Primary Name: George, Martin
Filed as: george_martin
Also known as: Martin George
Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Men’s Igloo; mining engineer; U.S. Mineral Surveyor; Chief Draftsman; Office Cadastral Engineer
Born: September 1862, St. Ives, Cornwall, England
Died: December 27, 1925, Juneau, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse: Caroline Jenkins George
Children: Carrie George; Wallis S. George; Elizabeth “Lessie” M. George
Associated places: St. Ives, Cornwall, England; Nevada; Arizona; California; Park City, Utah; Sitka, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska
Keywords: Martin George, George Martin, Juneau Men’s Igloo charter member, U.S. Mineral Surveyor Alaska, Surveyor General office Juneau
Biography
Martin George was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo.
George was born in St. Ives, Cornwall, England, in September 1862. He came to the United States sometime between 1877 and 1880 and spent the next decade in the American West. During those years, he engaged in mining in Nevada, Arizona, and California, and in 1889, he moved to Utah.
George married Caroline Jenkins, who was born in England in August 1865 and immigrated to Utah in 1889. While living in Park City, Utah, they had three children: Carrie, born October 1890; Wallis S., born September 1891; and Elizabeth “Lessie” M., born February 1895.
George moved to Juneau in April 1897, and his family followed him a month later.
He worked as a federal employee, primarily in the Survey Bureau of the Land Office. He entered the service at Sitka in 1901 as a draftsman, having previously served as a U.S. Mineral Surveyor and Deputy U.S. Surveyor.
George was promoted to Chief Draftsman in 1902 and for twenty years served as the technical and administrative head of the office force under the Surveyor General. During his career, he served under every Surveyor General appointed in Alaska.
He was later promoted to Office Cadastral Engineer and assumed much of the work formerly handled by the Surveyor General, following the consolidation of that position with the Bureau of Surveys. George was a graduate mining engineer.
Martin George died in Juneau, Alaska on December 27, 1925. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
Sources
Daily Alaska Empire, December 28, 1925; Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850–1950, Volume 2, pp. 103–104, by Ed Ferrell (May 1, 2009)
Tags: Martin George, George Martin, Juneau Men’s Igloo, U.S. Mineral Surveyor Alaska, Surveyor General office Juneau