany. This places Philo and his family in the area of Albany at the time of Lafayette's visit (1824-1825). In fact, Homer Martin, Philo and Fanny's oldest son, married Sarah Dodge of Albany on June 27, 1827, just two years after Lafayette's visit. What ties Isaac Martin to this location is the fact that all four of them--Isaac, Mary, Philo and Fanny--are buried together at the Middle Ridge Cemetery in Madison, Lake County, Ohio.  It's clear that the entire family made their way from their roots in Connecticut, to the Albany, New York area in the 1820's, and eventually settled in their last years in Madison, Ohio. Given the line of descent of the flag, through Homer Martin, it's evident that the flag remained with Homer in Albany after Isaac, Mary, Philo and Fanny departed for Ohio. Homer and Sarah remained in Albany and Homer died and was buried there in 1886.

Just how close the Martin family lived to the events of Lafayette's travels on June 13, 1825, is apparent in the map below. In just one day, on June 13, Lafayette traveled over 60 miles from Albany, NY through Lebanon Springs, NY to Pittsfield, MA and on to Worthington, MA where he spent the night.  As you can see from the map below, the Martin family lived in Jefferson, NY, just one day's travel from Albany, NY, approximately the same distance that Lafayette traveled. It's likely the Martin family made the trip to Albany some days before June 13th with their flag and traveled along with Lafayette and the New York delegation from Albany to Lebanon Springs before returning home.

In addition to the Martin family history, the flag itself is correct for the 1820's period. Unlike later Civil War era flags, the flag is constructed of a coarser early machine-loomed British wool. Its construction and materials closely match several other 1810-1830 era flags in the Rare Flags collection, including an original 15 Star Flag (IAS-00377), an original 20 Star Flag (IAS-00255), and two original 24 Star Flags (IAS-00398 and IAS-00319) . The flag has early traits, such as the fold-over of the edge of the wool where the canton and stripes meet the hoist. The hoist is made of a hemp canvas rather than cotton, also a trait of very early flags. It is sewn to the flag using thicker yarn-like thread and has whip-stitched grommets. The flag is entirely hand-sewn and nothing precludes it from dating to 1825 or earlier.

A sign printed on oil cloth from the later 19th century descended with the flag and seems to have been pinned to the flag's fly end at one point in time. While the precise date of the sign is difficult to determine, the style of the printing, which involves different font types and casing for each line of the text is indicative of the style used on printed ephemera from the 1870-1890 period. Many examples of this type of printing are found on the 19th century printed advertising flag cards that date to the 1880 election. It's most likely that the sign dates to the American Centennial in 1876, at the height of patriotic celebration, when relics of the early American republic, especially those with ties to Revolutionary War heroes, were brought out across the country for display and admiration. Although the entire flag was originally hand-sewn, there areas where a treadle sewing machine was used to repair the flag, to include applying some patches to the canton and lower stripe. The repairs date to this era, likely done when the flag was prepared for display.

Another interesting trait of this flag is the shortness of the stripes. The flag was originally much longer, but the fly end of the flag was intentionally cut, and was not re-hemmed, as would be expected if the end was repaired due to wind damage. Instead, it is evidence that the flag was "souvenired", whereby pieces were cut and taken to commemorate a significant event.

There is no documented evidence of the use of the "Stars-and-Stripes" at the Battle of Saratoga, and it is historically very unlikely, a flag of that style would have been present. The First Flag Act was only passed in June, 1777, a few months before the battle, and word had not yet reached remote places about the new flag's design. Nor did the flag act direct that the national flag be used for military purposes. In fact, it is uncertain whether George Washington ever flew a "Stars-and-Stripes" during any of his campaigns. It's possible that Homer Martin, just 21 years old at the time of Lafayette's visit, was told family lore, perhaps by his grandfather Isaac, that the flag was from the battle, though Isaac was already discharged from the Army at the time of Saratoga. In any case, in 1876 when the sign was likely made, Homer Martin would personally have remembered participating in the procession with Lafayette in 1825. Homer's son, Edmund Philo Martin, was born in 1829 and eventually moved to New York City by the 1890's. The flag passed from Homer to Edmund, and on to Edmond's son, Reginald Pearl Martin, who moved from New York City to York, Maine, where the flag remained with descendants of Reginald until its acquisition in 2018.

In conclusion, all evidence in the research of this flag indicates that it descended in a family directly associated with Albany, NY in the 1825 period when Lafayette visited and made his trip on June 13, 1825, from Albany to the Massachusetts state line. The family lineage includes a Revolutionary War veteran, hero and patriot, who would have been an honored guest at such a celebration as General Lafayette's visit. The flag itself is correct in materials and construction for the period.