Guest Author - Linda Sue Grimes

If the family of Henry Livingson is correct, the most famous Christmas poem in the United States was not written by Clement Clarke Moore; although Moore has been credited with it since 1844, when he included it in his book of poems. The author of this poem may instead be Major Henry Livingston, Jr.

The story about the search for the true author of the poem is a fascinating one. It seems the ancestors of the late Henry Livingston have always known that their relative had penned the poem, and they have been trying for many decades to prove it.

Then along came Mary Van Deusen, a 5th great-granddaughter of Livingston. Van Deusen was searching for information about her father, when she stumbled up on information about Livingston and the ongoing attempts by his descendants to have him recognized as the true author of the Christmas poem.

Mary Van Deusen enlisted the aid of Don Foster, a literary sleuth, who ferreted out the authorship of Primary Colors. Foster’s detective work forced Joe Klein to admit that he wrote that book.

Van Deusen and Foster have discovered a number of supports for the claim that Livingston authored the Christmas poem. The strongest evidence is in the other writings of the two men. Clement Moore’s works are didactic, moralizing pieces, but Livingston’s are similar in tone and style to the famous Christmas poem.

The following lines from a Christmas poem titled From Saint Nicholas penned by Moore show an example of his mindset, which consistently produced poem after poem of a similar nature:

What! My sweet little Sis, in bed all alone;
No light in your room! And your nursy too gone!
And you, like a good child, are quietly lying,
While some naughty ones would be fretting or crying?
Well, for this you must have something pretty, my dear;
And, I hope, will deserve a reward too next year.
But, speaking of crying, I'm sorry to say
Your screeches and screams, so loud ev'ry day,
Were near driving me and my goodies away.

Moore’s personality was that of a strict, stern disciplinarian; he was a biblical scholar who disdained most forms of entertainment, and in most of his writings he depicts God as a harsh rule-maker. For this reason, among many, it becomes difficult to believe that Moore wrote the fun-filled poem that shaped our perception of Santa Claus as a jolly old elf, whose belly shook like a bowl full of jelly. For another look at Santa Claus through the eye of Moore, check out his “Old Santeclaus.”

One would not expect such a religious man as Moore to claim he had written a poem that he had not. It is not clear how he obtained a copy of the poem, but after he read it at a gathering of family and friends, a friend, without his knowledge submitted it to a newspaper, and that’s when the fame of the poem started.

The poem appeared a number of times in newspapers between 1823 and 1844, when Moore finally put his name to it in a book of his poems. It is thought that he had copied out the poem and made changes in it so many times over the course of those two decades, that he came to think of the poem as his own creation.
But there is evidence that he called one of the newspaper’s editors to find out if anyone had claimed authorship, before he included it in his book. That act seems to confirm that he did, in fact, know someone else was the true author.

Attributions are finally starting to change as a result of Foster and Van Deusen efforts; University of Toronto online library attributes the poem to Livingston, along with an explanation about Foster’s findings.

For a detailed history of this controversy, please visit Major Henry Livingston.


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Books by Linda Sue Grimes:

Singing in the Silence: Poems of Faith
In 1978, I began studying the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. I still study those teachings and strive to practice what I learn. I think of my writing as an extension and reinforcement of my spiritual studies. I am especially happy when the poems focus on my spiritual journey, as those in this volume do. I want to take sadness and turn it into joy, and I want to take anger and turn it into acceptance. But mostly, I want to acknowledge the beauty and mystery of God's presence in creation.


Jiggery Jee's Eden Valley Stories
Hello, my name is Jiggery-Jee. I live in Eden Valley. Eden Valley is located in the very center of the Land of the Imagination. Surrounding Eden Valley are such places as Tulip Grove, Carrot Valley, Bunnyville, Faultner Grove, and Flower Town. We have many residents in Eden Valley who came to the Valley from the surrounding places. They come here because Eden Valley is peaceful. All of the residents of Eden Valley work and play and live in an atmosphere of harmony. The weather is always perfect; the sun shines when we need sun, and the rain rains when we need rain. However, I must warn you that although things really are peaceful and harmonious in Eden Valley, sometimes they do not start out that way; we often have to work to make life peaceful and harmonious.
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