Clement Clarke Moore, (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863), is best known as the credited author of A Visit From St. Nicholas (more commonly known today as Twas the Night Before Christmas). July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Cover of a 1912 edition of the poem. ... The poem A Visit from St. ...

Clement C. Moore was more famous in his own day as a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College (now Columbia University) and at General Theological Seminary, who compiled a two volume Hebrew dictionary. He was the only son of Benjamin Moore, a president of Columbia College per support from student, Alexander Hamilton and Protestant Episcopal Church for the state of New York. Clement Clarke Moore was a graduate of Columbia College (1798), where he earned both his B.A. and his M.A.. He was made professor of biblical learning in the General Theological Seminary in New York (1821), a post that he held until 1850. The ground on which the seminary now stands was his gift.[1] From 1840 to 1850, he was a board member of The New York Institution for the Blind on 34th Street and 9th Avenue (now The New York Institute for Special Education). He compiled a Hebrew and English Lexicon (1809), and published a collection of poems (1844). Upon his death in 1863, he was interred in the cemetery at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Hudson St. On November 29, 1899, his body was reinterred in Trinity Churchyard Cemetery. The Moore house "Chelsea", at the time a country estate, gave its name to the surrounding neighborhood of Chelsea, Manhattan. Columbia College is the main undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the universitys main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. ... Columbia University is a private university whose main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. ... The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is located in Chelsea, Manhattan in New York. ... Benjamin Moore (1748 - 1816) was a U.S. episcopal clergyman. ... The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is the National Cathedral of the USA in Washington, D.C. The Episcopal Church, also known as the Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) or the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the American branch of the... Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate (or graduate) course of one to three years in duration. ... A professor giving a lecture The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is located in Chelsea, Manhattan in New York. ... The coronation banquet for George IV 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Trinity Church Cemetery consists of three separate burial grounds associated with Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York, USA. The first was established in the Churchyard located at 74 Trinity Place at Wall Street and Broadway. ... Elegant building along 23rd street. ...

Much of the neighborhood was once the property of Maj. Thomas Clarke, Clement's maternal grandfather and a retired British veteran of the French and Indian War. Clarke named his house for a hospital in London that served war veterans. 'Chelsea' was later inherited by Thomas Clarke's daughter, Charity Clarke Moore, and ultimately by grandson Clement and his family. Clement Clarke Moore's wife, Catharine Elizabeth Taylor, was of English and Dutch descent being a direct descendant of the Van Courtlandt family of the Hudson Valley region in upstate New York.

Of note: as a girl, Moore's mother, Charity Clarke, wrote letters to her English cousins that are preserved at Columbia University and show her disdain for the policies of the English Monarchy and her growing sense of patriotism in pre-revolutionary days.

The Moore children have several living descendants among them members of the Ogden family. In 1855, one of Clement's daughters, Mary C. Moore Ogden painted 'illuminations' to go with her father's celebrated verse. A book exists with her paintings as illustrations "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (Twas the Night Before Christmas) Copyright @1995 by International Resourcing Services, Inc. 60 Revere Drive, Suite 725 Northbrook, IL 60062

A Visit From Saint Nicholas

This poem appeared anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, 1823, and was reprinted frequently thereafter. The original publisher hinted at Moore’s authorship, though without naming him, in 1829, and Moore was first credited as author by Charles Fenno Hoffman, ed. The New-York Book of Poetry. New York: George Dearborn, 1837. Looking west down Broadway at downtown Troy. ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Though Moore's authorship has been questioned, with the alternative author proposed as Henry Livingston Jr., it should be noted that there is no evidence that Livingston himself ever claimed authorship, and also that the evidence used by Donald Foster and others to dispute Moore’s authorship has itself been disputed. (see Nickell, Joe. “The Case of the Christmas Poem.” Manuscripts, Fall 2002, 54;4:293-308, and Part 2.” Manuscripts, Winter 2003, 55;1:5-15. Also see Nissenbaum, Stephen. The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America’s Most Cherished Holiday. New York: Vintage, 1996. And Kaller, Seth T. “The Moore Things Change…,” in the New-York Journal of American History, Fall 2004). Major Henry Livingston Jr. ... Donald W. Foster, born 1950, is a professor of English at Vassar College in New York. ...

Later in life, Moore is known to have written out four fair copies of the poem. One copy, dated March 24, 1856, exists in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. (A facsimile of the Huntington copy is at the Harris Collection, John Hay Library, [[Brown University]). Clement Moore wrote out one fair copy in 1862 for the New-York Historical Society, which published a facsimile. The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, also has an original written in 1853 in Clement Moore's hand. And one, penned in 1860, remains in private hands, owned by Kaller’s America Gallery, Inc. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in leap years). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The New-York Historical Society is an American organization located in New York City and dedicated to the preservation of the citys history. ... Nickname: The Flour City, The Flower City, The Worlds Image Center Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Mayor Robert Duffy Area    - City 37. ...

Slavery

Moore owned five slaves at the time of writing "A Visit from St. Nicholas." He also opposed abolition and the right to vote for landless citizens. See: The Poet of Christmas Eve: A Life of Clement Clarke Moore, 1779-1863, by Samuel W. Patterson (New York: Morehouse-Gorman Co, 1956)

Publications

• Stedman, An American Anthology (Boston, 1900)

A Visit From Saint Nicholas Edmund Clarence Stedman (October 8, 1833 - January 18, 1908), American poet and critic, was born at Hartford, Connecticut. ...

Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, The original publisher hinted at Moore’s authorship, though without naming him, in 1829, and Moore was first credited as author by Charles Fenno Hoffman, ed. The New-York Book of Poetry. New York: George Dearborn, 1837. December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ...

Nickell, Joe. “The Case of the Christmas Poem.” Manuscripts, Fall 2002, 54;4:293-308, and Part 2.” Manuscripts, Winter 2003, 55;1:5-15.

Nissenbaum, Stephen. The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America’s Most Cherished Holiday. New York: Vintage, 1996.

Kaller, Seth T. “The Moore Things Change…,” in the New-York Journal of American History, Fall 2004).

References

Rev. John Moore of Newtown, Long Island and some of his Descendants, Compiled by James W. Moore, Lafayette College. Chemical Publishing Company, Easton Pennsylvania. MCMIII. (1903). p. 107. Reprints of this out-of-print book are available via Higginson book company.

• Foster, Donald (2000). Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 0-8050-6357-9.
• Nissenbaum, Stephen (1997). The Battle for Christmas: A Social and Cultural History of Christmas that Shows How It Was Transformed from an Unruly Carnival Season into the Quintessential American Family Holiday. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41223-9.

Donald W. Foster, born 1950, is a professor of English at Vassar College in New York. ...

External links

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Clement Clarke Moore

• A Visit from Saint Nicholas, courtesy of Poets.org
• Peter Christoph, "Clement Moore revisited", 1982
• Biography of Moore at University of Toronto's Representative Poetry Online.
• Urban Legends - Clement Clarke Moore: The Reluctant Mythmaker
• Free audiobook of Twas the Night Before Christmas from LibriVox
• Works by Clement Clarke Moore at Project Gutenberg
• http://www.americagallery.com

Historical documents US historical documents historical manuscripts antique manuscripts historical primary documents Kaller Historical Documents. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... The poem A Visit from St. ... Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ...

• Clement Moore's poetry Accessed 19 October 2005

re: Charity Clarke in Long Island History: http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs344a,0,6698945.story October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Women's Studies: Archives & Manuscript CollectionsCharity Moore Clarke was the wife of Bishop Benjamin Moore (1748-1816), President of Columbia College from 1801 to 1811. Their son was Clement Clarke Moore ...

• http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eguides/womenstudies/archiv1.html - 108k

• This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.