Representative women of New England/Martha S. Hoyt
MARTHA SEAVEY HOYT is a native of East Machias, Me., one of the sister villages planted a century and a half ago on the banks of the two rivers flowing through the Machias valley, by a company of brave and stalwart men drawn thither by the beauty of the, scenery, the broad marshes covered with luxuriant grasses, and the stately forests of pine. Rising far back in the lakes of the woods, the two rivers mingle their waters two miles below, in the beautiful Machias Bay, with its winding shores and out- lying islands.
Here was the scene of the first naval battle and victory of the Revolution, famous in the annals of naval warfare for the reckless daring of the undertaking and the desperate valor of the hardy assailants, which alone achieved suc- cess. Along the shores of the bay and the banks of the rivers are still shown the grass- grown ramparts, behind which those early settlers resisted the British power, defended their houses, and preserved to Maine the east-, ern half of the State — an imperishable monu- ment of the character and courage of "the fore- fathers of the hamlet."
From this purely New England stock in direct line, in the third generation, Mrs. Hoyt traces her descent, and from such an inheritance derives naturally those distinguishing qualities so strongly displayed in the various spheres of her activity and success. Of the three potent influences chiefly instrumental in shaping the lives and moulding the characters of individuals — heredity, environment, educa- tion — which in this instance has been most powerful we have no occasion to consider, since all seem to have been equally favorable. Of the early and mare remote ancestry we have alreaily spoken sufficiently. Coming down to the immediate progenitors, the parents, Sylva- nus and Cynthia 0. (Seavey) Seavey, were both persons of marked individuality. Her father was a man whose sterling honesty and intelli- gence commanded the highest respect of his contemporaries. Never seeking publicity nor aspiring to official position, he made his influ- ence felt in the conduct of public affairs and in the stirring questions of the day. Strong in his moral convictions and pronounced in his opinions, without fear or favor, he stood firmly on the ground of principle, and was always found among the first and foremost of the temperance reformers and the earliest abolitionists, when these were names of reproach and obloquy. And the mother was no less distinguished for her noble and womanly qualities. A most de- voted wife and mother, and full of sympathy for the suffering and afflicted, generous-hearted, always watching for opportunities to do good and to help others, especially the poor and needy, gentle in her manners, doing all this quietly and with the spirit of love, she was beloved by all. Of an active mind, quick intelligence, and a most genial disposition, Mrs. Seavey enlivened the home by her ready wit, and was a most agreeable companion in all social intercourse, retaining these qualities to the last of her ninety years of existence.
Inheriting in a large degree the characteristics of her Puritan ancestors — independence in thought and action, enterprise, and energy, which grew with her growth and strengthened with her strength — at an early age, with pupils mostly her senior, Martha Seavey entered Washington Academy. An institution old and well endowed, famous for its record of able instructors and still more for the many distinguished men and women it had trained and sent forth into almost every walk of life during the more than half-century of its existence, no better fitting-school could be found for one's life work.
Thus equipped with educational advantages, she went forth to make a way and place for herself in the workl, not unsuccessfully. A fine opportunity soon offered for the exercise of her gifts. A young minister, the Rev. Gilman A. Hoyt, wanting a competent helpmeet for his chosen work, found in her the right woman, admirably suited to the high vocation. They were married in East Machias, and immediately started for their new field of labor in the Far West. One year of successful labor in Missouri and three more of arduous work on the prairies of Kansas wore out the life of the minister, leaving the young widow, with the addition of a rich experience, to begin life anew in a widely different sphere of activity. Boston offered the most inviting field, and with her practical energy, natural business ability, self-reliance, and knowledge gained of the world, to win confidence and gain a permanent and lucrative position was not a difficult task for Mrs. Hoyt. Here she found congenial occupation in one of the prominent newspaper offices, where she labored with success until the death of her father called her away to the performance of more sacred duties. With characteristic devotion she then returned to her childhood home to make the lives of those most dear to her—an aged and feeble mother and an infirm sister—as pleasant and happy as unwearied attention and fidelity could effect.
The ancient homestead, standing apart from the village in a wide field, with its avenue shaded by evergreens, its scattered apple-trees tough and gnarled with age, and its old oaken bucket hanging in the well by the kitchen door, was rejuvenated without, and the house brightened and adorned within. The aged mother, now quite weak and helpless in body, was the centre of interest and the light of the home, while with faculties unimpaired, cheerful and bright as in the earlier days, she enjoyed the society of her numerous friends and the evening readings, with their pastor, the Rev. H. F. Harding, as their guest, in which Browning was the favorite author.
When the change came and the light of the household was extinguished, Mrs. Hoyt returned to Boston, made her a permanent home there, and resumed her work in a much enlarged sphere of public functions and responsibilities. She was appointed special commissioner by Governor Wolcott. Being interested in working for the soldi(M-s and soldiers' widows, she applied to the Pension Bureau in Washington for authority to tlo all pension work, and, being able to fulfil all the requirements, was soon appointed pension attorney, an office granted to very few women. In this work Mrs. Hoyt is able to give cheer and comfort to many widows' hearts. From the aged and helpless, applications come to her with the preface, " I appeal to you because you are a woman, knowing I shall have your .sympathy"; and they are sure to have it and, oftentimes, advice and assistance without remuneration.
At the request of several owners of property, Mrs. Hoyt added to her vocations that of real estate. In this enterprise she has been very successful in .securing the confidence and respect of all with whom she comes in contact. She has the entire charge of the property, handling it with skill. She is also working for a publishing company, and is correspondent for several papers. Mrs. Hoyt loses no opportunity to aid in any movement for justice to women, sometimes by a petition to the Legislature originated by herself, as in the present year, sometimes in a more quiet way, but always with the one object in view, of l)ringing women to the position they should occupy, to be determined by personal ability. Although her hands are very full, she finds time for not only doing charitable work, but for interesting others in large philanthropies. Through her business she is enabled to call the attention of wealthy people to worthy causes, and thus obtain for them pecuniary aid. This has been one of her achievements from early girlhood, soliciting successfully, sometimes surprisingly so, money for different worthy objects, never failing of the desired amount, and going about it in a way that makes it a pleasure to all concerned. Later in addition to her other work Mrs. Hoyt signed a contract with the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, and became a representative in the Boston office, working more particularly on the line of the Gold Bond and Annuity, investments becoming popular with women.
Safe to say in conclusion, that, in addition to her great executive ability and large resourcefulness, her cheerful disposition and happy faculty of rendering herself agreeabie in business relations and also in social life have had much to do with her successful achievement in all her varied lines of effort.
Mrs. Hoyt is a member of the Boston Business League, the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association, the Women's Educational and Industrial Union, and the Underwriters' Association of Boston.