Louis Martin

Ludwig "Louis" Martin (November 11, 1820 – June 16, 1864) was with the first settlers to Fredericksburg, Texas. He was the first sheriff of Gillespie County, and also served as District Clerk of the county. Martin was a co-founder of the Mason County community of Hedwigs Hill.

Early years Ludwig Martin was born November 25, 1820, in Erndtebrück North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to Nicholas Martin and his wife Hedwig Sinner Martin.

Texas New Braunfels and Fredericksburg Martin emigrated to Texas with the first wave of Adelsverein settlers. He disembarked at Galveston on November 23, 1844, from the Johann Detthard After living in New Braunfels, he moved to Fredericksburg when John O. Meusebach opened up the area to settlements.

In 1847, Martin had Town Lot 311. He was one of the 1847 signers of the petition to create Gillespie County. Martin was the first sheriff of Gillespie County. He became District Clerk in 1850. Martin engaged in farming and ranching, while also selling livestock forage and supplies to area settlers. He ran a freight business that serviced Fort Martin Scott and other military installations. Martin was in the livelihood of buying and selling land during this period. Martin was the first postmaster of Hedwigs Hill. His nephew Charles Martin became postmaster three times, being succeeded by Charles' wife Anna Mebus Martin in 1879. From 1861–1862, Martin served as Justice of the Peace of Mason County. During 1861, he saw service under Captain Alf Hunter and the Mason Minutemen. During his life at Hedwig Hill, Martin continued the business endeavors he had in Gillespie County, in addition to hauling cotton to Mexico. His wife was informed of the incident and recovered the bodies. When she moved back to Fredericksburg, she had the bodies buried in a common grave in Der Stadt Friedhof. In 1971, Martin's home was moved to the National Ranching Heritage Center. The family was of the Catholic faith, and services were sometimes held in their home. The couple had eight children. Their daughter Hedwig was the first white child born in Fredericksburg.