God of Our Fathers

This page includes a lyric video, history, sheet music, and other resources for the classic hymn “God of Our Fathers.” Enjoy!

Enjoy this You Tube video, performed by Hymn Charts, with lyrics for “God of Our Fathers.”

History of “God of Our Fathers”

Words by Daniel Crane Roberts (1841-1907), Published in 1876

Daniel was born in New York in 1841. He attended college in Ohio and then volunteered as a soldier for the Union Army in the American Civil War. Afterward, Daniel decided to enter ministry with the Episcopal Church. He served at churches in both Vermont and Massachusetts before accepting a position as the pastor at St. Paul’s Church in Concord, New Hampshire – he remained at this church for almost thirty years.¹

Daniel wrote “God of Our Fathers” in 1876 for the centennial celebration of the 4th of July, and it was first sung on this occasion to a tune called the “Russian Hymn.”² Later, when a commission was assigned to revise the Episcopal Hymnal, Daniel records, “I sent [the hymn], without my name, promising to send the name if the hymn were accepted.”³ The song was accepted, set to a tune by George William Warren, and printed in the Hymnal, 1892.

Music “National Hymn” by George William Warren (1828-1902), Published in 1888

George was born in New York in 1828 and educated at Racine College in Wisconsin. He was a gifted musician and chose to pursue a career as an organist. He served at Episcopal churches throughout New York, and though he was largely self-taught, he proved to be an “outstanding American organist.”⁴ He spent his last twenty years at St. Thomas’ Church in New York City where he composed the music for “God of Our Fathers” for a centennial celebration of the United States Constitution. When George passed away four years later, “no music was played at his funeral, attended by thousands, as the mourners believed they could find no finer organist.”⁵

Additional Resources for “Faith of Our Fathers”:

Sheet Music (PDF Compliments of Hymnary.org)

Guitar Chords (Links to Ultimate Guitar)

Visit Hymnary.org or Hymn Time.com for more on this hymn.

See our Hymn of the Week page for a list of the hymns that are included on this site.

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Sources:

¹ Reynolds, William Jensen. Hymns of Our Faith: A Handbook for the Baptist Hymnal. Broadman Press, 1964, p. 393.
² Reynolds, p. 53.
³ Hymn Time, “God of Our Fathers.”
⁴ Reynolds, p. 432.
⁵ Hymn Time, “George William Warren.”