The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-17
DARLING NELLIE GREY"
The Origin Of One Of the Sweetest Songs Ever
Set to Music.

There are few persons who know the
origin of that beautiful and ever-enduring
little song, 80 My Darling Nellie Grey" or
the circumstances under which it was writ
ten. The song was written a year or two
before the late war, and the author of the
words and composer of the music was
young school-teacher named Benjamin r.
Harnby. Harnby was an instructor in a
struggling little academy at Seven Mile, But
Ter County, Ohio He was also preacher,
and to some extent musician, and an ab0-
litiOnist with fiery hatred for everything
connected with the slavery of the blacks.
The tender, passionate little song that
afterward became so famous was conceived,
outlined and almost completed on the way
to Cincinnati from Hamilton one afternoon.
The inspiration came from a Cincinnati
paper which HaTnby had accidentally picked
up, and which contained an account of the
manner in which a beautiful QuadrOUn girl
had been torn away from her slave
lover and carried to the Southern
The quadroon'S name was Nellie
Grey. The account filled Harnby with hor-
ror, and he utilized the incident in his song,
which was almost completed by the time he
reached his destination. Upon his return
home he remodeIed it to a certain extent
~
evident that he didn't appreciate the posi-
bilities Of the production, for he let it lie
around while and then sent 1t TO Chl-
cago firm with note to the effect that II
they saw anything in the song they might
Publish it. He received no reply, and the
first intimatiOn lie had of the fact that it
had been pub ished and had been met with
a splendid reception was six months later
while visiting a young lady acquaintance at
Columbus, OHIO He requested her to sing
for him, aud she complied, saying she would
sing him sweet little song she had just re-
reived and which, she remarked, had by a
strange coincidence been written by per-
son with the same name as his. She there
upon proceeded, much to Harnby's sur
prise, to sing Nellie Grey"
The song made hit as soon as published,
and experienced remarkable run, and the
publishers made small fortune off of it,
but somehow overlooked Harnby in the
division Of the proceeds. In fact they even
neglected 10 send him copy of the song
until he wrote for it, and then they sent him
six. This was all the pay he ever got.
Harnby came OF musical family. His
father was the compiler of A United Brethren
hYnIn-bOOk, which is still In use In some
places, ana he had several brothers and
sisters who were also unsteady inclined.
Harnby himself composed a number of
songs, several of which were afterward pub
lished, but Nellie Grey" is the only one
which received a remarkable reception. 1t
has been translated into several foreign
languages and known and loved all over
the world for its sweetness and tenderness
of sentiment. Harnby died a few years
after the war, in obscurity and poverty, as
he had lived all his life. The fact that he
was the Harnby that wrote 'Nellie Grey"
was known to none save a few intimate
friends He lies in the cemetery al the place
of his birth Westerville, small village
about twelve miles north of Columbus, Ohio.
His grave is marked by no sign of dstin-
guishment. The greensward is his only
tom bstone, the sweet song which has blessed
thousands of hearts is his monument.-Ci
cinnati Tlmes-Star.