Martha Eleanor Hill (maiden name: Wight) was born on November 10, 1836, in Bellingham, Massachusetts, to Seth and Mary Ann Wight. Her father was a farmer who owned $3,000 of real estate in 1850. She grew up and attended school in Bellingham, and she married Charles W. Hill on October 16, 1856. They had at least two children: Edward, born on September 16, 1857; and Herbert, who was born on November 16, 1864, and died on January 21, 1866. They settled in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and her husband worked as a farmer and teacher. By 1870, they were living in Boston, and they owned $6,000 of real estate and $2,000 of personal property. Her husband died on November 13, 1896, and she followed in 1902.