Precilla East Mcmahon Texas

Hymn Studies - "Let the Lord Be Praised, O Zion"

(Ps. 117.1)

     INTRO.: A song which encourages all nations and peoples to praise the Lord is "Let The Lord Be Praised, O Zion." The text was written and the tune was composed both by James Benjamin Franklin, who was born on Nov. 8, 1876, in Grimes County, TX, to W. Manuel and Jane McMahon Franklin, in the same little log cabin where his mother had been born. She was the daughter of Daniel B. and Priscilla East McMahon, who had come to Texas around 1835 and received land granted to them as part of Stephen F. Austin’s colony. When young Franklin was about seventeen, his family went to a farm in Limestone County, TX, and lived near Scence Hall for a few years, then moved to West Texas for a short while. However, they were forced to sell everything that they had because of a severe drought in 1887 and returned to Limestone County where they settled permanently with their seven children. At some point the Franklin family became members of the church of Christ. When James was growing up, his family and neighbors would sing in the fields while working and together in the evenings for entertainment, so he learned to love singing at a very early age. The Franklins all had beautiful singing voices, according to their neighbors and close friends, John K. and Elizabeth W. RIce, who also had several children. The Rices owned an organ, and Jim, as he was called, would go to their house and pick out tunes on it. He eventually fell in love with Edna Gertrude Rice when he was 21 years old and she was nineteen. They were married on Dec. 12, 1898, in a double ceremony with her brother, Hense Rice, and Jim’s sister, Della Franklin. The young married Franklin couple moved onto a tenant farm and settled down to raise a family in the country, but their first child, Carrie Emma, died at the age of three. This was such a terrible blow that for a while they were afraid to risk having any more offspring. However, when the next child, Bertha Irene, was born they found that their fears had been unfounded and went on to raise nine healthy children.

     While engaged in farming, Franklin was constantly humming a tune and would drop his plow, or whatever he was doing, rush into the house, jot down a few words or bars of music, then go back to his work.

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