LAMB, Martha (Joanna Reade) Nash

Born 12 August 1826, Plainfield, Massachusetts; died 2 January 1893, New York, New York

Wrote under: Aunt Mattie, Mrs. Martha J. Lamb

Daughter of Arvin and Lucinda Vinton Nash; married Charles A.Lamb, 1852

Martha Nash Lamb began her career as a writer of children's stories and a romantic novel. It was, however, as a historian of the city of New York and as an editor (1883-93) of the Magazine of American History that she did her most significant work.

Lamb's major publication is her History of the City of New York, the first volume appearing in 1877, the second in 1880. The two comprise the history of New York from the era of Hudson's discovery to the inauguration of Washington. After Lamb's death, Constance Cary Harrison contributed a brief supplementary volume to the history, Externals of Modern New York (1896).

Lamb's perspective in the History of the City of New York is that of the narrative historian, and she concentrates particularly on political developments. In the Dutch era, she traces with acuity the internal conflicts, giving special stress to the role of Peter Stuyvesant. She discusses with sympathetic insight the efforts of the British to peacefully amalgamate the two communities in the colony of New York. In the 18th-century history, Lamb particularly stresses the growing conflict with the British and the city's role in the Revolution and the new nation. She also gives some attention to the social history of New York, noting particularly the roles of the emerging major families and their interlocking interests. On the other hand, she does not attempt to deal in any depth with the city's economic development.

Lamb's The Homes of America (1879) is an account of historic homes, primarily of political leaders, from the early 17th to the mid-19th centuries. For the 19th century, she included residences of artists and writers. The work was not a history of American architecture but rather a descriptive account, including biographical sketches and a number of brief family histories.

As editor of the Magazine of American History, Lamb contributed some 50 signed and many unsigned articles. Her Wall Street in History (1883) consists of material that first appeared in three issues (May-July 1883). The book is a lively, well-researched account of three stages of the history of the street: the early Dutch and English developments; its 18th-century role as "seat of fashion, aristocracy and state government"; and its 19th-century role as financial center. Lamb's account is descriptive rather than analytical, and she deals in very general and positive terms with Wall Street's financial role.

Lamb also wrote fiction. Her novel Spicy (1873) is a romantic mystery, with the recent Chicago fire giving dramatic climax to the work. She also wrote several children's stories, generally moralistic, and edited such publications as The Christmas Basket (1882), a collection of poetry.

It was as a narrative historian that Lamb was most successful. She handled with clarity and balance the broad developments of public life; she had a keen eye for character, and wrote with a dramatic flair of such events as the Zenger trial. Her style is somewhat stilted at times, but she wrote with ease. Though somewhat discursive and occasionally preoccupied with minute detail, on the whole she developed forcefully and with balanced judgment the major political themes.

Lamb was a thorough if untrained researcher with a great interest in primary sources. She utilized manuscript collections, public records, private letters, and personal interviews. Accordingly, her historical work has depth and solidity. She wrote primarily for an educated general public. In her History of New York, she best achieved her goal of combining sound historical scholarship with popular appeal.

Other Works:

Laughing Kittie and Purring Kittie, with Other Little Folks at Robinwood (1868). The Playschool Stories for Little Folks (1869). Aunt Mattie's Library (1870). Drifting Goodward (1870). Fun and Profit (1870). Snow and Sunshine: A Story for Boys and Girls (1882). A Guide for Strangers to General Grant's Tomb in Riverside Park (1886). Our Country Fifty Years Ago: Some Incidents in Connection with Lafayette's Visit (1887). The Washington Inauguration (1889).