Ida Lilliard Reed

Who was Ida Lilliard Reed?

Ida Lilliard Reed was an American religious writer and music composer from Barbour County, West Virginia. She composed cantatas, poems, and hymns, totaling over 2,000 works.

Reed's works were taken up by several different Protestant denominations and translated into several languages. Her most popular hymn was "I Belong to the King" which was estimated by publishers Hall, Mack & Co. to have a circulation of four million copies. In 1940, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers recognized Reed’s "substantial contribution to American music" by awarding her a weekly "bonus.” Reed’s family homestead near Arden, West Virginia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places until 1991, when it was destroyed by fire. She is buried at Ebenezer Methodist Church at Arden.