Poetry of a Scottish Immigrant
by
Book Details
About the Book
Dedicated to the memory of Grover Nelson (Sam) Sensabaugh, grandson of the author, John Nisbet, who was in the process of compiling his grandad’s poems but died on June 16, 2000 before he could complete the compilation. It was his dream to have his grandfather’s poems published as a gift to our family and as an honor to his grandfather, John Nisbet. The family completed the work begun by Sam.
About the Author
John Nisbet was born in 1880 near Glasgow, Scotland. They were a poor family, his father worked in the coal mines as did several boys of the family. John made it through the second grade of school before he had to quit school and work in the mines. At the age of 20 years he decided to go to America to seek a better life. He arrived in New York city as an immigrant sometime in 1900. For no particular reason he ended up in Cumberland, Maryland and worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He began to read and educate himself and he progressed in his work for the Railroad . In about 1905 he met and later married Rose Hartsock, a farm girl from near Cumberland. They had four children, two boys and two girls. John continued his reading and learning and he became a Locomotive Engineer on the Baltimore & Ohio R.R. Poetry became his greatest joy and whenever he had a few minutes to himself he would write. Quite a lot of his poetry was written on note paper while sitting in his locomotive awaiting orders to move the train. After his retirement in 1946 he wrote almost continually. As is usual with poets, their writings are not fully appreciated until after their death. John Nisbet died in 1954 at the age of 74 yrs. Only recently, have I, his grandson, become aware of his great talent, accomplished with only a second grade education. Grover Nelson
(Sam) Sensabaugh
Grandson