Martha Loftin Wilson (née, Loftin; January 18, 1834 – June 11, 1919) was an American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

worker and journal editor, as well as a pioneer

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

resident and a

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. She was regarded as "the most influential leader in the

Woman's Missionary Union Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) is an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention that was founded in 1888. It is the largest Protestant missions organization for women in the world. The WMU sees its work as ‘’making disciples of Jesus wh ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

". Wilson was the author of ''Hospital Scenes and Incidents of the War''.

Early life and education

Martha Eleanor Loftin was born in

Clarke County, Alabama Clarke County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 23,087. The county seat is Grove Hill, Alabama, Grove Hill. T ...

, January 18, 1834. She was a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

from early childhood, having been baptized in 1845. She was educated in the Dayton Masonic Institute in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Career

On November 14, 1850, she married John Stainback Wilson, M.D. During the American Civil War, she worked in the hospitals of

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, Camp Winder, and Camp Jackson, with her husband, who was a surgeon. At that time, she wrote a book, ''Hospital Scenes and Incidents of the War'', which was in the hands of the publishers, with the provision that the proceeds should go to the sick and wounded. The manuscript was burned in the fall of

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. A part of the original manuscript was deposited in the

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

of the Confederate Home in

. Dr. and Mrs. Wilson were in the

Battle of Jonesborough The Battle of Jonesborough (August 31–September 1, 1864) was fought between Union Army forces led by William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate States of America, Confederate forces under William J. Hardee during the Atlanta Campaign in the Am ...

, where General

William Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognition for his comm ...

captured part of the command, and the badly wounded were sent under Dr. and Mrs. Wilson's care to

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

, and those not injured to northern prisons. Her career was associated with the duties of corresponding secretary of the central committee of the Woman's Baptist Missionary Union of Georgia. The central committee was organized by the home and foreign boards of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

, November 19, 1878, in Atlanta, with Wilson as president. She also served as the Georgia editor of the ''Baptist Basket'', a missionary journal published in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. Wilson was for some time president of the Southside

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

and of the Woman's Christian Association of Atlanta, both of which she aided in organizing. At the same time, she taught an infant class of 60 to 75 in her church's Sunday school. Although her husband died on August 2, 1892, she continued her work without interruption.

Personal life

Wilson had been a member of the Second Baptist church from early childhood, and was always connected with the institutions of the denomination. She died June 11, 1919, in Atlanta, and was buried in that city's Oakland Cemetery. She was survived by her daughter and three of her five sons.

Selected works

* ''Hospital Scenes and Incidents of the War''

References

Attribution

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Martha Loftin 1834 births 1919 deaths 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American writers 19th-century Baptists Baptist missionaries from the United States American magazine editors American women magazine editors People from Clarke County, Alabama Baptist missionaries in the United States Female Christian missionaries Writers of American Southern literature Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century Temperance activists from Georgia (U.S. state) American Civil War nurses Writers from Atlanta Woman's Christian Temperance Union people Temperance activists from Alabama