William Savage Pitts was born at Lums Corners within the town of Yates in Orleans County, New York on August 18, 1830 to Charles Pitts and Polly Green Smith Pitts who were descended from New EnglandPuritans of English and Scottish ancestry.[1][2] Pitts was the eighth of nine children and had musical ability from an early age, taking formal music lessons from a graduate of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society.
Move to Wisconsin and Iowaedit
At age nineteen Pitts traveled with his family to Rock County, Wisconsin where he worked as a rural schoolteacher.[2] In 1857 Pitts traveled to Fredericksburg, Iowa to visit his fiancee, Ann Eliza Warren, a teacher, and along the journey he stopped in Bradford, Iowa.[3][4] Pitts found particular beauty in a wooded valley formed by the Cedar River. While viewing the spot, Pitts envisioned a church building there and could not seem to ease the vision from his mind. Returning to his home in Wisconsin, he wrote "The Church in the Wildwood" for his own sake, eventually saying of its completion, "only then was I at peace with myself."[5]
By 1862 Pitts was married in Union, Wisconsin, and he and his wife moved to Fredericksburg to be near her elderly parents, and they remained there forty-four years and had three children. Upon his return to the Iowa, Pitts was surprised to find a church being erected where he had imagined it five years before. The building was even being painted brown, because that was the least expensive color of paint to be found and became known as The Little Brown Church. During the winter of 1863-64 he taught a singing class at Bradford Academy. Pitts had his class sing the song at the dedication of the new church in 1864. This was the first time the song was sung by anyone apart from Pitts himself.[6][7]
Later life as a physician in Fredericksburg, Iowaedit
In 1865, Pitts moved to Chicago, Illinois, to enroll in Rush Medical College. To pay his enrollment fees, he sold the rights to the song to a music publisher for $25. He completed medical school, graduating in 1868, but the song was largely forgotten for several decades. Pitts practiced medicine in Fredericksburg until 1906.
His first wife died in 1886 and Pitts remarried to Mrs. M.A. Grannis in 1887 and they moved to Clarion, Iowa in 1906. She died in 1909 and Pitts moved to Brooklyn, New York to be with his son, William Stanley Bates, that same year while William was working for the U.S. War Department.
Pitts joined Frederickburg's Baptist church in 1871, and upon moving to Clarion in 1906, he joined the Congregational church there in 1906. After moving to New York in 1909, Pitts joined the Dyker Heights Congregational Church in Brooklyn.[1] Pitts served as mayor of Fredericksburg for seven years, school treasurer for twenty-six years, wrote a biographical local history, and was a Master Freemason. Pitts occasionally performed his most famous song. He died in Brooklyn in September 25, 1918 and was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Iowa.[1][8]
Referencesedit
^ abcAnnals of Iowa, Volume 3; Volume 12 (Iowa State Historical Department, Division of Historical Museum and Archives, 1921)
^ abAnnals of Internal Medicine - Volume 6, Issues 7-12 (1936) Page 952
^Wayne Erbsen, The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook (Native Ground Music, Mar 30, 2007), pg. 34
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
william, pitts, 1830, 1918, american, physician, composer, wrote, well, known, song, church, wildwood, 1857, william, pitts, contents, early, life, upstate, york, move, wisconsin, iowa, later, life, physician, fredericksburg, iowa, referencesearly, life, upsta. William S Pitts 1830 1918 was an American physician and composer who wrote the well known song The Church in the Wildwood in 1857 William S Pitts Contents 1 Early life in upstate New York 2 Move to Wisconsin and Iowa 3 Later life as a physician in Fredericksburg Iowa 4 ReferencesEarly life in upstate New York editWilliam Savage Pitts was born at Lums Corners within the town of Yates in Orleans County New York on August 18 1830 to Charles Pitts and Polly Green Smith Pitts who were descended from New England Puritans of English and Scottish ancestry 1 2 Pitts was the eighth of nine children and had musical ability from an early age taking formal music lessons from a graduate of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society Move to Wisconsin and Iowa editAt age nineteen Pitts traveled with his family to Rock County Wisconsin where he worked as a rural schoolteacher 2 In 1857 Pitts traveled to Fredericksburg Iowa to visit his fiancee Ann Eliza Warren a teacher and along the journey he stopped in Bradford Iowa 3 4 Pitts found particular beauty in a wooded valley formed by the Cedar River While viewing the spot Pitts envisioned a church building there and could not seem to ease the vision from his mind Returning to his home in Wisconsin he wrote The Church in the Wildwood for his own sake eventually saying of its completion only then was I at peace with myself 5 By 1862 Pitts was married in Union Wisconsin and he and his wife moved to Fredericksburg to be near her elderly parents and they remained there forty four years and had three children Upon his return to the Iowa Pitts was surprised to find a church being erected where he had imagined it five years before The building was even being painted brown because that was the least expensive color of paint to be found and became known as The Little Brown Church During the winter of 1863 64 he taught a singing class at Bradford Academy Pitts had his class sing the song at the dedication of the new church in 1864 This was the first time the song was sung by anyone apart from Pitts himself 6 7 Later life as a physician in Fredericksburg Iowa editIn 1865 Pitts moved to Chicago Illinois to enroll in Rush Medical College To pay his enrollment fees he sold the rights to the song to a music publisher for 25 He completed medical school graduating in 1868 but the song was largely forgotten for several decades Pitts practiced medicine in Fredericksburg until 1906 His first wife died in 1886 and Pitts remarried to Mrs M A Grannis in 1887 and they moved to Clarion Iowa in 1906 She died in 1909 and Pitts moved to Brooklyn New York to be with his son William Stanley Bates that same year while William was working for the U S War Department Pitts joined Frederickburg s Baptist church in 1871 and upon moving to Clarion in 1906 he joined the Congregational church there in 1906 After moving to New York in 1909 Pitts joined the Dyker Heights Congregational Church in Brooklyn 1 Pitts served as mayor of Fredericksburg for seven years school treasurer for twenty six years wrote a biographical local history and was a Master Freemason Pitts occasionally performed his most famous song He died in Brooklyn in September 25 1918 and was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg Iowa 1 8 References edit a b c Annals of Iowa Volume 3 Volume 12 Iowa State Historical Department Division of Historical Museum and Archives 1921 a b Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 6 Issues 7 12 1936 Page 952 Wayne Erbsen The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook Native Ground Music Mar 30 2007 pg 34 Archived copy Archived from the original on 2013 02 15 Retrieved 2013 01 17 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Longden Tom Famous Iowans http desmoinesregister com extras iowans pitts html URL accessed on June 3 2006 Fairbairn Robert Herd History of Chickasaw and Howard counties Iowa Volume 1 S J Clarke Publishing Company 1919 p 228 Official site of The Little Brown Church of the Vale history page http www littlebrownchurch org churchhistory cfm Grand Lodge bulletin of Iowa Volumes 36 37 1936 Page 609 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William S Pitts amp oldid 1216818190, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
