Darling Nelly Gray Sheet Music

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Music--United States--19th century

The sheet music for Benjamin Russel Hanby's song "Darling Nelly Gray" was published in 1882 as one in a series of World Renowned Plantation Songs. Although they were published separately and are not included here, the cover page lists other songs in the series, "Dearest Mae, " "Old Shady, " "The Old Folks at Home, " and "Lilly Dale."

Composer Benjamin Russel Hanby (1833-1867) was born in the small town of Rushville, Fairfield County, Ohio, southeast of Columbus. Hanby's father was a minister with strong abolitionist sympathies and their home was a station on the Underground Railroad. Hanby was by deeply affected by the story of a fugitive slave who took refuge in the Hanby home in 1842 while escaping from Kentucky. Before his death from pneumonia, he told about his sweetheart Nelly Gray, who had been sold into slavery in Georgia. This was the inspiration for the song "Darling Nelly Gray, " which Hanby composed in 1856 while attending Otterbein College in Westerville. The song became popular among Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and has often been regarded as the "Uncle Tom's Cabin" of song. Hanby also wrote "Santa Claus, or Up on the House Top."

Benjamin Hanby (Composer)

Otterbein University, via Ohio Memory

Oliver Ditson Company

1882

Callie McCune

Users contributing materials to this site must agree to the following provisions: You confirm that your submission does not violate copyright or other applicable laws, and that appropriate credit has been given to the creator of this item. You give consent to the use of this item (including text, files, and other information) on this website and by its affiliates and partners. You agree to hold harmless the proprietors of this website, as well as its affiliates and partners. Contributors bear sole responsibility for user-generated content.

http://www.ohiomemory.org/u?/p267401coll36,5473

Westerville (Ohio), Franklin County (Ohio)