Samuel Francis Smith
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Samuel Francis Smith (October 21, 1808 – November 16, 1895) was an American
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister, journalist, and author. He is best known for having written the lyrics to "
My Country, 'Tis of Thee "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" is an American patriotic song, the lyrics of which were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The song served as one of the ''de facto'' national anthems of the United States (along with songs like "Hail, Columb ...
" (sung to the tune of "
God Save the King "God Save the King" is the national anthem, national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in ...
"), which he entitled "America".


Early life and education

Smith was born in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
on October 21, 1808. Smith attended
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
from 1825 to 1829, and was a classmate of
William Henry Channing William Henry Channing (May 25, 1810 – December 23, 1884) was an American Unitarian clergyman, writer and philosopher. Biography William Henry Channing was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Channing's father, Francis Dana Channing, died when he wa ...
,
James Freeman Clarke James Freeman Clarke (April 4, 1810 – June 8, 1888) was an American minister, theologian and author. Biography Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on April 4, 1810, James Freeman Clarke was the son of Samuel Clarke and Rebecca Parker Hull, though h ...
,
Benjamin Robbins Curtis Benjamin Robbins Curtis (November 4, 1809 – September 15, 1874) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1851 to 1857. Curtis was the first and only Whig justice of the ...
,
George T. Davis George Thomas Davis (January 12, 1810 – June 17, 1877) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Early life and education George Davis was born in Sandwich, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard Univer ...
,
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (; August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most fa ...
, Isaac Edward Morse,
Benjamin Peirce Benjamin Peirce (; April 4, 1809 – October 6, 1880) was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philoso ...
,
George W. Richardson George Washington Richardson (October 28, 1808 – June 19, 1886) was an American politician who served as the Sheriff of Worcester County, Massachusetts, and twice as mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts. Biography Richardson was born on October ...
, and
Charles Storer Storrow Charles Storer Storrow (25 March 1809 – 30 April 1904) was a prominent American civil engineer and industrialist. He is known for designing and building the dam and textile mill complex in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Biography Charles Storer Stor ...
. From 1829 to 1834, he attended
Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...
.


"America" ("My Country, 'Tis of Thee")

While a student at Andover Theological Seminary, Smith gave
Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-known ...
lyrics he had written and the song was first performed in public on July 4, 1831, at a children's Independence Day celebration at
Park Street Church Park Street Church, founded in 1804, is a historic and active evangelical congregational megachurch in Downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The Park Street Church is a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Typical attendance a ...
in Boston.Garraty, John A., and Carnes, Mark C., editors, ''American National Biography, volume 20, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 281'' The song, titled "America", was first published by Lowell Mason in ''The Choir'' in 1832. Smith later wrote an additional stanza for the April 30, 1889 Washington Centennial Celebration.


Ministry

In 1834, Smith worked in Boston editing the ''Baptist Missionary Magazine'' before going to
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
. His ordination as a Baptist minister was on February 12, 1834, in
Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...
, where in addition to his ministry, he served as Professor of Modern Languages at
Waterville College Colby College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the ...
. On September 16, 1834, Smith married Mary White Smith, whose maiden name was Smith. They had six children. Smith was foster father for four years to teenager Thornton Chase, who, instead of entering college, left to become an officer in the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. In 1894-5 Thornton Chase would become the first western convert to the
Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...
, and was a leading member in the United States. In 1842, he left Waterville to go to
Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
. Smith did not stop writing. In addition to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", Smith wrote over 150 other hymns. In 1843, he teamed with Baron Stow to compile a Baptist hymnal, ''The Psalmist''. In Newton, Smith became editor of the ''Christian Review'' and other publications of the Baptist Missionary Union. He continued his ministry as well, becoming pastor of the First Baptist Church in Newton in the village of
Newton Centre Newton Centre is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The main commercial center of Newton Centre is a triangular area surrounding the intersections of Beacon Street, Centre St ...
. In
Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...
, Smith bought a house at 1181 Centre Street. After twelve years as pastor of the Newton Centre church, he became editorial secretary of the BMU and served there for fifteen years. From 1875 to 1880, he made many trips to Europe,
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,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
and
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
to visit missionary outposts. He wrote a history of his adoptive home, entitled ''History of Newton, Massachusetts'', which was published in 1880. Professor and author
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (; August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most fa ...
recommended Smith as a potential candidate for an honorary
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
degree from Harvard University in 1893. Harvard president
Charles William Eliot Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transfo ...
declined, noting that "My Country 'Tis of Thee" was better known for its tune, which Smith did not write, rather than its lyrics. Holmes disagreed, noting that "his song will be sung centuries from now, when most of us and our pipings are forgotten."Small, Miriam Rossiter. ''Oliver Wendell Holmes''. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1962: 75.


Death and burial

Samuel Francis Smith died suddenly on November 16, 1895, while on his way by train to preach in the Boston neighborhood of
Readville Readville is part of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston. Readville's ZIP Code is 02136. It was called Dedham Low Plains from 1655 until it was renamed after the mill owner James Read in 1847. It was part of Dedham until 1867. It is served by ...
.New York Times obituary for Dr. Samuel F. Smith
/ref> He was buried in Newton Cemetery. "America" was among the pieces sung at his funeral. He was survived by his wife and five children. His son D.A.W. Smith was president of the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary in Burma; his granddaughter Emma Waldo Smith Marshall taught at the seminary.


Legacy

Smith was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
in 1970. The home Smith lived in in Andover is now a
Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...
dormitory named America House. The home in which Smith and his family lived in Newton is no longer standing. In 1958, a society was formed to buy and preserve it, but the home was damaged by fire in 1968 and again in 1969, leading to its destruction. A small monument and growing garden honors his legacy.


Bibliography

* * * * * *


References


Sources

* Hein, David. "S. F. Smith and 'America.'" ''Baptist Quarterly: Journal of the Baptist Historical Society'' 32 (1987): 134–40.http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bq/32-3_134.pdf * Music, David M., and Paul A. Richardson. ''I Will Sing the Wondrous Story: A History of Baptist Hymnody in North America''. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2008.


External links


First Baptist Church in Newton website


at the Cyber Hymnal


Songwriters Hall of Fame Online
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Samuel Francis 1808 births 1895 deaths American religious leaders Baptist ministers from the United States Editors of Christian publications American evangelicals Baptist writers Colby College faculty American lyricists Songwriters from Massachusetts Boston Latin School alumni Harvard University alumni Writers from Massachusetts 19th-century American musicians Andover Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century American clergy