Eben Eugene Rexford was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 writer and poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

, and author of lyrics to popular and gospel songs.

Born in Johnsburg, New York

Johnsburg, New York

Johnsburg is a town in the northwest corner of Warren County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,450 at the 2000 census. The town is named after John Thurman, an early settler and founder. Johnsburg is the largest town in...

, he moved with his family to Ellington, Wisconsin

Ellington, Wisconsin

Ellington is a town in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Stephensville is located in the town.-Geography:...

 in 1855. His first poems were published in the New York Ledger

New York Ledger

New York Ledger was a weekly story paper published in New York City. It was established in 1856 by Robert E. Bonner. Date of last issue was 1898....

 when Rexford was 14. Among the many songs he wrote, Rexford is best remembered for the lyrics to Silver Threads Among the Gold

Silver Threads Among the Gold

"Silver Threads Among the Gold", first copyrighted in 1873, was an extremely popular song in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today it is a standard of barbershop quartet singing. The lyrics are by Eben E...

which were set to music by Hart Pease Danks

Hart Pease Danks

Hart Pease Danks was a musician who specialized in composing, singing and leading choral groups. He is best known for his 1873 composition, Silver Threads Among the Gold.-Biography:...

. This song was one of the first items to be recorded mechanically. Another poem which has had continuing popularity is “The Ride of Paul Venarez,” which is considered to be a “cowboy poem,” even though the author was from Wisconsin. It has been turned into a song, “Billy Venero,” and has a colorful history.

Rexford was a prolific writer. Most of his books were about gardening. In addition, he wrote many poems and stories. He worked with the Ladies' Home Journal

Ladies' Home Journal

Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...

for 14 years. After leaving that magazine, he wrote for American Homes and Gardens, House and Gardens, and American Home Monthly. His articles also appeared frequently in Lippincot's and Outing. Rexford's fiction was published stories by Beadle and Adams

Dime novel

Dime novel, though it has a specific meaning, has also become a catch-all term for several different forms of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S...

 and other periodical publishers. He was a member of the Chicago Press Club and the Authors Club of Boston. For more than 20 years he served as organist at the Congregational Church of Shiocton, WI. Following many years as Town Clerk at Bovina

Bovina

Bovina may refer to:* Bovina, Colorado* Bovina, Mississippi* Bovina, New York* Bovina, Texas* Bovina, Wisconsin...

, he died in Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

 and was buried at Bovina Cemetery.

Eben E. Rexford received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Lawrence University

Lawrence University

Lawrence University is a selective, private liberal arts college with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Lawrence University is known for its rigorous academic environment. Founded in 1847, the first classes were held on November 12, 1849...

 , in 1908, and he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...

 in 1970.

Books

1881. Flowers in Winter. Chicago, E. H. Libby.

1882. The Flower Garden. Chicago, E. H. Libby (reprinted Boston, Bradley fertilizer Co, 1896).

1887. Brother and Lover: a Woman’s Story. (a book of poems.) New York, J. B. Alden.

1887 (c. 1886) Grandmother’s Garden. (a book of poems.) Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co.

1890. Home Floriculture; a Familiar Guide to the Treatment of Flowering and Other Ornamental Plants in the House and Garden. Rochester, J. Vick, 1890. (An 1890 and later editions published by Orange Judd Publishing Company also exist. The Library of Congress also has a 1903 edition.)

1894. The Practical Guide to Floriculture. New York, F. M. Lupton.

1896. Our Winter Flowers. [Philadelphia?]

1898. Flowers, How to Grow Them. Philadelphia : Penn Pub. Co.

1899. The American Pure Food Cook Book and Household Economist (co-authors: David Chidlow, Mrs. Myra Russell Garrett, and Ella Shuart). Chicago: Geo. M. Hill Company.

1900. Into the Light: The Story of a Boy's Influence, and India: The Story of a Famine. (with Helen Frances Huntington). Mennonite Publishing Co. (not in Library of Congress catalog. Available from antiquarian book sellers.)

1907. Four Seasons in the Garden (with twenty-seven illustrations and with decorations by Edward Stratton Holloway). Philadelphia, London, J. B. Lippincott Company

J. B. Lippincott Company

J. B. Lippincott & Co. was an American publishing house founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1836 by Joshua Ballinger Lippincott.Formed by descendants of the Religious Society of Friends, Joshua Lippincott's company began selling a line of Bibles, prayer books and other religious works before...

.

1909. The Home Garden; a Book on Vegetable and Small-fruit Growing, for the use of the amateur gardener. Philadelphia & London, J.B. Lippincott Company.

1910. Indoor Gardening. Philadelphia & London, J. B. Lipincott Company.

1910. Pansies and Rosemary. (a book of poems.) Philadelphia & London, J. B. Lippincott Company.

1912. Amateur Garden Craft: A Book for the Home-maker and Garden Lover. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott.

1915. A-B-C of Gardening. New York, London, Harper & Brothers.

1916. A-B-C of Vegetable Gardening. New York: Harper & Brothers.

1916. The Making of a Home. (with illustrations from photographs of actual homes and gardens.) Philadelphia, G. W. Jacobs & Company.

1918. The Home Garden; a Book on Vegetable and Small-fruit Growing, for the Use of the Amateur Gardener. Philadelphia & London, J. B. Lippincott Company.

Nonfiction articles and pamphlets

1892. “Arranging Flowers” (with Frances Anna Gaylord), Pub. J. F. Ingalls, 4pp.

1892. "Plant Lice and Fumigation." Scientific American, Nov. 19, 1892, p. 326.

1889-1890. Regular columns in the Ladies’ Home Journal titled “Talks About Flowers,” and “Floral Department,” and “All About Flowers.”

1901. "Our Village Improvement Society." Lippincot's, Vol. 67, Apr. 1901, pp. 480–4.

1902. "Back-yard Gardens and Window-Boxes." Lippincot's, Vol. 69, Mar. 1902, pp. 363–7.

1903. "Rural Village Improvement Societies." Lippincot's, Vol. 71, Mar. 1903, pp. 383–8.

1909. "Begonia." American Homes, Vol. 6, Jun. 1909, pp. 226–7.

Stories and poems

1873. “Down in the Meadows” a poem. The Galaxy, Vol. 15, No. 6, June 1873, p. 828. (This poem is available at the Cornell University website.)

1873. “A Year and a Day” a poem. The Galaxy, Vol. 15, No. 6, September 1873, pp. 323–4. (This poem is available at the Cornell University website.)

1875. “Blind,” in Girls of Today, Volume I, No. 1. December 4, 1875.

1876. “Miss Professor Jones,” in Girls of Today, Volume 1, No. 7. January 15, 1876.

1876. “The Romance of a Rose,” in Girls of Today, Volume 1, No. 8. January 22, 1876.

1876. “The Price of a Woman’s Soul,” in Girls of Today, Volume 1, No. 9. January 29, 1876.

1876. “How Bob Got Even,” in Girls of Today, Volume 1, No. 10. February 5, 1876.

1876. “Long Ago,” in Girls of Today, Volume 1, No. 21. April 22, 1876.

1876. “My Affinity,” in Girls of Today, Volume 1, No. 23. May 6, 1876.

1881. “The Ride of Paul Venarez,” a poem in Youth’s Companion, December 29, 1881. (There is a long and colorful history related to this poem.)

1882. “Baby” a poem, in Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly Magazine.

1888. “John Fielding and His Enemy.”

1888. “The Woman He Loved” in Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly Magazine.

1889. “One of Bobby’s Troubles,” a poem, in Ladies’ Home Journal, Vol. 6, No. 10, September 1889.

1889. “Carol for Christmas,” in Ladies’ Home Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, December 1889.

1890. “The Vision,” a poem, in Ladies’ Home Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3, February 1890.

1890. “There’s No Time Like the Present,” a poem, in Ladies’ Home Journal, Vol. 7, No. 4, March 1890.

1892. “One of a Thousand: A Serial Story,” in New England Magazine, various issues. (This story is available at the Cornell University website.)

1893-94. contributions to Demorest’s Family Magazine, Vol. 30. Nov. 1893-Oct. 1894.

1895. "A-wheel," poem. Critic, Oct. 12, 1895, p. 225.

1901. "Old Garden," poem. Current Literature, Vol 30. June 1901, p. 720.

1901. "Happy Isles," poem. Lippincot's, Vol 68. Sep. 1901, p. 381.

1903. "Sunset Fancy," poem. Cosmopolitan, Vol 35. Oct. 1903, p. 634.

1907. “A Trip Up Ashland Way,” in Outer’s Book, (Milwaukee, WI) Vol. 14, No. 3, September 1907, pp. 1039–1048.

1913. “Tell Somebody,” in Boy's Own Paper

Boy's Own Paper

The Boy's Own Paper was a British story paper aimed at young and teenage boys, published from 1879 to 1967.-Publishing history:The idea for the publication was first raised in 1878 by the Religious Tract Society as a means to encourage younger children to read and also instil Christian morals...

, August 16, 1913.

1917. “A Sunset Fancy,” a poem republished in New York Times, July 15, 1917, p. 61.

Date unknown. First line: “Last night I heard a robin singing in the rain.”

Songs

1872. “Silver Threads Among the Gold.” (music by H. P. Danks.) Sheet music: New York: Charles W. Harris, 1873.

1880. “Grandmother’s Waiting.” (music by W. Irving Hartshorne). Cincinnati: John Church & Co. (The text for this song is available online)

1881. “Mother Rests Beneath the Daisies.” (music by A. S. Dewitt). Sheet music: W. A. Evans and Brothers.

1865. “My Beau that Went to Canada” (music by G. Wurzel [alias for George Frederick Root, 1820-1895]. Chicago: Root and Cady. (The text for this patriotic song is available online.)

1902. “Little Sunbeams.” (music by Charles H. Gabriel) in Excell, E. O., Ed. Inspiring Hymns. Chicago, E. O. Excell, Pub., 1914, no. 153.

1904. “O Where Are the Reapers?” (music by George F. Root) in Excell, E. O., Ed. Inspiring Hymns. Chicago, E. O. Excell, Pub., 1914, no. 102.

1905. “Praise Ye the Lord.” (music by Arthur S. Sullivan) in Praises. Chicago: E. O. Excell Pub. No. 28. (This is a Google book.)

1905. “All Will Come Right.” (music by C. Austin Miles) in Hall, J. Lincoln, et al., Eds. New Songs of the Gospel, Numbers 1, 2, and 3 Combined, Philadelphia: Hall-Mack Co., 1909, no. 116.

1905. “In the Shadow of His Wings.” (music by C. Austin Miles) in Hall, J. Lincoln, et al., Eds. New Songs of the Gospel, Numbers 1, 2, and 3 Combined, Philadelphia: Hall-Mack Co., 1909, no. 123.

1909. “Crown Him King of Kings.” (music by DeLoss Smith) in Rodeheaver, Homer and B. D. Ackley, Eds. Great Revival Hymns, Chicago: Rodeheaver-Ackley Co., 1911, no. 176.

1909. “A Sinner Saved by Grace.” (music by C. Austin Miles) in Hall, J. Lincoln, et al., Eds. New Songs of the Gospel, Numbers 1, 2, and 3 Combined, Philadelphia: Hall-Mack Co., 1909, no. 90.

1910. “How You Will Love Him.” (music by B. D. Ackley) in Rodeheaver, Homer and B. D. Ackley, Eds. Great Revival Hymns, Chicago: Rodeheaver-Ackley Co., 1911, no. 32.

Date unknown. “Mighty to Deliver” in Eternal Praise. Chicago: Hope Publishing Co., 1917.

Date unknown. “I Am Redeemed” in Eternal Praise. Chicago: Hope Publishing Co., 1917.

Date unknown. “Reapers for the Harvest” in Eternal Praise. Chicago: Hope Publishing Co., 1917.

Date unknown. “A Thousand Years of Prohibition” in Eternal Praise. Chicago: Hope Publishing Co., 1917.

Date unknown. “Go Away Alone With Jesus” in Heavenly Voices. James D. Vaughan Music Pub., 1918.

Date unknown. “Come Unto Me and Rest” in Heavenly Voices. James D. Vaughan Music Pub., 1918. (Note: There are at least two other “Come Unto Me” songs, one by Charles P. Jones, and the other by Eliza E. Hewitt, in Benson, John T., Ed., Spiritual Power, 1951.)

Date unknown. “When the Call Comes” in Heavenly Voices. James D. Vaughan Music Pub., 1918.

Date unknown. “By and By.” (Note: There are at least two other songs by this name. One by Fanny J. Crosby in 1898. – Black, J. M., Ed. The Chorus of Praise. NY:Eaton and Mains, 1898. no. 40. The other by Maud Frazer and Mary Bernstecher in 1908 – Alexander, Charles M. Alexander’s Gospel Songs. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1908, no. 11.)

Date unknown. “Do Some Good Deed Every Day.”

External links

• Biography at the Cyber Hymnal
• Eben E. Rexford's entry in the Dictionary of Wisconsin History