Martha Capps Oliver

Martha Capps Oliver (August 27, 1845 – August 15, 1917) was an American poet and hymnwriter.

Martha Capps Oliver
"A woman of the century"
BornMartha 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
NationalityAmerican
Alma materIllinois Female College
SpouseWilliam A. Oliver

Early years

Martha Capps was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, August 27, 1845. Her father, Joseph Capps, was the son of a Kentucky slave-owner, a kind master, but so strong was the son's abhorrence of wrongs of any nature, that he refused to profit by what he thought was an inhuman institution, and sought a free State in which to establish himself in business. He located in Jacksonville, and there, he was married to Miss Sarah Ann Higgins Reid.[1] Oliver had four brothers, Stephen (1838–1914), William (1842–1896), Joseph (1851–1921), and Charles (1854–1928).

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 which was quick to receive impressions.[1]

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

Soon after her graduation, she married William A. Oliver (1841-1904). 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 song and hymn writing. Oliver was skilled in all the arts of home-making and was an active church member.[1] She died August 15, 1917, in Jacksonville, and was buried at Diamond Grove Cemetery in that city.

Selected works
  • "Keep your covenant with Jesus", 1883? (hymn)[2]
  • A year of sacred song : with selections in prose from sources old and new, 1895
  • A year's good wishes in prose and poetry, 1895
  • Round the year with poets, 1900
gollark: What? Finland doesn't exist. This is nonsense.
gollark: Done.
gollark: !olivia space when?
gollark: GCCC just adds 1275891 extra instructions after all unsigned integer operations to pretend to be binary.
gollark: The GTech™ C code compiler (GCCC) sometimes uses ternary integers for fun.

References
  1. Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 548.
  2. Sauder 2003, p. 64.

Attribution
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Bibliography
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