| John Charles McNeill was born in Scotland County, near
Laurinburg, North Carolina, on 26 July 1874, and died on 17 October 1907 (when he was 33
years old). He only produced this one volume of poems before he died, though he planned a
second, which was published posthumously. "Songs, Merry and Sad", first
published in Charlotte in 1906, went through at least five printings over more than 60
years. Both of McNeill's grandfathers came from Scotland. McNeill attended Wake Forest
College, where he received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. In 1899-1900 he
taught English at Mercer University. Some of his poems were published nationally as early
as 1901. More of his poems were published by `The Charlotte Observer' starting in 1903,
and in 1904 he joined its staff. Read "Songs, Merry and Sad" in EText format here |
