Martha A. Boughton (, Arnold; February 18, 1857 – May 18, 1928) was an American educator, author, poet, and

clubwoman The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a part ...

. She wrote biographies as well as religious music and lyrics. Among her publications can be counted ''Memoir of Rev. John Motte Arnold, D.D.'' (1885), ''The Quest of a Soul, and Other Verse'' (1911), ''Onward'' (1918), and ''Mystery and Other Poems'' (1926).

Early life and education

Martha ("Mattie") Elizabeth Arnold was born in

Corunna, Michigan Corunna ( ''CORE-UN-NUH'') is a city and county seat of Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,497 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by Caledonia Charter Township and is slightly east of the city of Ow ...

, February 18, 1857. She was a daughter of John Motte Arnold, D.D., and Hannah E. (Redway) Arnold. Boughton's education included

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

High School;

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

, one year; and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(Ph.B., 1880).

Career

During the period of 1880-84, Boughton was a teacher in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

's public and high schools.

In Detroit, Michigan, July 4, 1884, she married Willis Boughton, Ph.D. (1854-1942), director, Chemical Laboratory,

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

. They had two sons, Willis Boughton and Paul Ninde Boughton. Boughton engaged in various religious, social and philanthropic activities. In

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...

, in 1895, she was the leader of the local Young

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

(WCTU). In that role, she was one of the delegates selected to represent the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

at the World's WCTU conference,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Two years later, still in Athens, she served as president of the Pallas Club, 1897-1899. In

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, she served as secretary, Board of Managers of the city's Deaconess' Home. Her club work also included Fortnightly of

Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the north, ...

(literary),

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

Association of North America, and the Woman's Club of the University of Michigan (alumnae). She also helped organize the Thursday Musical Circle. The Quest of a Soul And Other Verse

Boughton was the author of ''Biography of Rev. J. M. Arnold, D.D.'' (1885), ''The Quest of a Soul, and Other Verse'' (F. H. Revell Co., 1911), ''Mystery and Other Poems'', and ''Stars Through Cypress Trees''. She contributed to various magazines and papers, including the ''Western Christian Advocate''. She also wrote religious songs (words and music), such as "Little Christian soldiers" (infant class hymn; words and music by Boughton, 1903), and "Onward, little soldiers, Battle 'gainst the wrong" (lyrics by Boughton).

Personal life

In religion, Boughton affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. She traveled in Europe summers of 1895 and 1906. After having been ill for two years, she died in Brooklyn's Caledonian Hospital, May 18, 1928.

Selected works

* ''Memoir of Rev. John Motte Arnold, D.D.'' (1885) * ''The Quest of a Soul, and Other Verse'' (1911) * ''Onward'' (1918) * ''Mystery and Other Poems'' (1926) * ''Stars Through Cypress Trees''

Songs

* "Little Christian soldiers" (1903) * "Onward, little soldiers, Battle 'gainst the wrong"

Notes

References

Attribution

* * * * * *

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boughton, Martha A. 1857 births 1928 deaths 19th-century American biographers 20th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers People from Corunna, Michigan Educators from Michigan Writers from Michigan Clubwomen University of Michigan alumni Northwestern University alumni American women songwriters Woman's Christian Temperance Union people American women biographers American women poets