Martha Capps Oliver
"A Woman of the Century"
"A Woman of the Century"
BornMartha W. Capps
August 27, 1845
Jacksonville, Illinois, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 1917(1917-08-15) (aged 71)
Jacksonville, Illinois
Resting placeDiamond Grove Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois
OccupationPoet, hymwriter
LanguageEnglish
Alma materIllinois Female College
SpouseWilliam Archibald Oliver

Martha Capps Oliver (née, Capps; pen name, Martha C. Oliver; August 27, 1845 – August 15, 1917) was an American poet and hymnwriter. She was the author of A Year of Sacred Song (1895), A Year's Good Wishes (1895), Round the Year with the Poets (1900), The Far West, Easter Legend, and Christmas Legend, as well as several hundred Easter and Christmas booklets and poems, numerous songs, hymns, anthems, and cantatas.[1] Oliver died in 1917.

Early life and education

Martha W. Capps was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, on August 27, 1845.[2] Her father, Joseph Capps (1811-1872), was the son of a Kentucky slave-owner, but was himself an opponent of slavery, and therefore moved to Illinois as slavery was prohibited there. In Illinois, he married Sarah Ann Higgins Reid (1819-1892).[2] Oliver had three older siblings, Stephen, Emma and William, as well as three younger ones, Joseph, Charles, and Effie.[3]

Oliver was educated in the Illinois Female College, where she took high rank in her studies, early showing a talent for composition. From her father, she inherited an aptitude for versification and a temperament that was quick to receive impressions.[2]

Career

"Little Candles", lyrics by Martha Oliver, score by Charles H. Gabriel
"Little Candles" (chorus), lyrics by Martha Oliver, score by Charles H. Gabriel

In Morgan, Illinois, on December 28, 1865, she married William Archibald Oliver (1841-1904).[3]

Some of her verses soon found their way into print. They met with such appreciation that she finally began to write for publication. A number of her poems were used in England for illustrated booklets. As a writer, she was quite as kindly received there as in America. In collaboration with Ida Scott Taylor McKinney, she published several juvenile books in verse, entitled The Story of Columbus, In Slavery Days, and The Far West. She also gave some attention to sacred songs and hymn writing.[2]

Personal life

Oliver was an active church member.[2] She died August 15, 1917, in Jacksonville, Illinois and was buried at Diamond Grove Cemetery in that city.[3]

Selected works

By Martha Capps Oliver

  • A year of sacred song : with selections in prose from sources old and new, 1895
  • Round the Year with the Poets: A Compilation of Nature Poems, 1900

By Martha C. Oliver

  • "Keep Your Covenant With Jesus", (hymn; lyrics by Martha C. Oliver; composer, W. H. Doane, 1883)[4]
  • A year's good wishes in prose and poetry, 1895
  • The Story of Columbus Told in Rhyme (Ida Scott Taylor and Martha C. Oliver, illustrated by A. Melrose; 1890)
  • In Slavery Days
  • The Far West

References

  1. ↑ Leonard, John W. (1914). "OLIVER, MARTHA CAPPS". Woman's Who's who of America. American Commonwealth Company. Retrieved 3 February 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 548.
  3. 1 2 3 "Martha W. Capps 27 August 1845 – 15 August 1917 • K637-F1B". ident.familysearch.org. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Sauder 2003, p. 64.

Bibliography

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