
By now you’ve “met” Rev. George O. Webster, learned about this fascinating former Essex Community Church pastor’s poetic destiny, and started humming his Essex, NY hymn, “Essex-on-Champlain”. But did you know that he composed literally hundreds of additional hymns? In fact, we’re not even 100% certain how many George O. Webster hymns were written and preserved, so we’re hoping to solicit your help in creating a comprehensive catalog of his work.
Catalog of George O. Webster Hymns
While “Essex-on-Champlain” may be the most hallowed of George O. Webster hymn for Essex residents and visitors, it by no means represents a unique accomplishment. In fact, it didn’t even appear in this impressive directory of hymns composed by Webster, opening the possibility that Webster may have composed additional hymns that are not properly credited. We’ve taken the liberty of updating the list with “Essex-on-Champlain” and we hope you’ll let us know if we’re missing any others.
- America, Beloved
- Are You Building on the Rock?
- Are You Over Borne by Trials?
- Arise, Arise, a Voice Is Sounding
- Arise, Arise, for Lo, the Night Is Past
- Arise, Arise, for Men
- Army with Banners Is Marching Along, An
- As We March Along, We Will Sing a Song
- Awake, O Ye Blossoms
- Away in Yonder Forest
- Be Loyal to Your Colors
- Blossoms Lift Their Sunny Faces
- Boys and Girls Repeat
- Breaking Through the Clouds Above Us
- Call Rings Through the Land, A
- Can a Boy Forget His Mother?
- Can I Forget the Debt I Owe?
- Captain Calls for Volunteers, The
- Changeful May Be My Lot
- Clericus Hymn, The
- Clovers White and Clovers Red
- Come Home, Come Home
- Conflict Is Raging of Right Against Wrong, A
- Cry to Arms Is Heard, The
- Day When Heaven and Earth Unite
- Do the Storm Clouds Gather So?
- Earth’s Victors with Garlands of Flowers
- Essex-on-Champlain
- Faith Will Keep the Sunlight Shining
- Father, So Holy
- Fear Not, but Trust
- Fill Each Swiftly Passing Day
- For His Dear Sake Who Carried
- For the Summer’s Golden Hours
- For Your Flag and My Flag
- Forward, Forward, Soldiers of the Cross
- From the Garden of the Heart
- From the Heaven’s Opened Portals
- From the Riven Side of Jesus
- Gates of Life, The
- Gird on Your Armor
- Go Forward, Go Forward in Jesus’ Conquering Name
- God Leads to Victory
- God Will Take Care of Me, Why Should I Fear?
- God’s Will I Know Is Best for Me
- Going Forth to Serve for Jesus
- Golden Hours Are Gliding On, The
- Guiding Hand I Clearly See, A
- Hail to the Great Creator
- Have We Climbed the Mount of Vision?
- Have You Heard the Call to Battle?
- He Took My Place
- Hear the Sweet Voice That Is Calling to Thee
- Hear You Not the Savior’s Loving Call?
- Holy Father, Thou, Throned on High
- How Wonderful, How Marvelous
- I Am Happy in My Savior
- I Have a Mighty Savior
- I Know That My Lord Watches o’er Me
- I Need Jesus
- I Wandered on Life’s Careless Way
- I Will Tell the Wondrous Story of Redeeming Love
- I Would Go Where Jesus Sends Me
- Idly Standing in the Market
- If Christ Should Come to Me
- If Jesus Will Make Me a Blessing Today
- If the Clouds Are Dark and Dreary
- If the Way Leads Down
- If the Way Seems Hard with the March
- If You Can Smile
- If You Cannot Cross the Place
- If You Will Just Be Happy
- If You Would Walk in the Narrow Way
- I’m Redeemed with a Price
- In Every Hour of Trial
- In My Heart He Set the Music Ringing
- In My Heart There Swells a Song
- In the Great World Field
- Is It Well with My Soul
- Jesus Gave Himself for Me
- Jesus Is a Friend of Mine
- Jesus Loves Us
- Jesus Set the Music Ringing
- Jesus Took the Little Ones
- Jesus, Who Knows and Cares
- Just a Ray of Sunshine
- Just a Whispered Prayer
- Keep in Touch with Jesus
- Keep the Joy-Note Ringing
- King of the Ages
- Let a Song of Praise from Our Hearts Upraise
- Let the Children of the King
- Let the Glory Crowned Banner of Jesus Today
- Let the Nations Hear the News of Full Salvation
- Let Us Cheer and Help Each Other
- Let Us Now the Heart’s Door
- Let Us Run Our Race
- Let Us Sing for Joy
- Let Your Life Be Set
- Life Is a Book
- Life Is a Friendly Road
- Lift Today Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
- Lift Up Your Heads, Lift Up Your Heads
- Listen to the Strain
- Lo the Rosy Gleam of the Morn’s First Beam
- Long Years I Had Wandered
- Lord Is Calling for Men to Serve Him, The
- Lord of Life Is Victor Now, The
- Lord, Teach Us to Pray
- Love Led Him to Calvary
- Love Led the Savior, in Days Long Ago
- Love of Christ the Savior, The
- Lovingly, Tenderly, Tell the Sweet Story
- Make Your Life a Means of Blessing
- Manger, a Mother, a Baby So Fair, A
- Many, Many Years Ago
- Many May Strive
- March Forth for the King
- Men of Our America, The
- Mighty God, the King of Life Immortal, The
- Mighty Hosts of Sin and Wrong, The
- Morning Breaks, I Face the Way Ahead, The
- My Heart Is Aglow with a Love Light Divine
- Now, in the Pride of the Strength of Thy Youth
- O, Fallen Brother, Heed the Call
- O Gift Divine, God’s Boundless Love Revealing
- O Holy Spirit, Breathe upon Us Now
- O Jesus, Lad of Nazareth
- O My Brother, Worn
- O Precious Word of Jesus
- O Savior Dear, My Heart O’erflows with Gladness
- On Life’s Pathway as We Journey
- Onward Christian Soldiers, Every Voice Sing
- Our Eyes Have Seen the Multitude
- Our Fathers’ God, to Thee
- Out in the Fields with God
- Out of the Heart Are the Issues of Life
- Perfume Laden Breezes Bring a Message, The
- Perhaps Your Feet May Chance to Tread
- Pilgrim Band, a Throng, A
- Praise God for His Word
- Praise the Ever Living Lord
- Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord
- Prayer Is the Key That Will Open the Door
- Prize Is Set Before Me, A
- Prize Is the Heavenly, The
- Proud Gird Your Armor On
- Ranks of Joyous Youth, The
- Rocky Tomb Is Riven, The
- See the Mighty Youthful Army
- Seeking a King Who Was Born in a Manger
- Shadows of Evening Around Me, The
- Shout Aloud Your Hallelujahs
- Since Jesus, the Son of the Highest
- Sing a Little Song
- Sinner, the Savior Is Calling to Thee
- So Many Are Heavily Laden
- Some Days Are Dark, Some Days Are Fair
- Someone Is Needing a Blessing Today
- Sometimes I Catch a Vision Fair
- Speak to Me Now, My Savior
- Stand in the Place of God’s Choosing
- Strong Right Hand of Him Who Rules the World, The
- Sweetest Songs Now Are Lifting
- Tempests of Temptation, The
- There Are Hearts Whose Sorest Need
- There Are the Words of Jesus
- There Is a Name of Wondrous Might
- There Is a Place Called Calvary
- There Is Gladness, There Is Glory
- There Is One Who Understands
- There Is Pardon Free
- There Is So Much of Trouble
- There Is Work for All to Do
- There’s a Call for Men
- There’s a Voice Full of Tender Entreaty
- There’s Joy in the Service of Jesus
- They That Believe in the Lord Shall Live
- This Day We Call Our Mother’s Day
- This Day We Remember the Deeds
- This Shall Be Theme and Song
- Thou God of the Mothers
- Though Tempests of Temptation Sweep
- Though Trials Throng My Earthly Way
- Though You May Not Do for Jesus
- Thro’ the Land a Call Is Sounding
- Thy Servants, Lord, Before Thee Stand
- Tiny Little Tots Are We
- To All the World, the Son of God
- To Trust in Our Father from Day to Day
- Trusting the Promises Precious
- Underneath the Banner of Our Savior
- Victor Comes with Kingly Tread, The
- Victory May Depend on You, The
- We Are Comrades of the Cross
- We Know That God Is on the Throne
- We Love Our Country’s Flag
- We May Journey with Rejoicing
- We Praise the Conquering Might of Christ
- We Send the Word to Africa
- We Sing Today as Well
- We Will Strive to Do
- We’d Like to Sing
- What Does the Master Expect of Me?
- When at Last the Strife Is Ended
- When Burdens Are Pressing
- When Cares and Toils Are Pressing
- When I Was Sinking in Despair
- When in His Beauty My Savior I See
- When Sin Is Inviting
- When the Clouds Have Hid the Skies of Blue
- When the Clouds Their Darkness
- When the Days Are Dark
- When the Shadows Deepen
- When the Shadows Gather Dark
- When the Tempter Calls You
- When the Youth of Our Land
- When to the Savior You Come
- Whene’er the Shadows Gather
- Where the Blessed Savior Leads Me
- Wherever the Pathway
- Why Go We Mourning All the Day
- With a Firm and Loving Hand
- With Loyal Hearts We Come Again
- With Souls Aflame for Deeds of Fame
- World Is Full of Sin, The
- Ye Soldiers of the Living God
- You Ask What Makes Me Happy the Whole Day Long?
- You May Banish Care and Sadness
- Youth Is the Speeding
via George Orlia Webster. hymntime.com (with addition of Essex-on-Champlain)
Help Catalog All George O. Webster Hymns
Please use the comments below to add any additional Webster hymns that may have been overlooked in this post. Thank you.
Related articles
- Reverend George Orlia Webster (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
- George O. Webster’s Poetic Destiny (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
- Essex-on-Champlain, by George O. Webster (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

I am G.O. Webster’s grand daughter – Mary Caroline (Palmer) Hartman. Born in Battle Creek, MI in 1939 to Lawrence and Mabel (Webster) Palmer. I am now widowed and reside in Texas. There is an old song book in my possession – “Spiritual Melodies” published by Pilgrim Publishing House in 1942 that contains four hymns you are missing on your list. These are songs with lyrics and music written by George.
Praise His Name
Jesus is Leading Me On
I Met the Christ
My Guide Will Bring Me Home
Wonderful. Thank you for connecting and sharing these four hymns. We are HUGE fans of your grandfather in Essex, NY!
I have found a piece, mostly known as a descant (or an obbligato) with Silent Night. The two were blended in an arrangement by Anita Smisek. I believe the original hymn may have been known by the title “O Night of Holy Memory”. The text is attributed to George Webster and the music to Ira Wilson. Here are the lyrics:
Neath the silent stars the town is sleeping.
Shepherds on the hills their watch are keeping
Flocks are safe within the fold, secure from danger, want or cold.
Silent, silent night, Holy, Holy night,
Sleep in peace, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in peace.
O’er the moonlit plains were angels winging.
From the realms afar glad tidings bringing
See their robes of glistening gold, reflecting a celestial light.
Silent, silent night. Holy, holy night
Christ, the Saviour, Christ, the Saviour is born, Christ is born.
Now the dawn grows near the town is waking.
Magi on the hills their goal approaching.
Their gifts are safe within their arms, their hearts have found the loving light
Glorious, glorious night. Heavenly host sing alleluia
Jesus is born.
I haven’t found a music setting for JUST this text; it is always blended with Silent Night. If you have any luck locating the original setting, I’d love to know about it.