Woman of the Century/Martha Smith Taylor

TAYLOR, Mrs. Martha Smith, author, born in Buxton, Me., in 1829. She is the daughter of David and Susan Warner Smith, formerly of Buxton, Me. Her father was educated in Deny, N. H. Her mother was the daughter of Captain Nathaniel Warner. Her maternal great-grandfather was the son of Capt. James Gregg, one of the original settlers of the town, who emigrated from Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1720. He was a man of ability and means, and procured a grant for the land upon which the city of Manchester and other towns, including Derry, were built. Soon after her father had completed his studies, he married and removed to Buxton, Me., where he became a successful teacher. MARTHA SMITH TAYLOR. Martha is the sixth of eight children. She early manifested a fondness for books. When she was six years old, her mother died, and two years later her father died. She was adopted by her maternal grandfather in Deny, N. H. At the age of seventeen she finished her education in the academy, in Derry, and soon after became the wife of George H. Taylor. He was active in business matters and filled many important official positions in his town and county. They have had three children, two daughters and one son. The son died in infancy. Mr. Taylor, with his family, removed to Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1867, for the benefit of his health, which was impaired by asthma, from which disease he died in 1889. Mrs. Taylor and one daughter still reside in that city. Mrs. Taylor has written for many years for the leading newspapers of Pittsburgh and New England. She has been special correspondent for several years for the Pittsburgh "Dispatch" and "Commercial Gazette" She is a staunch advocate of temperance and all moral reforms. Her poems have been published in the different newspapers with which she has been associated. She has rendered important service in the temperance and charitable work of Pittsburgh, and has taken especial interest in its progress in literature. She was for several years president of the Pittsburgh Woman's Club, and is still an active member. She belongs to the Travelers' Club of Allegheny, Pa.