Daughaday & Hammond entered Stephen C. Foster’s “Beautiful Child of Song” for copyright on August 25, 1860, and they deposited it for copyright on October 6, 1860. The song was originally published in Clark’s School Visitor in October 1860. A London edition published by C. Sheard erroneously claims that the lyrics were written by Rev. Alexander Clark and the music was composed by “F. C. Foster.” The first edition, in Clark’s School Visitor, as well as the first sheet-music edition published by Root & Cady in Chicago, indicates it was “written and composed” by Stephen C. Foster.