Frank E. Bellamy Collection

Date: 1908-1998

Level of Description: Coll./Record Group

Material Type: Manuscripts

Call Number: UID 46854

Unit ID: 46854

Abstract: The Frank E. Bellamy Collection contains biographies on Bellamy, photocopies of clippings and letters to the editor, research notes, Library of Congress reports, and other documents concerning the controversy of the authorship of the American Pledge of Allegiance. The letters to the editor are mostly from Cherryvale and other Kansas newspapers from individuals arguing that it was Frank E. Bellamy who wrote the Pledge. Included are materials relating to Bellamy's time in the Spanish-American War, as well as records relating to Francis Bellamy of New York, the person now considered the author.

Space Required/Quantity: 1.00 cubic feet

Title (Main title): Frank E. Bellamy Collection

Biography

Biog. Sketch (Full): Frank E. Bellamy was Spanish-American War veteran from Cherryvale, Kansas, and was once thought to have written the now famous American Pledge of Allegiance. The authorship of the Pledge has been disputed with some arguing that it was Frank E. Bellamy's work, while others argue it was Francis Bellamy, a New York Baptist preacher and Christian Socialist. In 1957, the Library of Congress supported Dr. Margarette S. Miller's study which found that preacher Francis Bellamy wrote the pledge which was published by the magazine The Youth's Companion by publisher James B. Upham. Francis Bellamy wrote the pledge in 1892, and he died in 1931.

Frank E. Bellamy was born to John F. Bellamy and his wife Jennie S. Bellamy on September 16, 1876 in Madison, Indiana. He had a sister, Lura, and two brothers, Albert and Edward E. His parents moved to Cherryvale, Kansas when he was young. He attended Cherryvale High School where it was claimed he wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. Bellamy supposedly penned the words in 1890 as a part of a writing contest about the American flag, sponsored by the Youth's Companion magazine. Lillian A. Hendricks, Department President of the Woman's Relief Corps of Kansas, urged the school principal to participate in the contest. Bellamy's entry was selected the winner by President William McKinley. He later stated that when his pledge was selected and published in the magazine, it was signed as "anonymous." After attempting to contact the magazine and receiving no answer, Bellamy gave up as he thought his situation was hopeless.

Bellamy,a Spanish-American War veteran, enlisted in May 1898 in Company G, 20th Kansas Infantry Regiment, and served as a musician in the hospital corps. He returned from the war in poor health and found difficulty receiving pension for his service to his country. Lillian Hendricks assisted Bellamy in receiving pension from the Pension Bureau in Washington D.C. Frank E. Bellamy died in 1915.

[Kansas State Historical Society. "Pledge of Allegiance." http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/pledge-of-allegiance/12172]

Scope and Content

Portions of Collection Separately Described:

Frank E. Bellamy - AV Material

Locators:

Locator	Contents
030-04-02-10
122-03-04-03	AV

Related Records or Collections

Associated materials: Associated materials in the Kansas Historical Society photograph and audiovisual collections.