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The Night Before Christmas, by Henry Livingston, NOT Clement MooreHenry Livingston, Jr.: The Christmas Poet You Always Loved, by Mary S. Van DeusenThrice Happy Poetry, by Henry Livingston

Byron Nilsson's narration comes from Major Henry Livingston's 1786 poem in his Poetry Manuscript Book. The published version seen is from the Feb 1791 version, which Henry published in the New-York Magazine. This is one of Professor Mac Jackson's favorite Henry poems. I tried Byron's narration out on Major Bradley Van Deusen's army poetry (Old Soldiers' Drums, 1933), but it didn't work out. "Incident" was the best of his tries. I need to find a narrator who understands and appreciates the military. Major Van Deusen was Major Livingston's 4th great grandson, an army poet, and part of the New York...

Henry Livingston writes from the point of view of a lump of gold in the ground, which is then turned into a gold American Eagle coin.

Just as we do on these threads, Henry changed the words to "Scots What Hae Wie Wallace Bled," and wrote them in his daughter Jane's Poetry Manuscript Book the year before he died. The "forefather" shown is the Frans Hals portrait of Henry's gg-grandfather, Rev. John Livingston, who interviewed Charles II when he would have landed in Scotland, then had to flee for his life to Holland, when he wouldn't agree that the anniversary of that landing was a religious holy day. FYI, someone at Paramount has discovered my Trump video of Nessun Dorma manually and blocked it worldwide, even...

Timmy Dwight was the son of Rev. Dr. Timothy Dwight, a president of Yale University and the first cousin of Henry's first wife Sarah. From Don Foster's "Author Unknown": Much of the Major's poetry was written for children and never gathered or published. One compassionate lyric from the 1780s is addressed to a young second cousin, Timmy Dwight, a boy as "Blythe as Oberon the fairy." Harry urges the lad to party hard on his birthday, to fill his "cormorantal belly" with hasty-puddings and "charming jelly." Fun stuff, fun poetry. You can't read Major Henry Livingston Jr. and not love...

One of my absolute favorites. Henry's sister Cornelia, Mistress Van Kleeck, four years his younger, most likely told Henry this story, which he then turned into a humorous poem about her tenant's excuse for not paying her the pig he owed her. Illustrated with vintage postcards. Going the opposite way, a very short religious poem that's also a favorite of mine, "Without distinction..."

"God is Love" was written by Henry Livingston in his daughter Jane's Poetry Manuscript Book in 1827, the year before he died at the age of 79. Narrated by Byron Nilsson to "Washington."

An amusing little poem about Henry's children begging their mother to cut her double-curded cheese, as their mother explains that it's only August and they need to wait till October. Read by Byron Nilsson to "Had I a Heart" by Richard Sheridan, a light opera that appears frequently in Henry's Music Manuscript Book.

Henry Livingston's poetic version of the old Aesop fable of the crane and the fox, read by Byron Nilsson and put to "Over the Water to Charlie" from Henry's Music Manuscript Book.

Henry Livingston's version of the Greek mythology fable about Midas, a poem written the year before Henry's death, when Henry was 78 years old. The neat handwriting was because it was written in his daughter Jane's Poetry Manuscript Book. Music is "Royal Wedding" from Henry's Music Manuscript Book. One of my favorite poems.

The first printing of the poem in the Troy Sentinel of 23 December 1823 shows many of the characteristics of Henry Livingston's poetry - fast writing with near rhymes rather than perfect rhymes and some awkward rhythms. Henry was a sloppy fast poet, as can be seen from the backs of envelopes on which he sometimes composed. Those awkwardnesses were corrected by legions of editors, whose changes Moore took, then added a few of his own. Moore never realized that what he published in his book was so widely edited from the original publication because he took his version from...

I began researching the authorship of "Night Before Christmas" in 1999, and pulled Vassar professor Don Foster into the attribution quest. Don came out for Henry in 2000 to massive publicity with Bryant Gumbel and in People Magazine and The New York Times. But there was a gentleman trying to sell a manuscript copy of the poem from Moore and our research made the value of his document drop, so he hired a paranormal investigator to challenge us. About a decade later, one of the preeminent names in attribution research, Emeritus Professor Mac Jackson, contacted me to say that he...

This prose piece was published by Henry Livingston in the New-York Magazine in February, 1792. It describes the world as seen from the point of view of a pine tree first emerging from its cone. Narrated by Byron Nilsson and illustrated.

"The Recently Discovered Journal of Alexander the Great" by Henry Livingston, published in the New-York Magazine of February, 1793. Read by Byron Nilsson and illustrated with a wide variety of art and illustration. These stories were in the library of 13 year old Clement Moore, as his father subscribed to the magazine in which Henry published.

A Russian astronomer observed the planets thru a telescope made of ice. Henry describes his observations. Ever wondered what the opinion of equality of the sexes was in 1789? Henry's position is that "Love, and all its delectable concomitants was utterly unknown there [on Venus]; as that passion exists but where equality is found or understood." Interesting?

This love poem of the simple life was published in the 19 Jan 1786 issue of the Poughkeepsie Journal. The music, "I Love Sue" and "Dawn of Hope" is from Henry's music manuscript. Another small poem to one of the young ladies in Henry's circle is this "Acrostic to Miss Eliza Hughes," to the music "General Wolfe."

"Past is the Hour," a poem of a jilted lover, was published by Henry Livingston, the author of "Night Before Christmas" in the 6 Aug 1794 issue of the New York Weekly Museum under the pseudonym "R." The music "Ah, Sure" is from Henry's music manuscript. The poem is read by Byron Nilsson, who played Henry in "The Trial Before Christmas." Vintage postcard illustrations. Byron has also narrated a letter from Henry to his grandson, Sidney Breese, later US Senator from Illinois and Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Wav file only, for now. Henry's letters were saved in...

"Joanna" - By Henry Livingston (1787) - "Come Haste to the Wedding" - a poem on Henry's sister's 33rd birthday. Poem and music from Henry's manuscripts. I always liked this one. There's a gentle love with which he envelops his whole family.

"A Rebus on the Name of Nancy Crooke" was written by Henry Livingston, Jr, author of "Night Before Christmas," and appears in his poetry manuscript book dated 1786. A rebus is a puzzle, a set of questions whose first initials spell out the solution. The form is one Henry frequently created for the young people around him. "Fair Hebe," appears in Henry's music manuscript. Illustrated with vintage postcards.

"Marriage Tax" was published by Henry Livingston, Jr, author of "Night Before Christmas" in the Poughkeepsie Country Journal of April 4, 1787 under the pseudonym "R". One of the funniest of his many funny works. Music is from The Duenna by Richard Sheridan, and appears in Henry's music manuscript. Illustrated with vintage postcards.