Benjamin Russell Hanby (1833-1867) was born near Rushville, Ohio, the son of Bishop William Hanby, a United Brethren minister. At age sixteen, he enrolled at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. With his father, he helped operate the Underground Railroad in the region. He worked for the college, then served as principal of an academy in Seven Mile, Ohio. He became a pastor in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and served in churches at Lewisburg and New Paris. He also directed a singing school in New Paris. After publishing some of his songs, he was hired by music publishers John Church Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, then he worked for publishers Root & Cady in Chicago, Illinois. He died from tuberculosis in Chicago, Illinois. He wrote between 80-100 songs. One of his most well known songs is “Darling Nelly Gray”, written while a student at Otterbein in response to the plight of a runaway slave named Joseph Selby (or Shelby). He also wrote the Christmas songs “Up on the House Top” (originally a Christmas sing-along titled “Santa Claus”), “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”, and the Christmas hymn “Who Is He In Yonder Stall?”.

All are mixed chorus unless noted; some contain divisi.