Son of Jurgen Hinrich Martens a mine manager and Heinke Margaretha Schodt form the town of lieth in the county of Hiede, Norderdithmarschen, Schleswig Holstein, Denmark (now Germany). As legend goes there were three brothers that left home for Hamburg to catch a ship away from possible war or enlisted into the armed forces of the Danish King or the German Kaiser which ever got to them first.
 
In the Mid 1800's there was great confusion on what nationality a person was, especially as the Danish and German borders changed so many times depending on who was in power on the throne and what other countries were likely to attack or take power. So the 3 brothers left Hamburg as legend goes. Two came to Australia and the other went to America and possibly ended up in Canada. As the ships manifest shows there were 2 Martens boys on the S.S.Sophia, one being Johann (John) and the other named Frans (or in english Francis or Frank). It is believed that Frans (24-25yrs old) headed for Pialba in Queensland. Johann's wife Maria Henicks was also on the Sophia traveling to Australia with her parents and brother's and sister's, where it is believed that Johann had started courting her. The S.S.Sophia disembarked the Port of Hamburg on the 23rd April 1865 and sailed down around the Cape of Good Hope within 67 days and made Bass Strait within 100 days of leaving Hamburg. On the 16 Aug. 1865 she was reported rounding Cape Moreton on the 17 Aug. 1865 and she anchored in Moreton bay where 34 passengers left for Brisbane.

The steam ship Eagle headed off to fetch the rest of the passengers who at this stage were getting medical checks and immigration sorted out and then the S.S.Eagle would bring them back to Maryborough Queensland where they would be processed and given a chance to find work whilst living in the Government Migrant Quarters. It is unsure what happened to Johann between Maryborough and Mt Perry but he ended up there as a carpenter and living in a mining shanty town called Paradise.

In February 1873 he married the daughter of a gardener/labourer, Claus Henicks also of Mt Perry, his daughter was Maria Margaretha Angonita who was the second oldest of 11 children. Johann and Maria lived in Mt Perry Qld for years raising 9 children, when Johann died of Typhoid fever which lasted for 24 days. He died on the 20 July 1897, he was 51 yrs old, Maria stayed in Mt Perry for some years after Johann's death but later ended up living in Morningside Brisbane with her daughter Emma C Flack until her death, 4 November 1923. She is buried in an unmarked grave in the Bulimba Cemetery, Brisbane Qld.

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