Benjamin Russell Hanby was born July 22, 1833, the oldest of eight children, to Bishop William Hanby in Rushville, OH. The family moved to Westerville,OH where Bishop Hanby was a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. In his short life Benjamin graduated from Otterbein, taught school, became a United Brethren minister, started a singing school, was editor for John Church publishers in Cincinnati and composed many songs and hymns before he died of tuberculosis March 15, 1867. His home in Westerville was Ohio's first memorial to a composer. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves escaping to Canada and is a national historic site, a Methodist church Landmark and a Network to Freedom site for the National Park Service. There is… Go to person page >
Tune Title: [O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the lord]First Line: O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the lordComposer: B. R. H.Date: 1866
Tune Title: [O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the lord allthe earth]First Line: O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the lord allthe earthComposer: B. R. H.Date: 1868