Mrs. Beers was born in Goshen, New York, and her maiden name was Ethelinda Eliot. She was a direct descendant of John Eliot, the heroic apostle to the Indians. When she began to write for the newspapers she signed her contributions “Ethel Lynn,” a nom de plume very naturally suggested by her Christian name. After her marriage, she added her husband’s name, and over the signature of Ethel Lynn Beers published many poems. In her later years Mrs. Beers resided in Orange, New Jersey, where she died October 10, 1879, on the very day on which her poems, among them All Quiet Along the Potomac, were issued in book form.
There has never been any contest as to the music of the song, which was composed by J. Dayton, the leader of the band of the First Connecticut Artillery.
STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER
THE OLD FOLKS AT HOME.
Way down upon de Suwanee ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere’s wha my heart is turning ebber,
Dere’s wha de old folks stay.
All up and down de whole creation,
Sadly I roam,
Still longin’ for de old plantation,
And for de old folks at home.
All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb’rywhere I roam.
Oh! darkies, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home.
All round de little farm I wander’d
When I was young,
Den many happy days I squander’d,
Many de songs I sung.
When I was playin’ wid my brudder,
Happy was I,
Oh! take me to my kind old mudder,
Dere let me live and die.