John B. Tabb
Father John Banister Tabb (March 22, 1845 – November 19, 1909) was an American poet, Roman Catholic priest, and professor of English. Biography Tabb was born in Amelia County, Virginia, on March 22, 1845. One of his brothers was William Barksdale Tabb, a lawyer and officer in the Confederate States Army. A member of one of the state's oldest and wealthiest families, Tabb served on a blockade runner for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and spent eight months in a Union prison camp, where he formed a lifelong friendship with poet Sidney Lanier. Tabb converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1872, and taught literature at Saint Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland, in 1878. Tabb was ordained as a priest in 1884, after which he retained his academic position. Plagued by eye problems his whole life, he continued to teach though he lost his sight completely about a year before his death. He died at Saint Charles College on November 19, 1909. Father Tabb (as he was commonly known) was widely published in popular and prestigious magazines of the day, including Harper's Monthly, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Cosmopolitan. His books of poetry include Poems (1894), Lyrics (1897),