Susan Julia Sherman, the second wife of James Henry Martineau was born in Far West Missouri on 31 Oct 1838. She was one of seven (or eight?) children of Lyman Royal Sherman and Delcena Diadamia Johnson. Only three of them, Alby, Lyman and Susan, survived to adulthood and to have children of their own.
Her father, Lyman Royal Sherman, was born in 1804 and died in 1839. He joined the LDS churchin 1832 and was an early church leader whodied after vicious attacks and beatings by mobs, becoming one of theearly martyrs of the church.
Her mother, Delcena Johnson, was born 19 November 1806 at Westford, Vermont. She was also an early member of the LDS church. She was an invalid for years and was quite ill when she traveled across the plains in a hammock slung in a wagon bed. She died in 1854, shortly after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, thus leaving Julia an orphan at age 16.
Julia went to live with her extended family who were helping to settle Iron County. In Parowan, she became close friends with Susan Ellen Johnson Martineau who was the daughter of Joel Hills Johnson, who was her uncle. (Her mother, Delcena Diadamia Johnson, was the third child in the family of Ezekiel Johnson and Julia HIlls –an thus asister to Joel Hills Johnson.) Susan Ellen was just two years older than her. Several years later, at age 18, Susan Ellen convinced her husband, James Henry Martineau to marry her as his second wife, which he did on 18 Jan 1857.
She and James Henry had eight children. They were:
Delcena Diadamia, born 27 November 1857 at Parowan, Utah and died 23 October 1865 in Salt Lake City, who was buried at the side of her grandmother Delcena Diadamia Johnson Sherman.
Lyman Royal, born 21 April 1859 at Parowan, Utah and died 4 January 1926 in Salt Lake city, Utah, who was buried in Logan, Utah.
Charles Freeman, born 24 July 1861 in Logan, Utah and died 20 December 1935 in Logan, Utah, and was buried in Logan, Utah.
Jesse Nathaniel, born 26 April 1863 in Logan, Utah and died in Chicago, Illinois 19 April 1928 of heart failure.
Julia Henrietta, born 4 February 1865 in Logan, Utah and died 20 January 1885 in St. David, Arizona.
Elizabeth, born 13 August 1867 in Logan, Utah, married Frank K. Nebeker.
Virginia, born 16 July 1870, Married Edward Sudbury, and later married John Murphy.
Joseph Herbert, born 23 April 1873 in Logan, Utah, died 10 May 1873 in Logan, Utah.
In 1860, when the move was made from Parowan, Utah to Logan, Utah, Susan Julia went with James Henry and Susan Ellen stayed in Manti with her brother until a place was prepared in Logan for all to live. The family grew quickly until Jan of 1874 when Susan Julia died of a ruptured appendix. Her grave is visible in the Logan cemetery. Susan Ellen then became mother to all the children and the family was preserved.