September 28. On this date in 1939, Martha Root died. Shoghi Effendi had called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century" and posthumously named her a Hand of the Cause. Martha Root had met with Queen Marie of Romania, who Bahá'í sources claim was the first monarch to convert to the faith, although her daughter Ileana denied any such conversion had taken place.

September 28. On this date in 1939, Martha Root died. Shoghi Effendi had called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century" and posthumously named her a Hand of the Cause.

Martha Root was born on August 19, 1872 to Timothy and Nancy Root in Richwood, Ohio. She had two older brothers, Clarence and Claude. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Cambridgeboro, Pennsylvania, where her father ran a dairy farm. Martha, known as Mattie, was not a typical girl, since her interest lay in books rather than the usual domestic pursuits, and when she was 14 she earned enough money from writing to pay for a trip to Niagara Falls. She distinguished herself in high school and college, attending Oberlin College, where she designed her own program; she then continued to the University of Chicago and earned her degree 1895.

While she started teaching after her degree, she gave that up to start writing for different newspapers. In the summer of 1900 she worked at the Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph as the society editor, and then in the fall she worked for the Pittsburgh Dispatch. She then starting writing about automobiles, which took her to France and then back to Pittsburgh.

In 1909 she met Roy C. Wilhem who introduced her to the Bahá’í Faith by giving her some literature. While researching the religion for several months she met several members of the Bahá’í community, including Thornton Chase and Arthur Agnew in Chicago, and she, later in that year, declared her faith in the Bahá’í teachings. During this time, she kept on writing and in 1909 she wrote a detailed article for the Pittsburgh Post about the history and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. She also participated in the first annual Bahá’í convention, which took place in Chicago in 1911.

During 1911 and 1912, 'Abdu’l-Bahá visited the United States and Canada. Martha Root attended many of 'Abdu’l-Bahá's talks, and arranged his talk in Pittsburgh. During this time Martha Root developed breast cancer, but it went into remission for many years.

After meeting with 'Abdu’l-Bahá, Martha Root began a world trip where she would spread the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. She left the United States on January 30, 1915, and after visiting some countries in Europe, she wanted to visit Palestine to visit the Bahá’í holy places, but she could not go due to the First World War. So instead, she travelled to Egypt, and stayed there for six months. During that time she wrote newspaper articles. She then travelled to Bombay, Rangoon, Japan, and Hawaii. She arrived back in the continental United States when she reached San Francisco on August 29, 1915.

After staying in the United States for five years, she then travelled to Canada in 1920, visiting Saint Saint John, Montreal, London and Saint Thomas where she arranged teaching programs. She then travelled to Mexico and then Guatemala where she was going to meet with the president, but due to a political revolution, the meeting never happened. By 1921, her breast cancer had spread and she was in frequent pain; her father's health was also failing, and thus her travels become more limited.

After her father's death on November 3, 1922, Martha started her travels once again at the age of 50. She travelled to many parts of the United States, Canada, Japan and China to spread the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and the Bahá’í Faith. She then travelled to Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and Hong Kong, and helped Bahá’í pioneers to teach about the Bahá’í Faith. She then travelled to South Africa, and went on several radio broadcasts. She also studied Esperanto, and in 1925 met Lidia Zamenhof, the daughter of Ludwig Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto, who would later become a Bahá’í.

Martha Root had met with Queen Marie of Romania, who Bahá'í sources claim was the first monarch to convert to the faith, although her daughter Ileana denied any such conversion had taken place:

It is perfectly true that my mother, Queen Marie, did receive Miss Martha Root several times…..She came at the moment when we were undergoing very great family and national stress. At such a moment it was natural that we were receptive to any kind of spiritual message, but it is quite incorrect to say that my mother or any of us at any time contemplated becoming a member of the Baha’i faith.

As regards her travel teaching, Shoghi Effendi noted her cooperation with Esperanto societies as "an excellent means of spreading the Cause."

Martha Root also authored a number of works, including one about Táhirih, titled Táhirih the Pure, wherein she notes...

The question of her returning to her husband arose, and this she absolutely refused to do. Try as they might, she would not consent to be reconciled with her husband, Mullá Muhammad. She gave as her reason: "He, in that he rejects God's religion, is unclean; between us there can be naught in common."

On September 28, 1939, Martha Root died. Shoghi Effendi had called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century" and posthumously named her a Hand of the Cause.