Author: Martha Summerhayes

Martha Summerhayes (1844–1926) was an American author known for her vivid memoir, “Vanished Arizona: Recollections of the Army Life by a New England Woman, ” published in 1908. Born Martha Dumont in Nantucket, Massachusetts, she came from a New England background that valued education and culture. In 1874, she married Lieutenant John Wyer Summerhayes of the U.S. Army. As an army wife, her travels and experiences in the then-untamed territories of the American West were the inspiration for her book. Her narrative provides a first-hand account of military life on the frontier, offering readers a detailed look at the social customs and harsh realities of the time. Summerhayes”s literary style blends a personal, anecdotal tone with incisive observations, drawing readers into the world of the 19th-century American West. Her contributions to the genre of Western American history and women”s memoirs are noted for their historic significance and descriptive richness. Not only did she document army life with emotional poignancy, but her writing also reflects the challenges faced by women in a predominantly male-dominated environment. Her work endures as a valuable resource for understanding that era and holds a place in the annals of American autobiographical literature.