AUTHOR OF “SWEET BYE AND BYE” [sic] WAS LAKE COUNTY MAN

Sanford Fillmore Bennett was close friend of W. L. Farmer,

of Waukegan

POEMS PUBLISHED HERE

Poetry and song writing had its [sic] drawbacks in the early days, and Sanford Fillmore Bennett, Pioneer of Lake county, and educated at the Waukegan Academy, author of “The Sweet Bye and Bye” [sic] the strains of which have been echoed around the world, was greatly pleased whenever an editor even published his verse, for most of which he never was paid a cent.

Mr. Bennett, who was born in Eden, N. Y., in 1836, was a close friend of William L. Farmer, assistant postmaster of Waukegan, and in letters written to the Waukegan man several years before his death, which occurred at Richmond, Ill., June 12, 1898, frequently referred to his lack of funds.

“The Pioneers” a remarkable poem of great length, written by him centers around Lake and McHenry life in the early days, when the log cabin was a familiar sight. Mr. Farmer has an autographed copy of this poem published in book form many years ago and went through several editions.

Lewis O. Brockway, recorder of deeds and circuit clerk of Lake county, heard “The Sweet Bye and Bye” [sic] sung for the first time in public.

Mr. Bennett’s family lived at Lake a [sic] Sunday school picnic on the lawn of the Bennett home in the late sixties” [sic] and at about that time it was announced that Jay Bennett, a brother and his wife would sing “Santy’s” new song and that it had never been sung in public. In those early [sic] Mr. Brockway recalls Lake and McHenry ocuntwo [sic] appeared like one immense lawn in summertime, thousands of cattle and other livestock keeping the grass cropped every where, with the exception of the sloughs, where it was too tough. One could gather enough prairie chicken eggs any time for breakfast in the spring of the year.

Mr. Bennett’s early efforts were published in the Waukegan Gazette, when Nathan C. Geer, whose criticism was feared by the mild mannered poet, who found, however, a sympathetic soul in the foreman of the printing shop and thus brought the poems to the publisher’s attention.

Mr. Bennett settled in Elk Horn, Wis., in 1860 and became editor of “The Independent”. Resigning this place he entered the 40^th Wisconsin Volunteers and served with them throughout the war. In 1867 he aided J. P. Webster, the composer, in preparing “The Signet Ring”, a Sunday school hymn book to which he contributed about 100 poems. The “Sweet Bye and Bye” [sic] was one of the first of these.

[Retrieved and transcribed by Nanci Headley Kotowski from

The Waukegan Daily Sun of January 13, 1922, Waukegan, IL.]