George Fredrick Root - North Reading, MA
Posted by: Groundspeak Charter Member neoc1
N 42° 33.894 W 071° 04.939
19T E 329077 N 4714600
The grave of poet, composer, singer, and patriot George Fredrick Root, a.k.a. G. Friedrich Wurzel, is located in Harmony Vale Cemetery, North Reading, MA.
Waymark Code: WMVGXF
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/18/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member elyob
Views: 0

A 8' high obelisk marks the grave of 19th century composer and poet George Fredrick Root. The front of the obelisk is inscribed:

GEORGE
FREDRICK
ROOT

POET
TEACHER
SINGER
PATRIOT

The left side is inscribed:

HIS GENTLE
MEMORY IS
THE HERITAGE
OF HIS KINDRED

The right side is inscribed:

HE LOVED
GOD AND MAN
AND WAS
BELOVED OF
BOTH

The back is inscribed:

BORN
AUGUST 30
1820

DIED
AUGUST 6
1895

Description:
George Frederick Root was an American poet and composer. He is most famous for writing the Civil War anthems Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! and The Battle Cry of Freedom. He was born in Sheffield, MA on August 30, 1820. He worked as a church organist in Boston, and later taught music at the New York Institute for the Blind. In Nw York he collaborated with Fanny Crosby to created many popular songs. He is best known the songs are: The Hazel Dell (1853), Rosalie the Prairie Flower (1855), Departed Days (1857), There's Music in the Air (1857), Flee As a Bird (arr. 1857), The Vacant Chair, or, We Shall Meet But We Shall Miss Him (1861), The Battle Cry of Freedom (1862), Just Before the Battle, Mother (1864), Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!, or, The Prisoner's Hope (1864), Farewell Father, Friend and Guardian (1865), Blaine for Our President (1884), and The Plumed Knight (1884). George Fredrick Root died on August 6, 1895. He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.


Date of birth: 08/20/1820

Date of death: 08/06/1895

Area of notoriety: Entertainment

Marker Type: Headstone

Setting: Outdoor

Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight Hours

Fee required?: No

Web site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.

We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark. However, only respectful photographs are allowed. Logs which include photographs representing any form of disrespectful behavior (including those showing personal items placed on or near the grave location) will be subject to deletion.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Grave of a Famous Person
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet.