November 23, 2020 Thank you, Barbara Schock, for sharing your extraordinary gift of these vignettes of Galesburg & 19th century American history.
Martha Farnham Webster
Martha Farnham Webster was born in
Galesburg on April 27, 1846. Her parents were Eli (1803-1882) and Jerusha Loomis
(1807-1872) Farnham. Eli Farnham was the first teacher in Galesburg. There is a
bronze plaque at the entrance of the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust on the
northeast corner of Cherry and Main Streets. It describes the first school
building erected on the site in which Mr. Farnham taught and in which the
first church services were held by the pioneers. Martha’s mother was a direct descendant of the first
Pilgrims to land on these shores. Through the same ancestors she was related to
several men who served in the Revolutionary War. In 1901 this enabled her to
become a charter member of the Rebecca Parke Chapter of the National Society,
Daughters of the American Revolution here in Galesburg. She was a member of the
Colonial Dames of America as well. She graduated from Knox College in 1869 and taught there the
following year. Mrs. Webster maintained a close association with the institution
for the rest of her life. The College awarded her an honorary degree in 1919. She was married to Charles A. Webster on June 15, 1881. He
was one of the officers of the Frost Manufacturing Company, one the important
industrial firms in the city at that time. They had four children. Mrs. Webster was interested in
local history and wrote several books on the subject. She wrote
SEVENTY-FIVE
SIGNIFICANT YEARS: The Story of Knox College in 1912. The book is now considered
culturally important and is listed as part of the Knowledge Base of
Civilization. Ii can be read in its entirety on the internet In 1918 she wrote the “Annals of Galesburg” which is the
largest section of the
Annals
of Knox County. The book was authorized by the
Knox County Board of Supervisors. It was prepared in recognition of the
centennial of the State of Illinois. Other authors wrote descriptions of the
founding of the villages and townships in Knox County. Mrs. Webster also wrote sketches of pioneer women, Colonel
Clark E, Carr and Mary Allen West. Even though she was born a few years after
the founding of the Gale Colony she knew most of the individuals involved in
that history. In 1905 she was one of the founders of the Knox County Historical
Society. Martha Farnham Webster died January 7, 1933, of bronchial
pneumonia. Her obituary appeared in the Chicago Tribune as well as local
newspapers. Her funeral was held in Central Congregational Church below the
beautiful stained glass windows memorializing her parents. She was buried in
Hope Cemetery. Her writing provides a record which helps us understand the beginning of Knox College and the City of Galesburg. During her lifetime she collected many papers and documents from the founding families. She gave them to the Galesburg Public Library. Unfortunately, the library and papers were destroyed by a fire in 1957.
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