Martha Reed Mitchell (March 1818 – February 15, 1902) was an American philanthropist and socialite, well known in charity, art and society circles in the U.S. and abroad. In 1841, she married Alexander Mitchell, one of the sturdy pioneers of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and later, one of the most prominent men in the state. While her husband amassed great wealth, neither prosperity nor popularity deprived Mrs. Mitchell of her simple manner and her love and interest in the cause of the less fortunate. She organized the Protestant Orphan Asylum of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

, and served as its first treasurer. She supported a mission kindergarten, with nearly 100 children.. Art and artists were indebted to Mitchell for her liberal patronage. After the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, she established a winter home near

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, where she brought to great perfection tropical fruit-bearing trees, and many rare plantings, including those from Ceylon, China, and India. While here, she became interested in the charities of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. She was one of the first Vice-Regents of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.

Early life and education

Martha Reed was born in

Westford, Massachusetts Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was at 24,643 at the time of the 2020 Census. History Westford began as 'West Chelmsford', a village in the town of Chelmsford. The village of West Chelmsfor ...

, March 1818. Her parents were Seth and Rhoda Reed. She was one of a large family, and in early years learned the lessons of unselfishness and thoughtfulness of others, characteristics that in a marked degree remained prominent through her life. Her siblings included brothers, Harrison Reed, Curtis Reed, and George Reed. At the age of 13, she attended

Miss Catherine Fiske's Young Ladies Seminary Miss Catherine Fiske's Young Ladies Seminary was a boarding and day school for young ladies, located in Keene, New Hampshire. Established in 1814, it achieved a national reputation. After the 1837 death of Catherine Fiske, the school's founder, th ...

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in, and the seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 census. Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. I ...

, and at 17, went to

Emma Willard School The Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women, located in Troy, New York, on Mount Ida, offering grades 9– ...

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

, where the happiest days of her life were passed. In 1838, she was forced to renounce a tempting offer of a trip to Europe, and to leave her beloved companions, to go with her parents to the wilds of the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

. No vestibuled trains in those days transported passengers across the continent. Instead of hours, weeks were necessary for such a journey. Through the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

and by the chain of

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

the family wended their way, and after three weeks of anxiety and trouble, they touched the shores of

, their objective point, a village of 500 people. Forests covered the area. Native Americans tribes whose homeland was in Wisconsin lived with in

wigwam A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup' ...

Career

Wisconsin

In 1841, Martha married Alexander Mitchell, a young Scotchman who had left his country to seek his fortune in the U.S. The young couple began housekeeping in a tiny one-storied cottage. While he milked the cow and attended to the horse and outdoor work, she did the housework. Both said that the first year of their married life, was the ideal one. With keen foresight, he grasped the opportunities that others did not see, and she entered into all projects for benefiting the poor, assisting in founding churches, hospitals and asylums. Ever sympathetic with the sufferings of others, especially of young children, she, with a few earnest women, early in the 1840s organized what is became known as the Protestant Orphan Asylum. Mitchell was its first treasurer. In 1858, Mitchell was elected Vice-Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association for Wisconsin. Alexander Mitchell Mansion

As the years passed, the couple became wealthy. In art circles, she was prominent for many years, encouraging a love for it at home by supporting schools and giving exhibits of works imported from Europe entirely at her expense, so that in all the studios of Italy and France, as well as in the U.S., her name was synonymous with art. Where real talent was apparent in a struggling artist, encouragement by appreciation as well as pecuniary aid was extended by her. For years, after leaving Milwaukee, she supported a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

, where, daily, nearly 100 children from the poorest parts of society were taught to be self-respecting and self-sustaining men and women. The rigorous climate of the Great Lake region being detrimental to her health as she aged, Mitchell opted to travel. She crossed the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

many times, visiting England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Egypt. She also traveled in the U.S.,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, Cuba, and the Bahamian island of New Providence.

Florida

Soon after the Civil War, while visiting Florida, she found a location where health and the pleasures of a home could be combined. A tract of land was purchased on the St. Johns River from Jacksonville, Florida. In an area now known as the

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Saint Mark's Square, that was never admin ...

neighborhood of Jacksonville, they established the vast estate of Alexandria as a winter home.Wood, Wayne (1992). ''Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage''. University Press of Florida. p. 250. ISBN 0-8130-0953-7 With her indomitable will and energy, aided by ample means, Mitchell in a few years, converted a sandy area into "a thing of beauty and a joy forever." She brought to perfection the

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

, banana, olive, plum,

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...

, and apricot, the English walnut, the

pecan The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

from Brazil, and the Spanish chestnut. Among her rare trees were the camphor and cinnamon from Ceylon and the tea plant from China. Her list of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

s includes the sacred tree of India and five varieties of cane. The family of flowers embraced all the well-known varieties of the temperate zone and the tropics. Her home showed good taste and care and was distinguished for hospitality. Prominent among her charities in Florida was St. Luke's Hospital, managed by an association of women, of whom Mitchell was the inspiration and head. After the death of her husband, April 19, 1887, Mitchell left Milwaukee and located her summer home on the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

, in the vicinity of the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...

. There she lived during the months of July and August. In 1888, Mitchell made a permanent move to her Villa Alexandria estate in Florida with her grandson, David. As the years past, she became increasingly characterized as of "unsound mind".

Death and legacy

Martha Reed Mitchell died at her home, Villa Alexandria, near Jacksonville, Florida, February 15, 1902, aged 84 years. Her papers are held by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Martha Reed 1818 births 1902 deaths Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century People from Westford, Massachusetts People from Milwaukee People from Jacksonville, Florida 19th-century American philanthropists American socialites