PICTURES TELL THE PAYSON STORY ~ PAYSON HISTORICAL SOCIETY: PAYSON COMPOSERS–PART 2 JOSEPH L. TOWNSEND

PICTURED above: The Joseph L. Townsend home located on 100 East between 400 and 500 South, Payson, Utah.

When Joseph Longking Townsend was twenty-eight years old, he was serving in the LDS Sunday School superintendency with William Clayson, a local shoemaker and musician. Early one morning in 1877, Mr. Townsend approached William Clayson, who was in his barnyard chopping wood. He told him he had been inspired the night before to write some words about the young people of the church and he would like Mr. Clayson to write some music to accompany his words. Mr. Clayson stopped chopping wood, took a piece of paper from his pocket, placed it on a block of wood, drew a staff of the paper and began composing. That day, their first hymn together was composed. It became known as “Hope of Israel."