01-25 In Memory of Benjamin R. Hanby 30 S. Grove St., Westerville Date Visited: 04/11/20 Hanby House 160 W. Main St., Westerville Date Visited: 04/11/20 09-25 Benjamin R Hanby Gravesite Otterbein Cemetery, Westerville (West end of cemetery) Date Visited: 04/11/20 Born July 22, 1833 in Rushville, Benjamin Hanby attended Otterbein College in 1858. After graduating, Hanby was Minister of the United Brethren in Christ church, taught school, was principal of Seven Mile Academy in Seven Mile, Ohio, and operated a singing school in New Paris. He is most known for writing the Christmas song, “Up On the Housetop” in 1864. The Hanby house served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, where Benjamin and his father, Bishop William Hanby, helped slaves escape to freedom. One of those slaves, Joseph Selby, is believed to be the inspiration for Hanby’s famous anti-slavery song, “Darling Nellie Gray”. Benjamin Hanby died on March 16, 1867 in Chicago, IL and is buried in the Otterbein Cemetery in Westerville. Information gathered with help from the following sources: Remarkable Ohio www.remarkableohio.org Ohio History Connection @ohiohistory www.ohiohistory.org Historical Marker Database www.hmdb.org Touring Ohio @touringohio www.touringohio.com Ohio Exploration Society www.ohioexploration.com Ohio History Central www.ohiohistorycentral.org #Ohio #ohiohistory #ohiohistoricalmarker #westerville #westervilleohio #HanbyHouse #BenjaminHanby #Otterbein #OtterbeinCollege #exploreohio #remarkableohio #travelohio (at Westerville, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_L27WJJ3-f/?igshid=1ne4y5j2tmcn5
