Author: Barlow, Joel
Biography:
Barlow, Joel (1754-1812: WBIS)
Born in Redding CT, part of the large farming family of Samuel and Esther (Hull) Barlow. He entered Yale with the class of 1778, but his studies were interrupted by the revolutionary war, in which he served as chaplain to a Massachusetts brigade. It was at Yale that he began seriously writing poetry and developed literary ambitions. Married in 1781 to Ruth Baldwin, he was sent to Europe on a business venture in 1787. Though the initial venture lasted only a few months, the Barlows stayed in Europe for 17 years and met leaders and allies of the French Revolution, which Barlow supported. They also made a fortune running a shipping business in Hamburg. Barlow undertook various diplomatic missions, including successful negotiations for the release of 119 American prisoners of pirates in Algiers. He died in Poland of pneumonia, contracted when he was following Napoleon in an effort to secure his signature on a minor treaty for President Madison. In 1787 Barlow's revision of Watts's psalms was adopted as specifically suitable for worship in Presbyterian churches in America; it became their characteristic praise book. (ANBO 9 Nov. 2017; Benson)