DESCRIPTION: Ben Bolt was originally a poem written by Thomas Dunn English and published in 1843. Composer and musician Nelson Kneass added music to the somewhat changed words in 1848 and one of the most popular airs of the 19th century was created. Neither man received much compensation for their work. Kneass died in 1868 while on tour with a theatrical troupe in Chillicothe, Missouri, and was buried in Edgewood cemetery, where I filmed this at his gravesite. The gravesite was popular with relic hunters over the years who chipped his headstone into oblivion. A replacement was procured by the townspeople in the 1920's.
