Jeremiah Ingalls was born in
Andover, Massachusetts, in 1764. When he was thirteen, his father, Abijah Ingalls, died of hardships suffered during the
American Revolutionary War. In 1791, Ingalls married Mary Bigelow of Westminster, Massachusetts, and while living in Vermont worked variously as a farmer,
cooper,
taverner and
choirmaster. Ingalls served as the choirmaster at the
Congregational Church in
Newbury, Vermont from 1791 to 1805, and the choir gained a reputation attracting many people from the surrounding area. In 1805 Ingalls published The Christian Harmony. Ingalls served as a deacon in the church, but in 1810, he was excommunicated from that congregation. In 1819 he moved to
Rochester, Vermont and then Hancock, Vermont. Ingalls was described as short and corpulent with a high voice and an advanced skill at the bass
viol. Many of Ingalls' family members were also known for their musical ability. Ingalls died in
Hancock, Vermont, in 1838, aged 74.[3]
The Christian Harmony; or, Songster's Companion, Jeremiah Ingalls, (Exeter, NH, Henry Ranlet, 1805)
"Connexion" and Jeremiah Ingalls Society Bicentennial Edition, 1805–2005 of The Christian Harmony or Songster's Companion, Thomas B. Malone, ed. This four-shape version, published for the Jeremiah Ingalls Society Bicentennial Singing in Newbury, Vermont, is increasingly in use in New England singings.
^Ingalls, Jeremiah (1805).
"Northfield". The Christian Harmony. Archived from
the original on August 19, 2012.
^"Northfield"(PDF). Choral Public Domain Library. Archived from
the original(PDF) on August 10, 2003.
^Also, page 155 of The
Sacred Harp; this is the second most popular song among Sacred Harp singers according to the aggregated minutes:
"Song Use in The Sacred Harp, 1995-2019". fasola.org. Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association. 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.