Franklin Lawrence Sheppard

Franklin Lawrence Sheppard was an American businessman, church musician, hymnal editor, and Presbyterian lay leader. Born in Philadelphia, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1872 and later entered his family’s foundry business. His musical work developed alongside his business career: he served as organist at Zion Episcopal Church and later became an elder and music director at Second Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.

Sheppard eventually became president of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work and served on the committee that prepared the Presbyterian Hymnal of 1911. In 1915 he edited Alleluia, a Presbyterian church-school songbook. There he paired Babcock’s text with the melody now known as TERRA BEATA, crediting it as a traditional English melody rather than claiming it as wholly original. Hymnological research connects the tune with the English folk-song tradition and with the related tune RUSPER.

Sheppard and Babcock are reported to have been friends. Sheppard’s 1915 adaptation gave Babcock’s posthumous poem the musical form through which it became widely established in congregational hymnody.