Martha Farnsworth was a prolific diary writer, recording her daily experiences from 1882 through 1922 with only minor gaps. Martha and her second husband Fred taught a Sunday School class of boys. These boys became their family, including serving in World War I. This podcast will feature entries from Martha’s diaries for 1917 and 1918 that record the activities of her “boys” serving in the military, activities on the home front, and Martha’s emotions about the this war. ">

A Kansas Memory Podcast

Over There: Martha Farnsworth and WWI

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The documents used in the Over There podcast are available on

  • Martha Farnsworth Diary
    Martha Farnsworth kept a personal diary from 1882 through 1922 with only a few gaps. Martha and Fred, (sometimes called Teddy in the diaries) taught a class of boys at the First Christian Church in Topeka. They continued to teach the same class as the boys grew up and these young men and the girlfriends became a surrogate family. This particular diary covers the years 1917 and 1918 during which a number of the boys in the Sunday School class served in the Army.
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