Jarius wrote many Hymns; best known is "I Want to be More Like Jesus"

From Rock County, Wisconsin Biographies "Jairus Maxson Stillman"

JAIRUS MAXSON STILLMAN, Mus. Doc., Professor of Music in Milton College, has an almost National reputation in his chosen vocation. As a composer he has had many valuable contributions, especially to sacred music, but, while his work in that direction has been most important, his labors have been more especially directed to the educational side of the art. For the past fifteen years, with brief interruptions, he has filled his present collegiate chair, and his work prior to the acceptance of this position was most active, varied and successful. Mr. STILLMAN was born February 20, 1834, in Alfred, Allegany Co., N.Y., the third in order of birth of the six children of Maxson and Lydia (CHAPMAN) STILLMAN.

Maxson STILLMAN, a native of Westerly, R.I., was a descendant in the sixth generation, through two lines, from George STILLMAN, and also through two lines from Elder John CRANDALL, early New England emigrants from England. He was also related to the BURDICK and MAXSON families of Rhode Island, and on his mother's side to the ROGERS family, of Connecticut. Lydia (CHAPMAN) STILLMAN, the mother of our subject, was born September 23, 1803, in East Hampton, Mass., and her marriage to Maxson STILLMAN occurred Sept. 26, 1822, at Berlin, Rensselaer Co., N.Y., near which village she had taught school. In 1826, they moved from Petersburg, Rensselaer county, to Alfred, Allegany Co., N.Y., where Maxson STILLMAN continued to reside until his death, in 1896, at the age of ninety-seven years, his wife having preceded him to the grave by five and one-half years.

Jairus Maxson STILLMAN, our subject, received a good education in his youth, supplementing his district-school instruction with many terms in Alfred Academy, and attendance at Alfred University. He had also become, at the age of twelve years, the pupil of his father, a superior workman in the trades of mill-wright and carpenter, becoming so proficient that he occasionally assumed the entire charge of the construction or repair work of mills of various kinds, and the erection of dwellings and public buildings. But the young man, while thus having mastered his trade, had his heart set upon another kind of life work. The father, a tenor singer of talent, had not only for many years led the choir of the large church at Alfred of which he was a member, but had taught singing schools in many places surrounding his home. His son inherited great aptitude for music, and at the age of ten years could read plain music at sight. He accompanied his father to singing schools, and made rapid progress in the mastery of the principles of music. He attended the singing classes in Alfred Academy conducted by such instructors as Miss Susan E. CRANDALL (afterwards Mrs. Ethan P. LARKIN), Orra STILLMAN and Darwin E. MAXSON. At twenty he was elected leader of the church choir at Alfred, in which position he was very successful.

In 1855 our subject began teaching singing schools in Alfred and vicinity, continuing meanwhile his study of music. For many years succeeding, his life was devoted jointly to the study and teaching of his art. From 1854 to 1857 he gave close attention to the study of Singing and Pianoforte Music at Alfred University. In the summer of 1857 he was a student at the Normal Musical Institute, at North Reading, Mass., under the supervision of Lowell MASON, G. F. ROOT, and others, and at the same time studied Voice Culture under Auguste KREISSMAN, of Boston. During the summer months of 1859 and 1860 he attended the Normal Musical Institute at Genesee, N.Y., taking Pianoforte lessons of T. J. COOK, and lessons in Voice Culture of Carlo BASSINI, both of New York. In 1861-62 he studied Pianoforte Music at Milton (Wis.) College, reciting also in the German classes. In the summer of 1870 he attended the National Normal Music Institute at South Bend, Ind., again taking private lessons of BASSINI, completing "BASSINI's Method of Singing." Between 1870 and 1874 he was a pupil of Dudley BUCK of Chicago and Boston in Harmony and Counterpoint, taking his lesson partly by mail and partly in person. In the winters from 1858 to 1861 he taught singing schools and gave private lessons in Shelby and Logan counties, Ohio, and incidentally led the Lutheran Church choir at Bellafontaine, and the Seventh-day Baptist choir at Jackson Center. In the years 1862, 1864 and 1866 he was professor of vocal and instrumental music in Hopkinton Academy, Ashaway, R.I., and also in the winter months taught singing schools six evenings each week, and at the same time instructed as many as thirty private scholars. During the years 1863, 1865 and 1867 he had the direction of the musical department at Alfred University, his classes embracing Pianoforte Music, Voice Culture, and Elementary and Chorus Singing. The vigorous spirit and correct style of rendition which he imparted were retained for many years as the characteristics of that institution.

The work of Mr. STILLMAN now grew broader. From 1868 to 1885 he had charge of many larger singing bodies than he had previously undertaken. During the period named he was associate principal and teacher in six normal music schools, each for a term of six weeks, and also conducted a large number of conventions and institutes. In many towns his conventions were held from two to eight times, some were patronized by entire counties, and two - those at Clear Lake, Iowa, and Ripon, Wis. - were State enterprises. The normal music schools were held at Goshen and Michigan City, Ind., Wheaton, Ill., Whitewater and Milton, Wis., and Clarinda, Iowa. He taught Harmony and Voice Culture as well as Chorus Singing in these schools. His musical work to this time had extended to thirteen States, namely: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. In the last half of the seventies he was a resident of Chicago, where he sang in the choir of Centenary Church.

It would be impossible to measure the beneficent results of this prolonged and intense devotion to the art. Standards of music were raised in hundreds of communities, and the inspiration to a musical career that was thus enkindled in many a musical breast is indicated partly by the many choir soloists, teachers of music, and others who have attributed their proficiency largely to the instruction given by Mr. STILLMAN. He is the associate author of "Good-Will for Sabbath Schools," "The Cluster," and "Anthem Treasures," the latter two being well-known and popular anthem books. He has also composed a large number of pieces for other anthem and Gospel hymn books, and a number of songs published in sheet music form. At Chicago he acted as one of the judges, with Prof. T. Martin TOWNE and others, in selecting from 700 original pieces of music, and in critically editing those which should be published in the work called "International Lesson Hymnal No. 1," published by David C. COOK. In 1884 an excellent article on "Church Music and How to Sustain it," written by Dr. STILLMAN, appeared in the "Seventh-day Baptist Quarterly."

Since 1885 our subject has been engaged, except for three terms, as professor of vocal and instrumental music in Milton College. He has in that time organized and managed its school of music with regular courses of study, each covering from three to six years, in Pianoforte Playing, Voice Culture, Harmony, and Elementary and Chorus Singing. His work at this institution and outside, in the village and neighboring localities, has attracted wide attention, and brought many young people, desirous of obtaining a substantial musical education, to the school. Another very marked and special result of his labors here has been the preparation of young men for singing in Evangelical work, either as soloists or in quartets. The honorary degree of Doctor of Music was conferred upon Mr. STILLMAN by Alfred University in 1879.

When not quite eighteen years old Mr. STILLMAN united with the Seventh-day Baptist Church at Alfred, N.Y., and he has ever since retained his membership in that church. He possesses a deeply reverential religious spirit, which expresses itself chiefly in song. He has taught singing by schools and conventions in at least forty localities where there are Seventh-day Baptist Churches. He has had charge of the music in fourteen annual sessions of the General Conference of this people, and in a larger number of the annual sessions of four associations with their churches.

Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin" (c)1901; pp. 2-4.

Courtesy of Carol March 3, 2003

Clara Lenore Stillman
Born: 6 Jan 1869
Place: Potter Hill, RI
Died: 23 Jan 1944
Place: Janesville, WI
Married: Doctor Justin Herbert Burdick
Born: 29 Dec 1851
Place: Lima, WI
Died: 3 Apr 1939
Place: Milton, WI
Date Married: 1 Sep 1898 in Watch Hill, RI

Pictures, data and information received in Sep 1999 from Mary Elizabeth (Betsey) Rabyor
Additional information and data has been provided by Jon Saunders