Notable people · Music · Hymnwriter · Women · Religion
Lelia N. Morris
Born in Pennsville, Morgan County, Morris ran a millinery shop in McConnelsville and wrote more than a thousand hymns, including 'Sweeter as the Years Go By.' When she lost her sight she kept composing on a blackboard 28 feet long.
At a glance
- Born
- 1862-04-15
- Died
- 1929-07-23
- Known as
- Music, Hymnwriter, Women, Religion
- Organizations
- Methodist Episcopal Church
Life story
Lelia Naylor was born April 15, 1862, in Pennsville, Ohio. She married Charles H. Morris in 1881, and the family kept a millinery shop in McConnelsville.
Methodist camp meetings inspired her to write hymns in the 1890s, and she became one of the most productive hymn writers of her time, with more than a thousand songs and tunes. They include 'Nearer, Still Nearer' (1898), 'Holiness Unto the Lord' (1900) and 'Sweeter as the Years Go By' (1912).
When her eyesight failed in 1913, her son built her a blackboard 28 feet long with oversized staff lines so she could keep composing.
She died in Auburn, New York, on July 23, 1929, and is buried in McConnelsville Cemetery. In 1998 Trinity United Methodist Church and the Ohio Historical Society put up a memorial plaque.
Timeline
- 1862-04-15: Born (Pennsville, OH) source
- 1881: Marries Charles H. Morris source
- 1898: Publishes 'Nearer, Still Nearer' source
- 1900: Publishes 'Holiness Unto the Lord' source
- 1912: Publishes 'Sweeter as the Years Go By' source
- 1913: Eyesight fails; son builds her a 28-foot blackboard source
- 1929-07-23: Dies (Auburn, NY) source
- 1998: Memorial plaque erected (McConnelsville, OH) source
What Lelia is known for
- Wrote over 1,000 hymns and tunes
- Composed 'Nearer, Still Nearer' (1898) and 'Sweeter as the Years Go By' (1912)
- Over 1,000 hymns and tunes
Honors and things named for them
- Memorial plaque (1998), Trinity United Methodist Church and Ohio Historical Society
Family
- husband: Charles H. Morris
Places in Ohio to see
- McConnelsville Cemetery (her grave, memorial plaque) (grave)
McConnelsville, Morgan County ZIP 43756 (approximate) · Mcconnelsville · Morgan County · official page
Ohio places
Where Lelia N. Morris was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: McConnelsville, Morgan County ZIP 43756 · Mcconnelsville · Morgan County
- Buried: McConnelsville, Morgan County ZIP 43756 · Mcconnelsville · Morgan County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.
- Wikipedia: Lelia N. Morris dates, McConnelsville shop, hymns, blackboard, burial, 1998 plaque