Martha Waldron Janes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martha Waldron Janes
"A Woman of the Century"
Born	Martha Waldron June 9, 1832 Northfield, Michigan, U.S.
Died	1913
Resting place	Muskegon, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	minister social reformer columnist
Language	English
Nationality	American
Spouse	John Allen Sober ​ ​ (m. 1852; died 1864)​ Henry H. Janes ​ ​ (m. 1867; died 1886)​
Children	3

Martha Waldron Janes (born Waldron, later Sober and Janes; June 9, 1832 – 1913) was an American minister, social reformer, and writer. She was born in Michigan. From a young age, she was very religious. Her strong beliefs and public speaking made some people think she was "crazy."

Even though she had preached for a while, she wasn't officially recognized as a minister until 1868. She was the first woman to be ordained in her church, the Free Baptist Church. This church believed in more equal rights than others at the time. This matched Martha's strong beliefs about social change. She believed that girls should have the same chances for education as boys. She also supported women's right to vote and wrote articles about it for many newspapers. She was also very active in the temperance movement, which worked to reduce alcohol use. Martha Waldron Janes passed away in 1913.

Early Life and Education

Martha Waldron was born in Northfield, Michigan, on June 9, 1832. Her father, Leonard T. Waldron, was from Massachusetts. In 1830, he moved to Michigan and became a successful farmer. He strongly supported the idea of free public schools.

Martha's mother, Nancy Bennett, was a kind woman from New York City. Martha was the oldest of seven children. It was hard for her to get an education where she lived. She earned money by doing housework for $1 a week. She saved this money to pay for one term at a special school.

When she was thirteen, Martha became very religious and joined the Free Baptist Church. She felt she had to speak and pray in public meetings. At that time, it was very unusual for a woman to speak in frontier churches. Because of this, some people thought she was "crazy."

Career and Ministry

On October 12, 1852, Martha married John Allen Sober, who was a young minister. He also believed in many social reforms of the time. John died on November 19, 1864. Martha was left with two young children, Evangeline "Eva" and Arthur, and was not in good health.

Martha felt called to preach the gospel almost since she first became religious. Her church and its leaders recognized her ability and encouraged her to preach. In 1860, after much thought, she began to preach. Her work as a preacher was seen as very successful. On May 23, 1867, she married again to Rev. Henry H. Janes. They had one son, Charles Wesley Janes.

In June 1868, Martha was officially ordained as a minister. She was the first woman to be ordained in the Free Baptist Church conference. She performed all church duties except immersion, which she never felt called to do. She served as a pastor for a church several times. She also traveled widely as an evangelist, spreading the church's message. By 1880, Martha and her husband had separated. She moved to Clay County, Iowa, to be with her daughter Eva.

Martha became a leader for the Woman's Suffrage Association in her district. During this time, she wrote a column about women's right to vote for seventeen weekly newspapers. She also held meetings to support this important reform. Her work for temperance began in 1879. She was the president of the temperance group in Clay County, Iowa. She helped organize groups in every township in that county.

Later Life and Passing

Martha Waldron Janes passed away in 1913. She was buried in Muskegon, Michigan.