Martin Courtad was born at Alenstedt, in the province of Lorraine on the French and German Border. He emigrated to this country with his parents and brothers and sisters in 1832, being sixty-three days on the ocean. They left from Harve, France on board the ship "Logan Boston" and landed in Baltimore, Maryland. They lived from some time in Pennsylvania, then made their way to Ohio and finally to the Seneca-Wyandot County area, where the father (John Peter Courtad) died in 1848 and is buried at McCutchenville, Ohio. The mother (Mary Ann Frey) lived with the daughter and her husband, Barnhart and Regina Schenk in Sandusky City until she died in 1853 and was laid to rest there.

Martin was married in Sandusky City, Ohio, April 12, 1849 to Eva Simonis, daughter of John and mary Ann Simonis of Seneca County, Ohio. She was born April 1, 1932 and died July 29, 1912. They were the parents of fourteen children. He died March 18, 1910 and they are laid to rest in St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery at Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

FROM THE ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH; UPPER SANDUSKY, OHIO 1867-1902
Page 40-41

Martin Courtad is one of the oldest living members of St. Peter's Church. He is a hale, old gentleman, with good prospects of reaching the advanced age of four score and ten.

He is the fifth son of John Peter and Mary Ann (Frey) Courtad, and was born June 16th, 1819, at Altenstedt, in the province of Lorraine on the French and German border. Emigrated to America with his parents in 1832, leaving the port of Havre, France, on broad the Logan Boston, and landed at Baltimore, after a sail of sixty days, immediately going to Bellefount, Pennsylvania, where the family stayed for a short time, then proceedeing westward to Seneca County, Ohio, where they had acquaintances living, and went to farming near Adrian. After living there with is parents seven years he started out in life, going to Galena, Illinois, and worked at the carpenter trade; remained there seven years more and then joined two of his brothers in the copper mines on Lake Superior.

In the fall of 1848 he went to Sandusky City, Ohio, where, on the 12th of April, 1849, he married Eva Simonis, daughter of John and Mary Ann Simonis.

He resided at Sandusky City until the latter part of 1856, then removed with his family to the copper regions of Lake Superior, settling down at Eagle Harbor; was employed there at carpentering for about two years, and returned to Seneca County, Ohio, purchased 40 acres of land immediately north of Adrian, disposing of this place after a residence of six years. He came to WLyandot County in 1863, purchasing a farm of 80 acres from Curtis Berry, Jr., situated three and one-half miles northeast of Upper Sandusky, which farm he made his permanent home.

He is the father of fourteen children namely: Charles, Henry, Joseph, Mrs. Mathias Strasser, George, Anthony, William, Frankl, (Martin, who died July 26, 1881), James. Mrs. Clinton Schaefer, Mrs. W. E. Lowery, Michael, Catherine, Elizabeth and Albert.

Mr. and Mrs. Courtad celebrated their fiftieth marriage anniversary in 1899.

(Bio Info provided by Jean Quentmeyer)