George Nelson Allen (September 7, 1812 – December 9, 1877) was an American composer and

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

who was associated with

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, where he taught for 34 years. He is primarily known today for writing the melody to the hymn Precious Lord, Take My Hand. He also served on the first geological survey of

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

, under

Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union A ...

Early years

George Nelson Allen was born in

Mansfield, Massachusetts Mansfield is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is 23 miles southwest of Boston and is 22 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode Is ...

, to Otis Allen and Susanna Allen. He had four siblings; his mother was a teacher. While living near Boston he studied music under

Music Education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

pioneer Lowell Mason.''George Nelson Allen Family''

Oberlin

When George turned 20 he tried to go to

Lyman Beecher Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was an American Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Presbyterian minister and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. Father of 13 children, many of them became writer ...

, an important figure in the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the late 18th to early 19th century in the United States. It spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching and sparked a number of reform movements. Revivals were a k ...

, in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, where he was running a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

. George fell ill along the way and never made it, instead studying at

Adelbert College Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

. In 1835 he transferred to

, and in 1837 while still a student was named the school's instructor of music, replacing Elihu Parsons Ingersoll, who had a few years prior become the first college Music professor in the United States. In 1841, he married Caroline Mary Rudd, a classmate at Oberlin. George and Caroline had five children. In 1844 Oberlin published Allen's ''Social and Sabbath Hymn Book'', a collection of hymns. One of the hymn melodies in this book, entitled ''Maitland'', was used as the setting for ''Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone,'' whose words were originally written by Thomas Shepherd in 1693. Many years later Thomas A. Dorsey would use the melody as the setting to his own hymn, Precious Lord, Take My Hand, which became popular through its association with

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

and the Civil Rights Movement.

Geology

In 1847 George Allen was appointed Professor of

Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and Natural History, in addition to his music position. In his position he sought to harmonize religion and the Genesis account of creation with modern science, particularly

Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...

. As part of his duties he went on trips to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

in 1864, and

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

in 1871, to collect geological and botanical specimens.

, who led the Yellowstone expedition, was one of his former geology students.

Retirement and death

In 1864, due to poor health, he resigned his music position; in 1871 he retired from teaching. In 1874, he moved to Cincinnati to be near his son; he died there in 1877, and was buried in Oberlin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, George Nelson American geologists American Christian hymnwriters Oberlin College faculty American Seventh-day Adventists 1812 births 1877 deaths American male composers American composers 19th-century American musicians 19th-century American male musicians