Lexington, Missouri, is identified in the account as a quiet, tree-shaded town and the setting of Martha Ellen Young Truman’s two years at the Lexington Baptist Female College. Its role in the narrative is tied to her education and the interests she carried beyond it.

Setting

Described as sedate and shaded by trees, Lexington provides a contrast to the farm life Martha Ellen Young Truman had known on Blue Ridge. The account gives no further description of the town or its institutions beyond the college.

The College Years

Sent to the Lexington Baptist Female College, Martha spent two years there learning to sketch and play the piano. She also acquired a lifelong love of books and poetry, including the work of Alexander Pope. Lexington is thus associated with a formative period of study whose influence extended beyond her residence there.