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I am not researching this family, and have no idea if this information is correct. It seems to differ from what several people have entered in the forum. From the book "Houses Virginians Have Loved" by Agnes Rothery, 1954:
Regarding Toll House Farm, built by Valentine Sevier, was sold to another Frenchman, Michael Bowyer. "Bowyer was one of a group of French Huguenots, and when, in his turn, he sold the farm, it was to a compatriot, Sebastian Marche."
"Marche was a yeoman under the British Colonial Governors, and collected tolls from passers-by and from this came the name of the farm"
"The Plantation remained in the Marche family until 1877, although by that time the German neighbors had corrupted the name to a spelling and pronunciation easier for them and called it Martz. The Franch tradition was broken when it was bought by an Englishman, James Bradford, who added a wooden wing to the original brick section. But until Mr. Bradford's day Toll House Farm maintained its Gallic liveliness so that it was natural that a certain French nobleman, traveling up the Valley should choose it as a place to ask for a night's hospitality, which was most cordially granted."
"The French strain continued through the five sons of Sabastian Marche, one of whom, Michael, lived on a hill near Toll House Farm and bred Lipizzans. (There is a family story concerning Michael's deathbed wish and one of the horses.)
There is also a story about a grandson of Sabastian returning home from the war of 1812 who found a child floating in the see, took him home, and raised him. The child, called Sea Urchin, died 25 years later and is buried in the family graveyard. "The graveyard is surrounded by a high iron fence with an ornamental gate. There are a number of gravestones."
"In the enclosure lie various members of the Marche family and one notices that they finally conceded to the Germanization of the French name, and on this final testimonial permitted it to be spelled Martz. But one notices, too, that over the Germanized name is engraved a symbol which needs to translation. It is composed of the petals of a spreading French fleur-de-lis."
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