After her husband's death, Martha opened and operated a hotel in Webster Springs to capture s ome of the popularity of the springs. All nine of her children became businessmen or teacher s.

Having lived near the Virginia border of WV during the Civil War, her sympathys were with th e Confederacy. She could recount many of the tales of the conditions during that period. Sh ortages were severe and she remembered being without sugar, salt and coffee. for coffee, the y would brown rye and use as a substitute. Maple sugar was used, but was hard to keep from r aiding soldiers. All of their livesstock was taken, and at the end of the war nothing was le ft. Although raiders came often, no member of the family was ever injured, although on one o ccasion a shot was fired into their house, passing over her father's head. Two of her brothe rs served in the Confederate Army ---George in the 31st artillery. A younger brother, jame s Franklin, served in Capt. McNeill's Cavlry. She often told the story of how she and other female family members would drive a wagon throu gh Yankee lines to take pies under their long skirts to the Confederates. Martha died at one hundred years of age and worked her flowers and did her housework into he r late nineties.