Skip to main content

Jennie Dugan Tragedy Put to Words by Rebecca Gordon Ball

 The last words of Jennie L. Dugan were poignantly expressed in recently discovered poetry written


by Rebecca Gordon Ball in the form of historic sheet music.  The poetry was put to music by Composer Chandler Robbins and published by Oliver Ditson & Company after the death of Jennie Dugan in 1860. 

A copy of the sheet music was found among the Ball artifacts in the historic Lafayette home that was built in 1869 for Cyrus and Rebecca Ball.  The iconic house has remained in the family since that time and is currently occupied by a direct descendant and member of the General de Lafayette Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Jennie Dugan, a 22-year-old woman from Delphi, Indiana, was tragically killed in 1860 when her dress caught fire as she was carrying a lampstand while bidding her parents good night.  Her father was severely burned in attempting to rescue his only child.  It was a devastating blow to Joseph and Miranda Dugan to watch their daughter literally go up in flames.

The music piece, entitled, “Good Night, Good Night to All,” prefaced the tragic event.  “Written on the death of Miss Jennie Dugan of Delphi, an only daughter, an excellent musician, and an accomplished young lady, who was burnt to death by the explosion of a fluid lamp.  Her last words as she parted with her friends on that fatal evening were “Good night, Good night to all.”

The tragedy of Dugan’s death obviously pulled the heart strings of Rebecca Ball and inspired these words:

When doth softly fade the day,

And the shadows gather grey,

Off with joy our bosoms thrill,

And we deem thee with us still,

See the here again once more,

Standing with us on time’s shore,

As when last we heard thee call

Back “good night, good night to all!

Good night, good night, good night, good night to all!

 

When the autumn winds are here,

Chanting dirge notes for the year,

And bright leaves with perfumed breath

Rustle ‘neath our tread of death,

Then will come the magic power

Back again that joyous hour,

And the echoes round us fall

Of “good night, good night to all!

Good night, good night, good night, good night to all!”

 

When the genial breath of spring

In the vales sweet violets bring,

And the blue bird’s notes we hear

Ringing through the woodland clear,

When the summer hours shall spread

Flow’ry garlands o’er our head,

Then we’ll hear a low voice call

Again “good night, good night to all,

Good night, good night to all!”


Tell us! Did some spirit say,

Seraphs wait thee, haste away!

Didst thou see some loving hand!

Some bright guardian of thy way

In a gentle whisper say

For thee now the angels call

‘Tis “good night, good night to all,

Good night, good night to all!”

 




 

The Dugan Home in Delphi, Indiana

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jessie's Kids: Cary Home's First Residents & Roy Hanthorn's Peace Plan from Heaven

  Jessie's First Kids Circa 1930: Roy Hanthorn far right, standing above all the others and surrounded by his siblings. By Diana Vice   Roy Hanthorn became one of Jessie’s first kids.   A Daughter of the American Revolution, Jessie Levering Cary was known for her good works in the community, so to honor his late wife, Frank Cary donated $45,000 in 1929 to establish the Jessie Levering Cary Home to help underprivileged and abused kids. The facility has been operating since November 30, 1930, and the residents are lovingly referred to as “Jessie’s Kids.”   Franklin & Jessie Cary A photo captured an image of some of the home’s first residents in front of the building shortly after it was built.   Identified in the picture are Roy Hanthorn and his younger siblings, Zilda, Dorothy, Cleo, Bill, Ed, and Bob, who had been transferred to Cary Home from the St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum. Roy’s sad facial expression, an obvious sign that he was unhappy with his circu...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Con T. Kennedy Story: From Orphan to Famous King of Carnivals

Did you know an orphan from Lafayette, Indiana, gained national and international fame for creating a multi-million-dollar carnival empire in the early 20th century? The humble beginnings of Con T. Kennedy, “the Carnival King” and his rags-to-riches rise to fame is an inspirational, true story about a boy who overcame many obstacles in life. He ran away from a Lafayette  orphanage at twelve years old, headed west, and "grew up with the country."    This story will evoke a roller coaster of emotions. It’s long, but worth the investment of your time.  Orphan Never Felt the Loving Arms of a Loving Mother St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum (Photo courtesy of Preserve Historic Lafayette) The story begins with Cornelius T. Kennedy, an orphan about whom little is known regarding his family background.  Cornelius was born in 1870 to parents of  Irish descent.  The 1870 census records show Cornelius residing in Jackson, Ohio, with his parents, Thomas and Hanora Kenn...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tragic Story of Patrick & Bridget Flynn & An Apparition at St. Mary's Cemetery?

  The Tragic Story of Patrick and Bridget Flynn   Flynn Family Plot at St. Mary's Cemetery By Diana Vice   My husband and I are regular visitors to the St. Mary’s cemetery in Lafayette, Indiana. We enjoy cleaning unusual gravestones and visiting the gravesites of relatives and early ancestors.   It was a pleasant summer day on August 2, 2025, so we chose to give the St. Joseph’s Orphans monument a good wash. My husband walked down the hill to retrieve water when he ran into an elderly man who relayed an incredible story about an apparition that frequently appeared at the gravesites of the Patrick and Bridget Flynn family. Rick Vice at St. Mary's Cemetery St. Joseph Orphan Asylum Monument  The man stated that during a recent morning visit to the cemetery, he saw a gray-haired woman wearing a plain dress appear from behind the trees. She stopped near a group of gravestones on a hill near the winding road toward the southwest part of the cemetery, and just ...
Post a Comment
Read more