Mary Laurentine Martin
1844 - 1919

Born near Watertown, New York, Laurentine lived most of her life in Janesville, Wisconsin. Much of her life's story was captured in her diary, letters, and published writings, kept faithfully by her granddaughter, Cora Lee Beers Price.

Dr. Price cherished these items carrying them with her when she forged her own way towards higher education in the west, leaving her own Janesville home for California shortly after the Great Depression. There she earned her Master's from Claremont College and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Decades later, the writer happened to meet Dr. Price and her husband Dr. G. Baley Price and a great friendship ensued. I was honored that she entrusted me with editing and publishing her Grandmother Laurentine's diary because the story is more than one family's history -- it is part of American history continuing to unfold.

I believe that readers will find considerable value in reading about the life of this young schoolteacher. For who among us hasn't wondered about the inner life of a favorite teacher or professor who helped shape our lives? Laurentine will take you there and well beyond to a place in America's past that's well worth understanding. The history of public education merits knowing our 'roots' in the: "burgeoning pin-striped brigade of teachers, humble public servants and female agents of future social change in local communities." [xviii]