gave in Salem, as early as 1774, the first advertised public lecture on the subject of electricity. In 1890 Mrs. Oliver bought a small piece of land on the cove known as Doliver's Cove, which is the earliest settled part of the historic town of Marblehead. The old wharf, known to the antiquary as Valpey's, she has raised and made into a terrace with stone walls. This exceedingly picturesque spot is now her new summer home. Mrs. Oliver is an associate member of the New England Woman's Press Association, a member of the New England Woman's Club, of the North Shore Club, in Lynn, and of the Thought and Work Club, in Salem, of which she is a vice-president She is a member of the Essex Institute, in Salem, and other organizations.
OLIVER, Mrs. Martha Capps, poet, born in Jacksonville, Ill., 27th August, 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, Ill. There he was married to Miss Sarah A. H. Reid, a woman of christian character. Miss Capps 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.
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MARTHA CAPPS OLIVER.
Soon after her graduation she became the wife of William A. Oliver. 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 have been used in England for illustrated booklets. As a writer she has been quite as kindly received there as in America. In collaboration with Ida Scott Taylor, she has recently published several juvenile books in verse, entitled "The Story of Columbus," "In Slavery Days" and "The Far West." She has also given some attention to sacred song and hymn writing. Mrs. Oliver is skilled in all the arts of home-making and is an active, efficient church member and worker.
OLMSTED, Mrs. Elizabeth Martha, poet, born in Caledona, N. Y., 31st December, 1825. Her
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ELIZABETH MARTHA OLMSTED.
ancestral stock was from Pittsfield, Mass. Her father, Oliver Allen, belonged to the family of Ethan Allen. She was educated carefully and liberally. She was a child of strong mental powers and inquiring mind. Her poetic trend was apparent in childhood, and in her youth she wrote poems of much merit. She became the wife, in February, 1853, of John R. Olmsted, of Le Roy, N. Y., and she has ever since resided in that town. The Olmsleds are descended from the first settlers of Hartford, Conn., and pioneers of the Genesee valley. Mrs. Olmsted has contributed to the New York "Independent" and other papers. During the Civil War she wrote many spirited war lyrics, among which are the well-known "Our Boys Going to the War" and "The Clarion." Her poem, "The Upas," first appeared in the "Independent" of 16th January, 1862. She has published a number of sonnets of great excellence. Her productions are characterized by moral tone, fine diction and polish.
ORFF, Mrs. Annie L. Y., editor and publisher, was born in Albany. N. Y. She is a niece of the well-known artists John and William Hart, of New York City, and has inherited in an eminent degree their artistic tastes and talents. She passed the early part of her life in her native city, where she had a happy girlhood, with no thought of care. She became the wife, at the age of eighteen, of Mr. Swart, a business man of ability and with him she removed to St. Louis, Mo. After a brief married life, she was left a widow, dependent upon her own exertions and with no experience of the world or its ways. There existed, at that time, a railroad
