MARTHA BYINGTON MARTHA D. BYINGMN AU4DON B i r t h : 1834 Death: 1937 Family: Fa the r - John Byington

S i b l i n g s - Theresa , John, Laura Spouse - George Amadon Chi ldren - Grace, Kather ine. Claude

(adopted) Accomplishments : Teacher of t h e f i r s t Sevent h-dav

Advent i s t school

Martha was t h e e l d e s t d a u g h t e r o f John and C a t h e r i n e Byington. She was d e s c r i b e d by some a s having a f a r m e r ' s d a u g h t e r appea rance . She had red h a i r and a d i s p o s i t i o n t o ma tch . She was v e r y consc ious of l i v i n g a h e a l t h y l i f e s t y l e .

She a t t e n d e d a c o u n t r y s c h o o l and was home t a u g h t by h e r p a r e n t s . Her o t h e r q u a l i f i c a t i o n s f o r t e a c h i n g s e e m e d t o b e h e r a b i l i t y t o b e r e s o u r c e f u l , de te rmined and h e r wonderful s e n s e of humor. She could s i n g and p l a y t h e p iano we l l . I n a l l , s h e e n j o y e d l i f e a n d was c o m m i t t e d t o f o l l o w i n g t h e Lord.

A t t h e a g e of 1 9 , M a r t h a ' s s e r v i c e s a s t h e F i r s t Seventh-day Adven t i s t t e a c h e r was donated by h e r f a t h e r , John Byington.

M a r t h a ' s f i r s t c l a s s i n Bucks Bridge had a n enro l lment of 1 7 s t u d e n t s . The s c h o o l r e g i s t e r was a s f o l l o w s :

Cy n t h i a , S e y m o u r , S y d n e y , E d d i e ( A a r o n H i l l i a r d ' s c h i l d r e n )

C l a r k , C y r u s , P a r m e l i a (Henry H i l l i a r d ' s c h i l d r e n )

John , Orange, E l l e n , Ruth (Penoyer c h i l d r e n ) I s a b e l l a , Samuel, C a t h e r i n e , J u l i a , Henry (Sam

C r o s b i e ' s c h i l d r e n ) Frank Peck (nephew and adopted s o n of Alphonso

& L u c r e t i a Peck)

ATLANTIC UNION CONFERENCE

The Adven t i s t s of Bucks Br idge , N e w York saw t h e need t o t r a i n t h e i r youth t o s e r v e t h e Lord . Of M a r t h a ' s 17 s t u d e n t s , two became m i s s i o n a r i e s . Eddie H i l l i a r d spen t 18 y e a r s i n t h e A u s t r a l a s i a D i v i s i o n , 15 y e a r s i n t h e U.S.A., and R y e a r s i n I n d i a where he d i e d and i s b u r i e d . H i s c o u s i n , P a r m e l i a H i l l i a r d , t r a v e l l e d , t o o , and m i n i s t e r e d th roughout t h e B r i t i s h I s l e s w i th h e r husband S. H. Lane .

I f t h e Bucks Bridge members were a l i v e today t h e y would s e e t h a t t h e i r s a c r i f i c e s r e s u l t e d i n w o r l d w i d e s c h o o l s . The S e v e n t h - d a y A d v e n t i s t s c h o o l s y s t e m i s c o n s i d e r e d t o be t h e l a r g e s t p r o t e s t a n t e d u c a t i o n a l e n t i t y i n t h e world.

M a r t h a B y i n g t o n m a r r i e d George Amadon i n Michigan. There s h e was a p u b l i s h i n g w o r k e r and w r o t e a r t i c l e s f o r t h e Review and Hera ld , w h i l s t r a i s i n g a f ami ly . She was p r e s i d e n t o f t h e f i r s t Dorcas Soc ie ty . She l i v e d t o be 103 y e a r s o ld !

. Advanced R e a d l o g Program Book 2 . Teacher's ;, Hanml, Washinpton , D.C.: Revlev end Herald P u b l l e h i n g A e s o c i a t i o n , 1976. pp. 66-68.

. Advanced Reedinp P r o ~ r e m Book 2 . "Behold t h e Stone ( 1 8 S m ' I B m . " Washington. D.C.: Review and Herald Publ i sh ing A s s o c i a t i o n , 1976, pp. 205-208t .

Younp., E t h e l . Behold The Stone. South Lancaater. MA: A t l s n t l c Union O f f i c e o f Education, 1979.

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ATLANTIC UNION CONFERENCE

MARTHA BYINQTON

Martha Byington was the oldest daughter of John and Catherine

Byington. Some people have described her as having a farmer's

daughter appearance. This probably means that she was a very

healthy-looking girl and somewhat plain. She had red hair and was

a bit feisty. Martha tried to eat only foods that were good for

her and tried to obey the laws of health.

When she was school-age she attended a country school and was also

home schooled by her parents. Martha had a good sense of what was

right and wrong. She possessed a sense of humor and was a fun-

loving person as well as a very determined person. She could sing

and play the piano very well, really enjoyed life, and loved the

Lord very much.

When Martha was nineteen years old her father, John Byington,

donated her services as a teacher. She became the first school

teacher of the Advent movement. Her first school was held in the

parlor of a home. In this room she had seventeen students. The

school in Bucks Bridge, New York was started so that the young

people could be trained to serve the Lord and prepare them to be

workers for Him.

Later, two of the seventeen students became missionaries to foreign

lands. If the Adventists in Bucks Bridge were alive today, they

would be able to see that the sacrifices they made to start this

start this school were really the beginning of a world-wide

system of schools run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Later Martha married George Amadon in Michigan. There she wrote

articles for the church paper, the Review and Herald. She was

also the first president of the Dorcas Society which we now call

the Community Services.

When Martha celebrated her 100th birthday, they asked her what

was the most important and the most useful of the modern

inventions. She felt that electricity was the most important and

the most useful. She told how when she was a little girl she

read by candle light, and her parents had to start their fires by

using flint stone. She also remembered the day when she saw the

first lamp being used in her home.

Martha lived to be 103 years old. She loved the Lord and served

him for over a century.

- References : Pioneer Stories Retold