Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch (June 18, 1809 - October 12, 1870) was an American Unitarian clergyman, author and

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

writer.

Early life

Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch (often referred to as S.G. Bulfinch) was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 18, 1809, the tenth child of

Charles Bulfinch Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...

Architect of the Capitol The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of the legislative branch of the federal government and is ...

and Hannah Apthorp, who were first cousins. He was the brother of

Thomas Bulfinch Thomas Bulfinch (July 15, 1796 – May 27, 1867) was an American author born in Newton, Massachusetts, known best for ''Bulfinch's Mythology'', a posthumous combination of his three volumes of mythologies. Life Bulfinch belonged to a well-educat ...

(1796–1867), author of

Bulfinch's Mythology ''Bulfinch's Mythology'' is a collection of general audience works by American Latinist and banker Thomas Bulfinch, named after him and published after his death in 1867. The work was a highly successful popularization of Greek mythology for En ...

. Stephen was named after his mother's father, Stephen Greenleaf, the last Loyalist sheriff of

Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the state, and the eightieth-most populous in the countr ...

. He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1818, when his father began work on building the

United States Capitol rotunda The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

and graduated from Columbian College in Washington D.C. (later

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

) in 1826 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree, and earned his Doctor of Divinity degree from

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

in 1830. The Rev. Edward Young told the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1892 that Bulfinch told him he had wished to become an architect like his father. ::''"But his father dissuaded him, saying that most of the States already had their capitols erected, and that if he should devote himself to this occupation, there would probably not be enough for him to do. Accordingly, he became a clergyman."''Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, June, 1892 Meeting. Boston. 1892. p. 455.
In 1831, he was ordained at Charleston, South Carolina as Assistant Minister serving with Rev.

Samuel Gilman The Reverend Samuel Gilman (1791–1858) was an American clergyman and author. He was born at Gloucester, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard University in 1811, and in 1819 was ordained pastor of the Unitarian church at Charleston, South ...

at the Second Independent Church of Charleston, a theologically Unitarian congregation. Subsequently, he served as a minister in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, in Washington, D.C. from 1838, in Nashua, New Hampshire from 1845, in Dorchester, Massachusetts from 1852; and lastly in East

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

from 1865 until his death.''Dictionary of Hymnology'' by John Julian. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1892. p. 191. He died at

, October 12, 1870. Bulfinch composed numerous hymns, which gained wide use across the country. Many were made known in England through Beard's ''Collection of Hymns,'' published in 1837, in which 19 were published.

Works

* ''Contemplation of the Saviour: A Series of Extracts from the Gospel History, with Reflections and Original and Selected Hymns''. Boston: Carter and Hendee, 1832 * ''Biographies of Self-Taught Men'', Boston: Perkins & Marvin, 1832 (with

Bela Bates Edwards Bela Bates Edwards (1802–1852) was an American man of letters. Biography Edwards was born at Southampton, Massachusetts, on 4 July 1802. He graduated at Amherst College in 1824, was a tutor there from 1827 to 1828, graduated at Andover Theologic ...

) * ''Poems'', Charleston, S.C., 1834. * ''The Holy Land and Its Inhabitants'', 1834 * ''Lays of the Gospel'' 1845. * ''Communion Thoughts'', 1850 * ''Palestine and the Hebrew People'', 1853 * ''The Harp and the Cross'' a selection of hymns, 1857 * ''Honor, or the Slaveholder’s Daughter'', 1864 * ''Manual of the Evidences of Christianity'', 1866 * ''Studies in the Evidences of Christianity'', 1866

Hymns

* ''Hail to the Sabbath day'' * Hath not thy heart within thee burned?'' * ''O, suffering friend of human kind''

References

External links

A Collection Of Hymns For Public And Private Worship, by John R. Beard. London: John Green. 1837. p. 375. "Bulfinch, Rev. S.G."
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulfinch, Stephen Greenleaf 1809 births 1870 deaths American Unitarian clergy American Unitarians American Protestant hymnwriters Harvard Divinity School alumni 19th-century American musicians Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni 19th-century American clergy