Why do people confuse the authorship of Carolyn Joyce Carty's Footprints poem?

Answer 1

I think the original confusion began for many individuals mistaking her "anonymous" authorship for unknown. She is copyrighted for both titles at the US Copyright Office listed as "Footprints in the sand" and "Footprints". No other author has this literary classic listed with both titles except Carolyn. A special note was also found within the copyright special codes that it's text was written by three individuals. Their names are Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen and Ella H. Scharring-Hausen. These were Carolyn's relative from Hopewell, New Jersey. Her uncle Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen was her publisher in 1963. Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen had an extensive career in writing he was a nature columnist for the Trenton Times Newspaper. Visit http://footprintspoemauthor.tripod.com for more info on the footprints in the sand poem by Carolyn Joyce Carty.

There is confusion because of false claims and rampant unauthorized use. The Sharring-Hausen claim is nonsense and there is no historical document to back it up. The US District Court has ruled that Mary Stevenson's copyright is legitimate and as such, first in line. The Carty claims for copyright fall 2 years after Stevenson. Other cites of the Sharring-Hausen claim that the poem was written on June 6, 1922 are contradicted in the above paragaph. There are NO copyrights with the name Scharring-Hausen.

It is unfortunate that the first paragraph was published first as a falsehood, once said on the internet, becomes urban legend.

Answer 2

People often confuse the authorship of Carolyn Joyce Carty's Footprints poem because there are multiple versions and adaptations of the poem circulating online without proper attribution. Additionally, the poem's themes and message resonate with many people, leading to its widespread dissemination with various authors' names mistakenly attached.