Songwriters Hall of FameInducted 1970

Born July 4 in Lawrenceville, PA, the youngest of eleven children of William Barclay Foster and Eliza Clayland Tomlinson Foster.

Attends Allegheny Academy, Athens Academy and Towanda Academy. At Athens, writes "The Tioga Waltz".

Enrolls in Jefferson College in Cannonsburg, PA where he remains for one week. Returns, homesick, to Pittsburgh for private study.

Open Thy Lattice Love is published by George Willig (copyright year 1844).

Oh! Susana, Lou'siana Belle and Old Uncle Ned are introduced at a family concert at the Foster home.

Moves to Cincinatti to work with his brother Dunning at Irwin & Foster Steamboat Agency.

Gives "Oh! Susana", "Old Uncle Ned" and several other songs to W.C. Peters. "Oh! Susana" becomes the leading ditty of the minstrel shows and the theme song for the gold rush "49ers" traveling out west to California. With the success of "Oh! Susana", Foster abandons business and becomes a professional songwriter.

Negotiates contract with New York publisehrs Firth & Pond Co.

Performance arrangement is developed with E.P. Christy's to publicly introduce new Foster songs in his Christy Minstrels Shows in exchange for acknowledgement of the troupe performance on all sheet music. "Camptown Races" is published.

Marries Jane Denny McDowell on July 22.

Old Folks At Home is sold to E.P. Christy for $15. Originally copyrighted as 'Written and Composed by E.P. Christy', Stephen Foster is later credited as the sole writer when the copyright is renewed in 1879.

Daughter Marion, only child, is born on April 18.

After a trip to New Orleans, via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, wrote the plantation melodies "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Massa's In De Cold Ground".

Old Dog Tray is published.

During a separation from Jane and while living in New York City, writes "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" for his wife. Through the separation, dependency on alcohol increases along with consuming debt. Also writes, during this time, "Ellen Bayne", "Hard Times Come Again No More" and "Willie, We Have Missed You".

Father William and mother Eliza die. Writes "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming".

Brother Dunning dies and the disintegration of morale and creativity increases. Foster becomes involved with the 1857 presidential campaign of his sister Ann's brother-in-law James Buchanan. Buchanan is elected in 1857.

Sells all future financial interest in previously published songs to his publishers for cash in hand. Moves back in with Jane and Marion and settles debt.

Publication of "Old Black Joe" is the last of the exclusive association with Firth & Pond Co. Leaves Pittsburgh for the last time and settles permanently in New York City.

Civil War begins and ushers in a new type of patriotic and military song. No longer under contract with a publisher, Foster begins writing on demand and selling songs for cash in hand. Songs included "Poor Drooping Maiden", "Under the Williow She's Sleeping", "We've A Million In the Field" and "We Are Coming Father Abraham".

Writes "Beautiful Dreamer" two weeks before his death.

Dies in New York City's Bellevue Hospital on January 13 with less than $.40 in his purse and a scrap of paper which reads "Dear friends and gentle hearts".