The One Horse Open Sleigh - The Story of "Jingle Bells" THE ONE HORSE OPEN SLEIGH: The Story of "Jingle Bells" By Roger Lee Hall One of the most popular songs heard during the Christmas season began not for that holiday but as a song with this title,"The One Horse Open Sleigh" (original sheet music cover shown above, first published in 1857 by Oliver Ditson in Boston). It was apparently written as a comical song and used in minstrel shows at that time. There has been a long-standing dispute as to in what city the song was written. According to the book, Boston Curioisities (page 173), this information is provided: "Jingle Bells" was written by Medford [Massachusetts] resident James Pierpont in 1850, inspired by the annual one-horse open-sleigh races on Salem and Pleasant Streets between Medford Square and Malden Square. Pierpont penned the racy little ditty in Simpson's Tavern, a boardinghouse that had only one piano in town.

This is interesting about how the song might have been written but the date of origin is not certain since the two authors (Bruce Gellerman and Erik Sherman) don't provide any source for their information. Two years later after it was first published, the title was changed to: "Jingle Bells, or The One Horse Open Sleigh" James Lord Pierpont was born in Medford, Massachusetts in 1822 and died in Winter Haven, Florida in 1893. He had a rather unusual life, coming from a strict New England Unitarian family who were against slavery. He moved to the South and was an organist in a church in Savannah, Georgia. Against his family's wishes, he supported the Confederate cause, writing several songs in support, including "Strike for the South" and "We Conquer or Die." It has been reported, though not proven, that he wrote his popular winter song for his father's Sunday School class for Thanksgiving and it proved so popular that it was sung again at Christmas time. One of Pierpont's friends called the song -- "a merry little jingle." These are the original lyrics and spellings for the first two of the four verses: 1.

Dashing thro' the snow, In a one horse open sleigh, O'er the hills we go, Laughing all the way; Bells on bob tail ring, Making spirits bright, Oh what sport to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight. Oh! what joy it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh. [repeat all four lines] After he wrote the song Pierpont paid little attention to it until the Salem Evening News printed a story about it in 1864. Then he accepted credit for writing "Jingle Bells." There has been speculation that Pierpont borrowed lines from a Stephen Foster minstrel song but that has remained unproven. James Pierpont's uncle was the famous wealthy New York financier, John Pierpont Morgan, founder of the famed Pierpont Morgan Library. Though he died in Florida (ironically in the same city where the Boston Red Sox used to have their spring training camp), James Pierpont was buried in Savannah, Georgia in Laurel Grove Cemetery. There was a marker placed in Troup Square in Savannah to honor him -- Did Pierpont write "Jingle Bells" in Medford, Massachusetts or Savannah, Georgia?

Both places make claim to the song's origin. Yet it seems likely that he wrote the song in Medford where snow was commonplace rather than in the warmer climate of Savannah. This marker is located at 19 High Street in Medford: "Jingle Bells" was not very popular when it was first published in 1857. It took many years to become one of the most popular songs at Christmastime. Among the earliest recorded versions of the song were on music boxes and other mechanical music devices. When did it start to become popular as a Christmas song? That happened first with the spread of phonograph records and later on radio, which allowed the song to be heard by a nationwide audience. The following list of recordings comes from an entry at Wikipedia : "Jingle Bells" was first recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898 on an Edison cylinder. In 1902, the Hayden Quartet recorded the song. In 1935, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra reached No.

18 on the charts with their recording of "Jingle Bells." In 1941, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ernie Caceres and the Modernaires on vocals had a No. 5 hit with "Jingle Bells" on RCA Victor. In 1943, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters recorded "Jingle Bells" on Decca which reached No. 19 on the charts and sold over a million copies. In 1951, Les Paul had a No. 10 hit with a multi-tracked version on guitar. In 1955, Don Charles, from Copenhagen, Denmark, recorded a novelty version with dogs barking to the melody of "Jingle Bells," which sold a million copies in 1955. Among all these recordings, it was Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters who made the song the most popular. Their 1943 recording is the one most often heard today during the Christmas season in the U.S.A.

One hundred fifty years after it was published as "Jingle Bells," there are millions of listeners who know and love this song, even though it makes no mention of Christmas in its lyrics. Yet it does evoke what many people think of as a nostalgic Christmas from the past -- a winter scene riding through the snow and singing... Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Oh what joy it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh! One does have to wonder slightly if the last two lines may have been Much of the above information was gathered from these books: American Christmas Classics - by Ronald M. Clancy (2001) -- a beautifully illustrated book and CD set. Boston Curiosities - by Bruce Gellerman and Erik Skerman (2010) --fascinating info but not documented. James Lord Pierpont James Lord Pierpont Author of " Jingle Bells " The colorful James Pierpont was the author of "One Horse Open Sleigh" which was first published in 1857.

In 1859, he reissued the song under a new name: "Jingle Bells." It was a "sleighing song" which was a popular topic of the time and had nothing to do with Christmas, or for that matter, Thanksgiving. James Pierpont was born in 1822, while his father served as the Unitarian pastor of the Hollis Street Church in Boston. His father, the Rev. John Pierpont (1785-1866) was an ardent abolitionist and noted poet. His mother was Mary Sheldon Lord, the daughter of Lynde Lord, Jr. (1762-1813), and Mary Lyman. Together, they had six children. The Pierpont name has been traced back as far as Charlemagne and the invasion of England by William the Conqueror. In 1832, at the age of 10, James was sent to a boarding school in New Hampshire. He wrote his mother a letter about riding in a sleigh through the December snow.

Four years after that, in 1836, 14-year-old James ran away to sea (aboard a ship called "the Shark"). Some sources indicate that the ship sailed as far as California. If so, it would have been only the first time. By 1845, he was back on the East Coast, where his father was the minister of a Unitarian congregation in Troy, New York. Sometimes between 1845-1849, James married Millicent Cowee, the daughter of Farwell Cowee and Abigail Merriam. They have two children by the time, Mary and John. Mary was later a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR; Mary Pierpont Barnum, DAR # 17208; see D.A.R. Lineage Books 11-20, Whitney Surname ). Rev. Pierpont accepted a position in Medford, MA in 1849. That same year, Pierpont left his wife and children with his father in Massachusetts to open a business in San Francisco during the gold rush of 1849. It is reported that he also worked as a photographer.

The business failed after his goods burned in a fire (there were several fires in the early years of San Francisco: see The Six Great Fires ; also see the account of Rev. Albert Williams , who discusses several fires on May 4, 1850, May 4, 1851 , and June 22, 1851, with an emphasis on the latter). After the fire, Pierpont returned to Medford. In 1853, Jamesï¿½ brother, the Rev. John Pierpont, Jr. (1819-1879), accepted a post with the Savannah, Georgia, Unitarian congregation. James followed, taking a post as the organist and music director of the church. To support himself, he also gave organ and singing lessons (the organ is presently in the possession of Florida State University). His wife and children remained in Massachusetts with his father, Rev. John Pierpont. That same year, James had his first songs published in Boston, among them "Kitty Crowe" and "The Colored Coquette." Nothing further is known about either of these songs. Several other songs, however, are known and have been recorded by Mr.

Jamie Keena, a noted balladeer and authority on 19th century music. 1 Songs performed by Mr. Keena include "Ring the Bell, Fanny," "Quitman Town March" and "Wait, Lady, Wait" as well as the three Confederacy songs mentioned below. Pierpont is said to have published a number of ballads, polkas and minstrel songs. Three years later, in 1856, his first wife Millicent died of tuberculosis. A year later, in August 1857, James married Eliza Jane Purse, daughter of Savannah's mayor, Thomas Purse. She very soon gave birth to the first of their children, Lillie. Pierpont's children by his first marriage remained in Massachusetts with their grandfather. Also in August 1857, his song "One Horse Open Sleigh" was published by Oliver Ditson and Co. of Boston. Two years later it was re-released with the title "Jingle Bells, or The One Horse Open Sleigh". It was not a hit either time.

In 1859, the Unitarian Church in Savannah closed due to its abolitionist leanings, unpopular in those parts at that time. By at least 1860, Rev. John Pierpont, Jr. had returned to the North. James, however, stayed in Savannah with his second wife Eliza Jane, and at the beginning of the Civil War, joined the Isle of Hope Volunteers of the First Georgia Cavalry (later the Fifth Georgia Cavalry) of the Confederacy. Records indicate that he served as a company clerk. He also wrote music for the Confederacy, including "Our Battle Flag", "Strike for the South" and "We Conquer or Die." His father also saw military service ï¿½ as a chaplain with the Union Army stationed in Washington, D.C. After the war, James moved his family to Valdosta, Georgia, where he taught music and made many friends (and was involved in a local scandal). According to Savannah author Margaret DeBolt and researcher Milton J. Rahn, Pierpont's son, Maynard Boardman, was born in Valdosta.

The 1870 Lowndes County Census lists: "Pierpont, James 48, Eliza J. 38, Lillie 16, Thomas 8, Josiah 5, and Maynard B. 4." Note that if Lillie is 16 in 1870, she was born in about 1854. The record, of course, could be in error. In 1869, Pierpont moved to Quitman, Florida. There he was organist in the Presbyterian Church, gave private piano lessons and taught at the Quitman Academy, retiring as the head of the Musical Department. In 1880, Pierpont's son, Dr. Juriah Pierpont M.D., renewed the copyright on "Jingle Bells" but he never made much money from it. It took considerable effort to keep his father's name permanently attached to the song after the copyright expired. More information about Dr. Pierpont can be found at Pierpont died in 1893 in Winter Haven, Fla.

At his request, he was buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah beside his brother-in-law Thomas who had been killed in the first battle of Bull Run. Stories Concerning The Origin of "Jingle Bells:" In short, both Massachusetts and Georgia claim ownership of "Jingle Bells." There are many stories circulating about its origin. Hereï¿½s a sampling. Massachusetts: One day in 1851, James Pierpont went to the home of Mrs. Otis Waterman, who let him play a piano belonging to William Webber, a Medford music teacher. Mrs. Waterman owned the Seccomb boardinghouse, which became better known later as the Simpson Tavern and was eventually torn down [hence the origin of the story that Pierpont wrote the song in a tavern]. After he played the piece for her, Mrs. Waterman replied was that it was a very merry little jingle, and he should have a lot of success with it. Pierpont then wrote the lyrics about the one-horse open sleighs ï¿½ also known as "cutters" ï¿½ that young men raced on the one mile route from Medford to Malden Squares.

It has been said that Pierpont was a rebellious musician with a bad reputation. To underscore the point, Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn has been quoted as saying: "James Pierpont was a bit of a rogue." The Mayor evidently had a gift for the understatement. Georgia: Savannah musical researcher, Milton Rahn, concluded that 'Jingle Bells' was most likely written in Savannah, in a house located near Oglethorpe and Whitaker Streets, which has since been torn down. It has been speculated that the song was composed by Pierpont, probably at a time when homesick, as he recalled his youthful days in New England. Another popular version gives authorship (either in Boston or in Savannah) for a Thanksgiving church service. It is said that was so well received that the children were asked to repeat the performance at Christmas service and it has remained a Christmas standard ever since. This version of the song, more or less, is repeated in: Albert J. and Shirley C. Menendez, Christmas Songs Made In America (Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 1999).

According to the book the song was written "for his fatherï¿½s Sunday school class on Thanksgiving 1857." They also note: "Recent evidenceï¿½suggests that he might have borrowed lines from a song by Stephen Foster or from another song popularized by Christyï¿½s Minstrels." Ace Collins, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001): "Around 1840 young Pierpont was given the assignment to write special music for a Thanksgiving service." William Studwell, The Christmas Carol Reader (New York: Harrington Park Press, 1995): "ï¿½Bellsï¿½ was probably composed in Boston ï¿½ for a Sunday school programï¿½." William L. Simon, ed., Readerï¿½s Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Pleasantville, NY: Readerï¿½s Digest, 1981): "James Pierpont wrote it in 1857 for a Thanksgiving program at the large Boston church where he taught Sunday school." None of these sources cites authority for their position.

Note that in 1857, Pierpont was in Savannah, not Boston. And some have expressed doubt that the song could be written for a childrenï¿½s church choir. Margaret W. DeBolt, a Savannah historian, wrote that "The references to courting would not have been allowed in a Sunday school program of that time, such as `Go it while you're young'''. As such, it could not have been written as a church song. Instead, it was just a "sleighing song" ï¿½ fast sleighs and pretty girls. Some things never change. So, whatï¿½s the answer? Beats me. Take your pickï¿½but nobody probably knows for sure. According to sources Iï¿½ve read, "Jingle Bells" was recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898 (on an Edison brown wax cylinder, number 2218). It was also recorded by the Hayden Quartet in 1902. There is another recording by the Shannon Quartet (Date unknown, but possibly Victor #19791, 1925, or on Columbia in 1928).

One source states that the quartet was founded by Victor records in 1917; they were popular in the 1920s, and were later known as the "Revelers." For a picture of a one-horse open sleigh by Albert J. and Shirley C. Menendez, Christmas Songs Made In America (Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 1999) Ace Collins, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001) William Studwell, The Christmas Carol Reader (New York: Harrington Park Press, 1995) William L. Simon, ed., Readerï¿½s Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Pleasantville, NY: Readerï¿½s Digest, 1981) Peter Ames Carlin, "Snowed by 'Jingle Bells'" (The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, December 20, 2003) Bells on Bob-tails Ring": James L.

Pierpoint and Jingle Bells, Best Read Guide: Savannah [Page has disappeared] Our Jingle Bells Connection , Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah, Georgia (which contains a photograph of the "Jingle Bells" plaque in Savannah) Jingle Bells | Details | AllMusic Jingle Bells google+ Description by Uncle Dave Lewis Jingle Bells was written between 1850 and 1857 by James Pierpont, the son of Unitarian minister and abolitionist John Pierpont. The most reliable account of the composition of Jingle Bells places its creation in the town of Medford, MA, where during the wintertime there were sleigh races through the center of town, originating at the Medford House; as the sleighs passed along their route, townspeople braved the cold and cheered on the drivers, sometimes singing carols and other songs. Pierpont had just returned from California, having failed to strike it rich during the gold rush of 1949. Witnessing the sleigh rides and singing, Pierpont was allegedly inspired to write the song; he accomplished this at the home of Mrs.

Otis Waterman, a Medford lady who had the only piano in town. After Pierpont was finished playing the tune that was in his head, Mrs. Waterman commented "Oh! That's a very merry little jingle." This statement further inspired the words to Jingle Bells, which is said to have become popular among Medford natives shortly afterward, and even sung along the race course there in the early 1850s. The song did not appear in print until the Oliver Ditson Company of Boston published it under the title of The One-Horse Open Sleigh in 1857. The second edition of the song, re-titled Jingle Bells, really took off and became a huge bestseller. The terms of Pierpont's contract with Ditson did not allow him to earn very much in residuals, although he and his family retained the copyright on the tune past 1900. By the time Jingle Bells was first issued as a song, James Pierpont had settled in Savannah, GA, and was working as an organist in his elder brother's Unitarian church.

Sunny Savannah seems an unlikely clime for the composition of a sleighing song, but nonetheless the city has become engaged with Medford in a battle for credit as the true home of Jingle Bells that has continued for decades. Pierpont's immediate family ultimately became so pro-Southern that they have helped lead the charge to place the composition of Jingle Bells in Savannah. The melody of the chorus as we know it today is not the same as that published by Ditson in 1857, and so far no scholar has convincingly uncovered information about how, when, and why the tune was so radically altered in the vernacular. One account states that the simplified version of Jingle Bells was contrived by Chinese Christian missionaries around 1900, and that this is the source of the song as popularly sung today. But digests of popular songs dating from the 1880s already demonstrate the trend towards a simpler chorus for Jingle Bells. Nonetheless, the verse, with its sense of growing expectation and excitement, remains exactly as James Pierpont composed it, and forms a testimony to his skill as a writer of popular songs.

Appears On Well done to our festive winners - SPT SPT Well done to our festive winners Posted Almost 100 people entered SPT’s Christmas quiz and 17 of you showed off your superior SPT and seasonal knowledge by getting a whopping full marks on our quiz. We’ve selected winners at random and they are: First prize – Andy Bent from Hamilton is our lucky winner of an Alasdair Gray Hillhead mural commemorative tile. Second prize – Kelly McCracken from Hillington scooped second prize winning one month’s free Subway travel. Third prize – Ronnie Henderson also from Hamilton came third winning a bag of SPT goodies. If you want to find out where you need to scrub up on your knowledge, please find the questions and answers from our festive quiz below. The Subway opened and Scotland recorded its warmest temperature on Christmas day – what is the year? – 1896 What is the chemical formula of snow? – H2O How many trips on the Outer Circle would Santa need to take to match the number of miles he covers on his Christmas Eve deliveries? – 27 million times Pine needles are said to be a good source of which vitamin?

– Vitamin C What do Hillhead Subway and the First Minister’s 2011 Christmas card have in common? – They both feature Alasdair Gray artworks What Christmas-time song did James Pierpont compose in 1857? – Jingle Bells The average number of Christmas cards sent from each household is the same as the number of new bike spaces created by SPT in November. Do you know the number? – 30 What is Santa’s favourite mode of transport? – Sleigh Where did that Christmas song come from? - CSMonitor.com Where did that Christmas song come from? For kids: The stories behind three popular Christmas songs. By Jessica Worful Save for later Saved This is the time of year for Christmas music. Maybe you and your family play Christmas carols while you decorate the tree or bake cookies. Maybe you've gone caroling in your neighborhood or at a local retirement home. Or maybe you just hear holiday tunes at the mall or on the radio. Have you ever wondered where some of the popular songs and carols came from? Here are the stories that are told about the creation of three of them. 'Jingle Bells' Recommended: Could you pass a US citizenship test?

From the time he was little, James Pierpont had been a talented musician. He lived in Medford, Mass., and his father was pastor at the Unitarian Church there. One day in 1840, Pierpont's dad asked him to write some special music for the church's Thanksgiving Day service. Photos of the Day Photos of the day 02/08 While Pierpont thought about it, he was distracted by young people outside. They were having sled races in the snow. So he stepped out to watch. And the experience made him remember when he used to sleigh with friends. Soon he had a tune in his head. He walked to a neighbor's house and told her about his melody. She had the only piano in town, so she let Pierpont get to work. When he finished his little jingle, he strolled home to put words to his music. You probably know how the song turned out. With outdoor winter fun on his mind, he wrote about dashing through the snow in a sleigh drawn by horses. After the choir performed Pierpont's song on Thanksgiving, churchgoers begged for more. So the choir sang it again at Christmas.

The tune was so catchy that visitors to the church took it home with them and passed it on to friends and family. Eventually, Pierpont moved to Savannah, Ga. It was there, in 1857, that he finally published his song officially. Soon, it caught on around the country. But Pierpont probably never guessed people would still be singing it more than 160 years later! 'Joy to the World' This carol wasn't the work of just one person. One man wrote the words, and another composed the popular tune – nearly 100 years apart! In 1674, Isaac Watts was born in Southampton, England. When he grew up, he complained to his father about how boring he thought church music was. He wished it was more lively and inspiring. So Watts's dad asked him why he didn't write something better. And that's just what Watts did. Eventually, he composed more than 600 hymns and hundreds of other poems. One of these works was "Joy to the World," based on words from Psalm 98 in the Bible. During Watts's time, though, the poem was sung to the tune of another well-known hymn.

Here's where the next character in the story comes in. Lowell Mason was born in 1792 in Medfield, Mass. (not far from Medford, Mass., where James Pierpont would later be born). Many people thought he had musical talent. But he moved to Savannah, Ga. (just as Pierpont would) and worked as a banker. Still, he spent time on his music and sent a book of songs he composed to several publishers in the Northeast. But the publishers rejected it. Finally, several years later, a musical society in Boston agreed to print his songs. Later, Mason moved to Boston, where he became musical director for some local churches. Like Watts, he wrote hundreds of new hymns. In 1836, Mason wrote a tune inspired by parts of a famous musical piece, "Messiah," by George Frideric Handel. Three years later, he paired his new tune with Isaac Watts's poem, "Joy to the World," and a popular new hymn was born. 'The Christmas Song' You might know this as "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire," which is the song's first line, not its title.

And you might already know that it isn't as old as some other popular Christmas songs. It was written in 1944 by two men in show business. Mel Torme was a famous singer, songwriter, and performer. His friend, Robert Wells, wrote songs' lyrics, or words. One summer day in California, the two men got together because they'd been hired to produce songs for two new movies. But the day was sweltering hot, and when Torme arrived at Wells's house, he found Wells trying to cool off by thinking of winter scenes. Torme saw that his friend had written down some of these icy thoughts: "Chestnuts roasting...," "Jack Frost nipping...," "Yuletide carols...," and "Folks dressed up like Eskimos...." Torme was inspired. Instead of working on their assignment, the two men put their heads together and made Wells's words into a song. Forty minutes later, the music and lyrics were finished! They hurried to see another friend, the famous singer Nat King Cole. When they showed him their song, Cole wanted to record it.

He did, and when it was released in 1946, "The Christmas Song" climbed to the top of the music charts. The song reached the Top 10 four more times during the next eight years. And it was eventually recorded by more than 100 other singers, including Mel Torme himself. Sources: "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas," by Ace Collins, and online sources. Next up James Lord Pierpont and the mystery of 'Jingle Bells' | UU World Magazine James Lord Pierpont and the mystery of 'Jingle Bells' James Lord Pierpont and the mystery of 'Jingle Bells' The debate over where the Unitarian wrote the holiday favorite rages on. James Lord Pierpont and the mystery of 'Jingle Bells' James Lord Pierpont and the mystery of 'Jingle Bells' Kris Willcox December 15, 2014 UU World Magazine Winter 2014 , published by the Unitarian Universalist Association Looking back Culture, UU Identity What fun it is to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight!

For many people, the song “Jingle Bells” is so deeply etched in memory it’s hard to recall when we learned it. Written by Unitarian James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893), “Jingle Bells” is among the most popular American songs of all time, and although it is strongly associated with Christmas, this story of a wintertime sleigh ride contains not a single holiday reference. Puzzling out the origins of “Jingle Bells” is something of a holiday tradition itself, with one predominant question: Did Pierpont compose the song in Medford, Massachusetts, or Savannah, Georgia? Pierpont was a Massachusetts native whose father, noted writer and abolitionist the Rev. John Pierpont, served several Unitarian congregations, including what is now the Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford. His brother, the Rev. John Pierpont, Jr., also an abolitionist, was minister to the Unitarian Church of Savannah. James Pierpont provided music to both churches, first Medford and later Savannah, where he remained after his brother returned north and the Civil War began. Plaques in both cities claim birthright to the song.

On its website, the UU Church of Savannah proclaims itself “the Jingle Bells Church,” noting that Pierpont copyrighted the song in 1857 in Savannah, while a plaque at the site of Medford’s Simpson Tavern asserts that the song was written there in 1850. Other accounts have it that “Jingle Bells” was written for Thanksgiving, and performed by the Sunday school (Medford’s or Savannah’s, depending on your allegiance). A Savannah historian begs to differ: no mid-1800s Sunday school would have permitted such racy lyrics as “Go it while you’re young.” The details of his life show Pierpont to have been, in the words of one scholar, “a rebellious musician with a bad reputation.” He left his wife and children in Massachusetts not once but twice: first for the gold rush (his song “The Returned Californian” recounts that failure) and later for Savannah. Soon after his wife Millicent died, Pierpont remarried, this time to the daughter of Savannah’s mayor.

In sharp contrast to his abolitionist family, Pierpont served in the Confederate army and composed songs like “Strike for the South” and “Our Battle Flag.” While most debate between the Savannah and Medford camps is cordial, reporter Russ Bynum recounts this rather puffed-up exchange in 1989: “We unequivocally state,” wrote Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn to Savannah Mayor John Rousakis, “that ‘Jingle Bells’ was composed . . . in the town of Medford.” Rousakis wrote back to “finally and formally proclaim . . . Savannah, Georgia, as the birthplace of ‘Jingle Bells.’” At least we may be reasonably sure which place inspired the song. In the nineteenth century, popular races took place between Medford and nearby Malden in (you guessed it) one-horse open sleighs, and taking a corner at speed could certainly get you “upsot” in a “drifted bank.” So, did Pierpont write the song just after watching a race, or later, in Savannah? As reporter Sean Bowditch put it, “[t]here’s no holiday throwdown” to settle it.

It’s just a great song, with a curious history. The final word goes to those who’ve recorded “Jingle Bells”—from Bing Crosby to Ella Fitzgerald, Luciano Pavarotti to the astronauts aboard NASA’s Gemini 6—and to those who still sing it at caroling parties or even (a lucky few) in sleighs decked out with bells. This article appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of UU World (pages 56-57). Illustration (above) by N. Currier (1813-88) and J.M. Ives (1824-95) (Private collection/Bridgeman Images). <a href="">Like this on Facebook</a> Advertising "Where Did that Song Come From": "Jingle Bells" "Where Did that Song Come From" I love researching the history or origins of many things, and yesterday the idea came to me to find out the history of some of my old favorite songs. I am posting this blog, because in my search I found that others have this same passion and were having a hard time finding the answers. I hope this blog helps everyone in the search of answers for their questions as well.

If you have any information not listed and would like to contribute you may contact me at sylviam.clemons@gmail.com. Wednesday, December 28, 2011 "Jingle Bells" Well last Sunday was our Kings Kids Christmas. We sung three songs out in front of the adults at church. While two of them were about the birth of Jesus the third song was the kids favorite pick "Jingle Bells." While searching through all of YouTube video's to find this song I came across the original tune that actually had the story behind the song with it so I decided I would add this to my collection here with "Where Did that Song come from." This song was originally called "The One Horse Open Sleigh." It was written by an American songwriter, arranger, composer, and organist, James Lord Pierpoint. It was published in August 1857 by Oliver Ditson and Co. of Boston. It was re-released with the title "Jingle Bells" two years later. It wasn't a hit either time. There are debates on where and why this song was written.

The one I would like to believe is that he wrote it for his Sunday School class to perform during a Thanksgiving performance from his own life experiences as the YouTube video below points out, and he could have very well used it in his program by taking out one of the verses below. James Lord Pierpoint was born April 25, 1822 in Boston, Massachusetts. His father Rev. John Pierpont (1785-1866) was the Unitarian pastor of Hollis Street Church in Boston and a noted poet. His mother was Mary Sheldon Lord the daughter of Lynde Lord, Jr. and Mary Lyman. By the age of ten, Pierpoint was sent to a boarding school located in New Hampshire. While there he wrote a letter to his mother in December about a sleigh ride in the snow. By the age of fourteen he ran away to sea aboard a ship called "the Shark." He went back to the East Coast by 1845, where his father was the minister of a Unitarian congregation in Troy, New York. There he meet his first wife, Millicent Cowee and they were married on September 4, 1846.

In 1849 Pierpoint left his wife and two children with his father in Massachusetts while he opened a business during the Gold Rush in San Francisco, CA. Pierpont returned to Massachusetts as a result of a fire that caused his business to fail. In 1853 Pierpont's brother accepted a pastoral position in Savannah, Georgia, and he followed him taking a post as the music director and organist. He again left his wife and children with his father. To support himself, he gave singing and organ lessons. In this same year Pierpont had his first songs published in Boston. In 1856 Pierpont's wife dies of tuberculosis and the children remain with their grandfather. He remarries on September 24, 1857 to Eliza Jane Purse in Chatham, Georgia. She is the daughter of Thomas Purse who is the mayor of Savannah, Georgia. The Unitarian Church in Savannah closed in 1859 and his brother returns to the North. Pierpont stays with his second wife in Georgia. He joined the Isle of Hope Volunteers of the First Georgia Cavalry of the Confederacy at the beginning of the Civil War.

Records indicate that he served as a company clerk. He also wrote music for the Confederacy, including "Our Battle Flag", "Strike for the South" and "We Conquer or Die." His father also saw military service — as a chaplain with the Union Army stationed in Washington, D.C. After the war, he moved his family to Valdosta, Georgia, where he taught music and made many friends. In 1869, Pierpont moved to Quitman, Florida. There he was organist in the Presbyterian Church, gave private piano lessons and taught at the Quitman Academy, retiring as the head of the Musical Department. In 1880, Pierpont's son, Dr. Juriah Pierpont M.D., renewed the copyright on "Jingle Bells" but he never made much money from it. It took considerable effort to keep his father's name permanently attached to the song after the copyright expired. Pierpont died in August 1893 in Winter Haven, Florida. He was buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia beside his brother-in-law Thomas who had been killed in the first battle of Bull Run. "Jingle Bells" original lyrics

Question: What Christmas-time song did James Pierpont compose in 1857?
Answer: Jingle Bells