Fanny Crosby (1820–1915) is the most prolific hymn writer of all time, penning more than 8,000 hymns. She also is known for her work in New York City slums. By the end of the 19th century she was one of America’s most famous people.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of her death.
Frances Jane “Fanny” Crosby was born March 24, 1820, to John and Mercy Crosby in Southeast, a village in Putnam County, N.Y. At six weeks old she caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes. An incompetent doctor applied mustard poultices to her eyes which caused her to go blind.
A few months later her father died. Her mother worked as a housekeeper to support the family. Crosby was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother,who both taught her Christian principles.
Shortly before she turned 15 she entered the New York Institute for the Blind. With the aid of her family she memorized long passages of Scripture. By the age of 15 she could recite the Pentateuch, the Gospels, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and many psalms.
After graduation she became a teacher there until her marriage in 1858 to Alexander Van Alstyne, a fellow teacher. Their one daughter died in her sleep as a baby.
In 1843, Crosby, an advocate for the blind, became the first woman to speak before the U.S. Senate. Three years later she spoke before a joint session of Congress supporting education for the blind.
She became a Christian on November 20, 1850, during a revival meeting whenthe congregation sang “Lord, I give myself away.”
“My very soul,” she later said, “was flooded with celestial light.” Shy Crosby sprang to her feet and shouted, “Hallelujah.”
In the 1860s she began writing hymn lyrics for composers such as William H. Doane and Phoebe Knapp. A family member or her secretary wrote her hymns down for her. She never copyrighted her songs and usually received $1 a hymn (equivalent to about $20 today) from the composer. Among her most famous hymns are “Blessed Assurance,” “To God Be the Glory,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling” and “Rescue the Perishing.”
Often she would compose several hymns a day and have as many as 12 in her mind that she was working on. Her capacity forwork was incredible, but she never wrote a hymn without first praying for inspiration.
During the last several decades of her life she used her hymns in city rescue work in the slums of Manhattan. For years she lived in a rented room in the worst slums and used any money she received from her hymns to help the poor.
Death and burial
Because of a serious heart problem Crosby’s family moved her to Bridgeport, Conn., in 1900. She died Feb. 12, 1915, and was buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery. At her request her family erected a small tombstone with the words, “Aunt Fanny: She hath done what she could; Fanny J. Crosby.” On May 1, 1955, a large memorial stone was dedicated that contained the first stanza of “Blessed Assurance.”
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