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Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Hymnwriters and Composers from Soul Songs and Sonnets

Below is a list of some of the hymnwriters and composers from Soul Songs and Sonnets by Sharp McNiel and B. N. Richards in 1909. I tried to include everyone I thought were East Texas folks and/or directly connected to the McNiel-Richards Company. Therefore, I did include the Bacons, who lived in Tennessee but seem to have contributed material directly to the songbook (since some of it is copyrighted by the McNiel-Richards Company). I did not include well-known hymnwriters and composers such as Laura Newell, John Newton, Isaac Watts, Thomas Hastings, and Lowell Mason.

I hope to contribute to our knowledge of local hymnwriters and composers, many who may not be known as such by some of their descendants. The list is divided into “known” (either I knew or discovered who they were),“possible or probable” (I believe I have or may have correctly identified them), “unknown” (I still am not sure who they were), and, lastly, other people who are simply mentioned in notes and dedications, etc.

If you know the identity of the probables or unknowns, please let me know. Many of these folks were students of Sharp McNiel in his singing schools.

Known hymnwriters and composers
Possible or probable hymnwriters and composers
Unknown hymnwriters and composers
  • Addie Birdwell
  • Sylvester S. Cofer
  • Kittie Deason
  • J. P. Henderson
  • Edwin Moore
  • Howard E. Smith
  • Stella May Thompson
Other persons mentioned in notes, dedications, etc.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My husband had an Uncle named Edwin Moore who lived in Cushing. He was a teacher and principal. I don’t know if this is him or not however.

R. L. Vaughn said...

Do you know when he lived in Cushing? A lot of the local people (Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Rusk) were born in the 1880s, and would have been fairly young people when the book came out, and probably were music students of J. H. (Sharp) McNiel.

Thanks! Have a great day.