Benjamin Copeland

Born in Clarendon, New York, in 1855, Benjamin Copeland spent much of his life in ministry in western New York and became especially connected with Buffalo. Reliable library and hymnology records describe him as a Methodist Episcopal minister who served many churches over a long career and helped found new congregations.

Copeland was also a poet and hymn writer. Archival material from Syracuse University notes that he wrote on inspirational, religious, and patriotic themes, and surviving editions of his work include Poems: Pastoral and Psalm and Niagara, and Other Poems. His writing blends spiritual reflection with an eye for landscape and everyday feeling.

He died in Buffalo in 1940. Although he is not widely known today, his work remains of interest through archives, hymn collections, and public-domain editions that preserve both his poetry and his contribution to American religious verse.