Frances Jane Crosby (1820-1915) was an esteemed female hymn writer during the turn of the century. Her impressive musical abilities, poetic lyrics, and uplifting worship songs have positively influenced many individuals. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a rise in the recognition of female composers, including renowned hymn writer Frances Jane Crosby. Now, let’s participate in a fun game called Guess Who This Hymn Writer Is.
During the nineteenth century, I gained recognition as the most distinguished female composer and was acclaimed as the most innovative hymnist of the gospel song era. As the century drew to a close, my fame grew and I became widely known in households and prominent within the music community. My name is synonymous with gospel songs, and I am remembered as the blind poet who penned timeless classics such as “Blessed Assurance”, “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior”, and “To God Be the Glory”, among many others.
In eastern Putnam County, near the Connecticut border, there is a narrow strip of land where the Croton River and its tributaries flow, sixty miles north of New York City. Born on March 24th, 1820, Frances Jane Crosby, also known as “America’s sweet singer in Israel”, came into the world in a small clapboard house that was constructed in 1758. This house is located just off Froggintown Road (Blumhofer, p. 1). Fanny Crosby was raised in a modest home with her parents, John and Mercy Crosby, surrounded by extended family members. Though they possessed only a few material possessions, they cherished a wealth of family traditions and stories (Blumhofer, p. 2).
Despite being from a poor background, Fanny’s parents had strong roots in New England. One of their ancestors played a significant role in the establishment of Harvard University, and several others had graduated from there. Unfortunately, Fanny’s father passed away shortly after her birth (Miller, p. 61). As April drew to a close, the Crosbys began to worry about a problem with their baby’s eyes. Fanny later mentioned experiencing an illness that severely weakened her eyesight. What added to their distress was the unavailability of competent medical help in their community, as their regular doctor was absent (Ruffin, p. 12). Eventually, they came across a man who claimed to be a physician.
Eighty-six years later, Fanny described him as a stranger. The Crosbys were appalled when he applied a hot poultice to the baby’s inflamed eyes. His belief was that intense heat would not harm the child’s eyes but would extract the infection. As time passed, little Fanny Jane did not react when objects were presented to her. The “doctor” did not stay in Southeast for long (Ruffin, p. 13). In Darlene Neptune’s book “Fanny Crosby Still Lives,” Fanny revealed that she was no longer upset with him after all these years.
She stated, “However, for over ninety-four years, I have never harbored any resentment towards him because I have constantly believed, from my youth until now, that the Lord, in His infinite mercy, has devoted me to the work that I am still able to carry out” (p. 18).
Despite Fanny’s blindness, Mercy remained optimistic about finding a cure. After saving enough money from contributions from generous neighbors, Mercy planned to travel to New York City to schedule an appointment with Dr. for Fanny’s examination.
Valentine Mott, an esteemed surgeon in America, practiced at Columbia University School of Medicine (Ruffin, 19). Nonetheless, even the renowned doctor was unable to offer any assistance. Following his examination, the dreadful news was delivered that Crosby would never regain her eyesight (Blumhofer, p. 19). In 1834, Mercy Crosby discovered that the New York state legislature had approved a law to grant financial aid to blind students who wished to enroll at the new Institution for the Blind in Manhattan. Finally, the opportunity for education emerged and Crosby resolved to pursue it, despite the need to live among unfamiliar individuals in the exhilarating yet bewildering environment of New York City.
Fanny Crosby’s childhood haunts were a world apart from Manhattan, which was only sixty miles away and a day’s journey. According to Blumhofer (p. 29), Fanny Crosby attended the New York Institution for the Blind for twelve years and later became a teacher from 1847 to 1858, where she taught language and history. As a student, she demonstrated the positive impact of education on the blind. She once recited a poem on this subject before the Senate and House Representatives at Washington and also before the governor and legislature of New Jersey (Wells, p. 4).
On February 5th, 1864, Fanny wrote her first hymn for W.B Bradbury. He, along with his successors Biglow and Main, became her publishers and paid for all of her written work (Wells p.34). Sadly, their collaboration with Bradbury came to an abrupt end due to his untimely death, but his publishing house continued to release her songs for forty years.
After passing away, Fanny expressed her deep affection for William B Bradbury, stating, “Of all my friends, I loved him the most. When I reach heaven, he will be the first person I ask for” (Miller p.65).
She wrote numerous hymns for renowned singers and composers including Sankey, Doane, Lowery, Philip Philips, Sweney, Sherwin, and Kirkpatrick. Her songs have touched the lives of many people and it is rare to find one that has not led numerous souls to the Savior (Wells, p. 35). In 1858, Miss Crosby married Alexander Van Alstyne, a musician who had composed music for many of her hymns. Notably, he was blind (Jones, p. 289). The couple exchanged vows in a private ceremony on March 5th in the small town of Maspeth when Van was twenty-seven years old and Fanny was thirty-eight (Ruffin, p. 7).
However, around 1859, Fanny experienced the tragedy of becoming a mother, only to lose her child in infancy. This heartbreaking event is considered one of the greatest misfortunes in her life. Fanny rarely discussed the matter, leaving us unsure of the gender of the child or the cause of its death (Ruffin, p.69).
Following the tragic event, Fanny’s desire to lead a peaceful and secluded life in the rural Long Island was shattered. The idyllic paradise she had once known had transformed into an inferno, constantly reminding her of her pain and suffering. As a result, she longed to escape from these distressing scenes. Consequently, around 1860, Fanny and Van decided to return to Manhattan and settled in a residence just a few blocks away from their institution (Ruffin, p.69).
Fanny Crosby dominated the hymnals published by the New York firm from the late 1860s. She contributed between a third and a half of the selections. Editors had to encourage her to use pen names to hide their heavy reliance on one lyricist. In addition to signing her name as “Fannie” or “Fanny”, she also used other pen names like “F. A. N.”, “F. J. C.”, “Fanny Van Alstyne”, “Mrs. Alexander Van Alstyne”, and “Mrs. Van A.” She even used some strange appellations including L.L.A.”, “J.W.W.”, “###”, “*”, and “The Children’s Friend” (Ruffin, p. 96). Fanny Crosby’s hymns represent the soul of a worshipper.
According to Miller (p. 61), Fanny Crosby’s hymns are the rhymed emotions of a Christian heart set to music. By the early 1870s, she had gained recognition as the queen of hymn writers. Fanny often paired her poems with well-known melodies, such as “We Thank Thee, Our Father,” which was composed to the tune of “Adeste Fidelis.” She also utilized Scottish and Welsh airs, as well as Stephen Foster’s songs. She only published three hymns for which she supplied both the music and lyrics: “Jesus, Dear, I Come To Thee,” “The Blood-Washed Throng” (included in her 1906 autobiography), and a spring carol (Ruffin, p. 7). One of her more straightforward hymns, “To God Be the Glory,” initially made a simple declaration of Christian faith but received little attention until Billy Graham popularized it in the 1950s. By the year 1875, at age fifty-five, Fanny resided on New York’s East Side near Biglow and Main’s offices, along with Van (Ruffin, p.101). It was during this period that she crossed paths with Stebbins, a composer who stood six feet tall and wore pince-nez spectacles and a tidy goatee. Over the course of several decades, Stebbins would go on to set many more of Fanny’s poems to music.
Although he did not always excel in his work and his style occasionally lacked variety, fluency, and musicality, he did produce some incredibly captivating hymn melodies. Collaborating with Fanny, he composed “Jesus Is Calling” and “Saved by Grace”. At this point, Fanny had already crafted the majority of her renowned hymns.
Over a span of nine years, she crafted numerous cherished hymns, such as “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” “Blessed Assurance,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour,” “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” “I Am Thine, O Lord,” “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me,” “Close to Thee,” “Praise Him! Praise Him!,” “To God Be the Glory,” “EveryDay and Hour,” and “Rescue the Perishing” (Ruffin, p. 15). Notably, her friend Mr. W.H. Doane, a renowned composer, specifically requested the creation of “Safe In the Arms of Jesus.”
Mr. Doane created a melody without lyrics and asked Mrs. Alstyne to listen to it in hopes that she would write suitable words for it. Mrs. Alstyne agreed to help and as a result, “Safe In The Arms Of Jesus” was born (Jones, p.289).
In later years, with the possible exception of two or three, none of her hymns could match the popularity of these.
Fanny was not concerned about the lack of popularity of her current hymns compared to her earlier ones. She remained confident in doing the Lord’s work and had faith that her hymns would prove beneficial to some individuals. Even if they only guided one person towards Christ, she would find satisfaction (Ruffin, p. 115).
Fanny addressed a gathering of 750 individuals at the YMCA in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on March 5, 1905. Despite the hall’s capacity being only 650, the crowd energetically attended her session. Rather than delivering a sermon or lecture, she chose to talk about her life, highlighting how God had empowered her to conquer her disability and become an inspiration for her hymns. This was a common occurrence for Fanny. (Ruffin, p.77).
Fanny’s hymns were written with great speed, some even being dictated as quickly as the words could be recorded. These hymns are rich in Bible verses, which Fanny had memorized since she was a child. She had committed to memory the first four books of the Old Testament and all four Gospels (Wells, p.35).
People came to Fanny for help with poetry writing, and she always provided assistance, even to those without talent. However, Fanny also had the chance to mentor individuals with genuine ability (Ruffin, p.188).
Fanny was frequently asked by many people to write about her theology because her spiritual counsel was so helpful and uplifting. However, she would often respond by saying that she never thought much about theology (Ruffin, p. 190). In August of 1914, Fanny suffered a mild heart attack which made her believe that her time had come. During this illness, she had extraordinary visions that she described as the most remarkable of her life. Although Fanny partly recovered (Ruffin, p. 203), on February 12th, 1915, around 4:30pm, the first doctor arrived and declared her dead due to a massive cerebral hemorrhage.
According to witnesses, Fanny Crosby’s funeral in Bridgeport was the largest ever, even surpassing P. T. Barnum’s (Ruffin, p. 207). At the funeral, everyone was given a violet and placed it inside her casket as they passed by, creating the impression of her sleeping on a bed of violets (Neptune, p. 202). Her songs and poems continue to be sung worldwide today. Although she is most renowned for her hymns, her philanthropy and concern for society still inspire us today.
Fanny Crosby, despite being blind, viewed her blindness as a blessing from God. Upon her death, her grave initially had only one inscription: “She hath done what she could.” However, in 1955, a new inscription was added on a large marble slab. This inscription included a verse from one of her well-known hymns: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His spirit, washed in His Blood” (Ruffin, p. 208).
Works Cited:
Edith Waldvogel Blumhofer is the author’s name.
Her Heart Can See: The Life and Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby is a book published by W. B. Eerdmans Pub. in Grand Rapids, MI in 2005.
Jones, Francis A. Famous Hymns and Their Authors: With Portr. and Facs., Singing Tree Pr., Detroit, 1970.
Miller-Loessi, Basil. Ten Girls Who Became Famous, Zondervan House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1960.
Neptune, Darlene. Fanny Crosby Still Lives. Neptune Ministries Naples FL, 2001.
Ruffin Bernard.. Fanny Crosby: The Hymn Writer. Barbour Ulrichsville, OH, 1995.
Wells Amos Russel Treasure of Hymns Wilde, 1945
