William Steffe
William Steffe (c. 1830 – c. 1890) was a Philadelphia bookkeeper and insurance agent.
Also recorded as John William Steffe
William Steffe
- Born
- c. 1830
- Birthplace
- South Carolina, U.S.
- Died
- c. 1890
- Occupation
- * Bookkeeper
- Known for
- Collecting and editing the tune for the traditional "Glory Hallelujah" refrain
- Nationality
- United States
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In this article
Biography
Biography
He is credited with collecting and editing the musical tune for a camp-meeting song with the traditional "Glory Hallelujah" refrain, in about 1856. It opened with "Say, brothers, will you meet us / on Canaan's happy shore?" The tune became widely known.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — c. 1830 • Birthplace — South Carolina, U.S. • Died — c. 1890 • Occupation — * Bookkeeper • insurance agent • Known for — Collecting and editing the tune for the traditional "Glory Hallelujah" refrain
Early life
Early life
Steffe was born c. 1830 in South Carolina.
Career
Career
Early in the American Civil War, this tune was used to create the Union army marching song "John Brown's Body", which begins with the lyrics "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, but his soul goes marching on." In November 1861, Julia Ward Howe, having heard this version, used the tune as the basis of her new verse, later known as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article William Steffe, revision 1352484942 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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References
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 04 October 2026.
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