Martha Abbie Benton was born on December 24, 1879, in Troy, Alabama. Her parents were Nancy Johnson and James Absalem Benton Jr. Her only sibling was Johnson Crowell Benton.

She began her formal education at Troy State Normal College and received her bachelor of missionary training from the WMU Training School in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1914; a diploma from Mars Hill College in 1925; a BA from Bessie Tift College in 1926; an MA from Mercer University in 1930; and an MA in religious education from the WMU Training School in 1932. She taught at Campbell College at Buies Creek, North Carolina, between 1926 and 1933.

Mrs. Bonsteel was married to Robert Paris from 1902 to his death in 1911. In 1916 she married Ray L. Bonsteel. Prior to his death in 1920, the couple adopted a daughter, Neta Poythress.

She is remembered for the many devotional essays and columns she published. Her best known work, however, is Hidden Pearls, a story for girls entering young womanhood.

Mrs. Bonsteel died on March 24, 1966, a year and a half after suffering a paralyzing stroke. She was buried in Albemarle, North Carolina, where she had lived for some time in the Baptist Home.