In 1850 the couple moved permanently to their summer home, the governor's estate "Willowbrook" on Owasco Lake in Auburn, New York.
[2] Cornelia Martin was one of the founders and leaders of the Auburn Female Bible Society, which became active in promoting religious and charitable projects.
[4] In 1866 a letter from her daughter Eveline, whose husband was stationed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, prompted her to involve the Society in funding a school for Native Americans there.
[9] Visitors included presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Johnson, Navy Secretary Gideon Welles, General George Custer, Washington Irving, David Farragut, and many others.
Secretary of State William H. Seward, a resident of Auburn, was a frequent visitor and held a meeting with foreign diplomats at Willowbrook.