Laura Emeline Pixley Newell (February 5, 1854 – October 13, 1916) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

, known for having composed over 400

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

Early life

Laura Emeline Pixley Newell was born in New Marlborough, Massachusetts, on February 5, 1854. She was a daughter of Edward A. Pixley (1833-1886) and Anna Laura Osborn (1835-1854). Her mother died when Laura was only a few days old, and the child was adopted by her aunt, Mrs. Hiram Mabie and later Mrs. E. H. Emerson, of New York City. In 1858, the Mabies moved to a farm south of Wamego, Kansas. Two years after the move, Hiram Mabie died, and his wife resumed teaching and in 1860 moved to

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

. Newell studied under her.

Career

Newell was a prolific writer of songs and poems. She began to write poetry at an early age, publishing when she was fourteen years old. Many of her early productions appeared in local papers. Her first attempt to enter a broader field was made in '' Arthur's Magazine''. Several of her songs were set to music and published in the East Coast, and since their appearance she devoted herself mainly to the writing of songs for sacred or secular music. Throughout her career, she has written and published over four thousand poems and songs. Besides those, she also wrote verses. In 1890 several hundreds of her productions were published in various forms. She wrote in all veins, but her particular liking was for sacred songs. She also adapted words to music for composers. In 1891 a Chicago house published a children's day service of hers, entitled "Gems for His Crown," over eighteen-thousand copies of which were readily sold. In 1892 the same firm accepted three services of hers, "Grateful Offerings to Our King," a children's day service, "Harvest Sheaves," for Thanksgiving or harvest home exercises, and "The Prince of Peace," a Christmas service.

Personal life

Her home was in Zeandale, Kansas. In 1871 she married Lauren Newell (1838-1921), an architect and builder, and he worked at his trade. Her family consisted of six children. She died on October 13, 1916, in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

, and is buried at Wabaunsee Cemetery, Wabaunsee, Kansas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newell, Laura Emeline 1854 births 1916 deaths People from Berkshire County, Massachusetts American hymnwriters Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century