Dr. J. D. Martin, according to a Nacogdoches newspaper, settled during the early 1850s in the area of what was known in 1907 as Martinsville. He was a good doctor. Martin built both water and steam mills at Martinsville to mill timber. His oxen teams, using carry alls, hauled the logs one at a time for a distance of several years. Martin died about 1902. The water-powered saw and grist mill of Bell and Martin in Nacogdoches County employed two hands during the census year ending June 1, 1850. The mill's owners had $2000 invested in the mill and paid $32 per month in wages. Lumber production was only 50,000 feet for the year, and was valued at $500. Corn meal production, on the other hand, was valued at $3060.
It is possible that one of the owners was Dr. J. D. Martin, who settled in what would later be known as Martinsville, near the Attoyac River. He ran a water-powered mill and later a steam mill.