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C.H. Martin Company
was founded in 1912, by Christian Hubert Martin, Sr., son
of Georg Martin, owner of a surgical instrument, brace, and
artificial limb company in Tutlingen, Bavaria in Germany.
Georg
(pronounced gay-org) is German for the English derivative
"George".
Georg Martin received a letter from the United States, from
the widow
of a former employee who had emigrated to the United States
years
before. The widow claimed that her deceased husband's employer,
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Nyescherer Co. of New York City, was trying to cheat her
out of royalties owed her due to
her husband's invention of a certain surgical instrument.
She asked Georg Martin to send her the ivory pencil box on
which her husband had drawn a diagram of his invention.
Young C. H. Martin, Sr. told his father that he would like
to see the United States, and that he would personally carry
the ivory pencil box to the widow, and testify in court for
her, so that she would be assured of receiving her royalties.
This is how CHM Sr. came to be in America.
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The Nyesherer Co. was so
impressed with CHM, Sr.'s testimony at the trial
that they tried to hire him. He said that he was not
going to work for some
"damn company that would steal money from a widow!".
CHM Sr. got a job with another company (name unknown).
He was
representing this company at a New York medical seminar
when he met a
young doctor from Atlanta, Ga., by the name of Dr. Michael
Hoke. Dr. Hoke
was so impressed with CHM Sr.'s knowledge of braces
and limbs that he
asked the young German to come to Atlanta and work with
him.
Hence, C. H. Martin Co. was founded in 1912, on Mills
St., in the basement |
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of a home that the young Martins rented, which was next
door to Dr. Hoke's office. Elsie Martin Burnett was born in
this house.
Later, the business moved to 27 Alexander St., and the young
Martin family moved into another house on Alexander St. Irma
Martin Counts was born in this house.
Later, the facility was moved to 257 Spring. St. From there,
in 1926, the facility was moved to its present location at
329 Marietta St.
In the 1930's, C.H. Martin Sr. fitted president Franklin
D. Roosevelt with a pair of long leg braces when he was at
the "Little White House" in Warm Springs, GA. FDR
liked the braces so much, that he tried to persuade CHM, Sr.
to relocate C.H. Martin Co. from Atlanta to Warm Springs.
Mr. Martin told the President that too many patients in Atlanta
depended on him and that he was honored but could not consider
the move.
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CHM Sr. had
five children, three of whom survived: Elsie Martin
Burnett, Irma Martin Counts, and Christian Hubert Martin,
Jr. These three children were the owners of C. H. Martin
Co. until its incorporation in 1982. They then became
the sole shareholders of the company stock. Today, three
grandchildren of C.H. Martin, Sr. are the sole shareholders
of the company. They are George B. Counts, Jr., Walter
E. Counts and Mary Burnett Witherington. The company
has grown to over 80 employees, with 14 offices statewide.
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