Jessie Hunter Brown Pounds (August 31, 1861 – March 3, 1921) was an American lyricist of gospel songs.

Life

Jessie Hunter Brown was born into a farm family in the village of Hiram, Portage County, Ohio. A staff writer for ''

Christian Standard The ''Christian Standard'' is a religious periodical associated with the Restoration Movement that was established in 1866.Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Discipl ...

'', she often collaborated with composer

James Henry Fillmore, Sr. James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

(1849–1936). In 1897 she married John E. Pounds, minister of the Central Christian Church in

Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. As a college-educated, frontier woman, she's considered by some to be part of the "first generation" of "

New Women ''New Women'' () is a 1935 Chinese silent drama film produced by the United Photoplay Service. It is sometimes translated as ''New Woman''. The film starred Ruan Lingyu (in her penultimate film) and was directed by Cai Chusheng. This film became ...

." She died at her home in Hiram on March 3, 1921.

Family

Her parents were Holland Brown and Jane Abel Brown. Holland Brown was baptized after hearing

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

preach; and the couple were

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

. A notable guest of her parents was

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

Works

"Her pen produced upwards of eight hundred hymns, eighty short stories, seven novels, lyrics, and scripts for cantatas, and numerous brief essays and non-fiction articles."

Hymns

"Anywhere with Jesus" is possibly the most well-known of her poems. Some of her poems have been set to a number of musical scores, the most familiar being the tune "Serenity" by Daniel B. Towner (1850–1919). Her 1896 poem "Beautiful Isle" became the song "

Beautiful Isle of Somewhere "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" is a song with words by Jessie Brown Pounds and music by John Sylvester Fearis, written in 1897. The song gained huge popularity when it was used in William McKinley's funeral. It was subsequently a staple at funera ...

", which was sung at

President McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Hist ...

's funeral and criticized by

President Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Demo ...

Articles

Jessie Pounds edited four journals affiliated with the Stone-Campbell Movement: ''Disciple of Christ'', the ''Christian Standard'', the ''Christian-Evangelist'', and ''The Christian Century''. Jessie Pound wrote an article entitled, "The Passing of Prince Albert," the title referred to the " Prince Albert Coat" which she's argued symbolized professional preachers airs such as "pulpted tones," formal pious vocabulary, and "ministerial manners." These airs created barriers preventing pastors from connecting with congregations; she argues that while the lessening of professionalism has its dangers,"There should be not regret that the day of the clergy as a "third sex" is over."

Novels

She also wrote "Inspirational" novels such as ''Rachel Sylvestre'' (1904); these novels were often about Alexander Campbell's desire to live according to New Testament doctrine. Her literary remodels were British author

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...

ary Ann Evans whom she frequently quotes, and

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...

. Jessie even chooses a pen name "Auris Leigh" when writing for the ''Christian Evangelist'' inspired by Browning's popular feminist hero, Aurora. Dr. Sandra Parker worked to reprint some of Pound's work because she believes her work belongs in the American literary canon; ''After the Western Reserve'' is a reprint of eleven short stories and the novel ''Rachel Sylvestre'' with and introduction by Parker who believes "Pounds' use of dialects, her description of village life, and the development of characters in a half-dozen fictional Ohio communities..."preserve a disappearing rural heritage and chronicle local issues," many of which reflect the powerful influences that the churches—Methodist, Baptist, and Disciples fellowships—had in their communities."

References

External links

* *
Jessie Brown Pounds lyrics

Jessie Brown Pounds discography"Beautiful Isle Of Somewhere" sheet music

Online magazine

"The Disciple" 1886:
edited by Jessie H. Brown and including her poetry

Streaming audio

Jessie Brown Pounds on Victor Records

Jessie Brown Pounds on Edison Records

Video

Works

Rachel Sylvestre: A Story of the Pioneers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pounds, Jessie H. Brown 1861 births 1921 deaths American Disciples of Christ American members of the Churches of Christ Hiram College Musicians from Cincinnati People from Hiram, Ohio American women poets