Martin Scott is a native of Jackson county, Tennessee, and was born March 14, 1807. His father, John Scott, was a soldier of the Revolutionary War. When the subject of our sketch was a child his parents moved to Indiana, where he was reared upon a farm, and received his education in the common schools of that State. He is one of a family of fourteen children, four of whom are ministers in the Christian Church. When he was fifteen years old, his parents moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, and at that time there were but three houses in what is now the city of Springfield, Illinois. In 1827, he moved to Tazewell county, Illinois, and settled on a farm. A short time thereafter, by a change of county lines, he became a resident of McLean county, and a few years later, by the same process, was made a citizen of the county of DeWitt, and. thus without moving once he resided successively in three different counties. While a resident of McLean county he was three times elected sheriff of the county, and it was while living there that he began his work in the ministry. In 1844 he was ordained and has been preaching ever since. With the assistance of John A. and William S. Brown and James Scott, he built the Pilot Grove Christian Church. He is now old in years, and it may well be said, that the world is the better for his having lived in it. The names of his brothers and sisters are as follows: Andrew, John, James K., William L., Samuel E., Moses, Wilson, Alexander, Anna C., Ruth B., Nancy, Isabel and Patsy.
Elder Scott was united in marriage, February 25, 1830, to Miss Lucinda Maxwell. She died March 11, 1831. He was married, April 19, 1835, to Miss Nancy Maxwell. She had one child, John M., born July 30, 1840. Mrs. Nancy Scott died in 1872. On the 16th of August, 1873, Elder Scott was united in marriage to Mrs. Dinah Scott, widow of James Scott. Her maiden name was Clifton. Elder Scott is one of the most highly respected citizens of the county.
