Fanny J. Crosby: The Blind Hymnist Who Reformed Gospel Music
Fanny J. Crosby is one of the most prolific hymnists in history, penning thousands of hymns that continue to inspire generations of Christians worldwide. Despite losing her sight in infancy, Crosby’s faith, literary talent, and unwavering dedication to serving others shaped a life that left an indelible mark on gospel music and Christian ministry. From her humble beginnings to her extraordinary legacy, her story is a testament to perseverance, devotion, and the power of faith.
Early Life
Frances Jane Crosby was born on March 24, 1820, in the small village of Brewster, New York. When she was just six weeks old, a misguided medical treatment for an eye infection left her permanently blind. Despite this, her family, especially her grandmother, nurtured her love of learning, encouraging her to memorize large portions of the Bible, including the Psalms, Proverbs, and much of the New Testament.
At the age of 15, Crosby was enrolled at the New York Institute for the Blind (NYIB), where she quickly distinguished herself as a gifted poet and musician. After graduating, she remained at the school as a teacher for over a decade, using her position to advocate for the education of the blind.
In 1843, Crosby joined a group of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., advocating for better education for the blind. She became the first woman to speak before the U.S. Senate, delivering a poem that called for equal educational opportunities. Over the next few years, she addressed Congress, the New York Legislature, and various public audiences, emphasizing the need for institutions for the blind in every state.
Conversion and Spiritual Awakening (1850)
During the 1849 cholera epidemic, Crosby chose to stay in New York City to nurse the sick rather than evacuate. The suffering she witnessed deepened her faith. In November 1850, after attending a revival meeting at Thirteenth Street Methodist Church, she experienced a profound spiritual transformation, describing it as being “flooded with celestial light.
Church Membership and Holiness Movement
Crosby was a longtime member of the Sixth Avenue Bible Baptist Church in Brooklyn, where she served as a missionary, deaconess, and lay preacher. She collaborated with her minister Robert Lowry to compose hymns like All the Way My Savior Leads Me. Though she never publicly identified with the American Holiness Movement, she had close ties to its leaders and frequently attended Wesleyan camp meetings in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. In 1887, she formally joined the Cornell Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church.
Legacy as a Hymnist
Crosby wrote under 200 different pseudonyms to prevent hymnals from being dominated by her name. Her hymns, characterised by deep spiritual conviction and simple, heartfelt lyrics, shaped 19th-century evangelical worship. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody and his music partner Ira Sankey credited Crosby’s hymns with much of their revival success.
Famous Hymns
Some of her most well-known hymns include:
• Blessed Assurance (with Phoebe Knapp)
• To God Be the Glory
• Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
• Rescue the Perishing
• Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home
• Praise Him, praise Him.
• All the Way My Saviour Leads Me
Collaboration with William J. Kirkpatrick
In 1877, Crosby met composer William J. Kirkpatrick, whom she affectionately called “Kirkie”. Together, they wrote numerous hymns, including I Am Thine, O Lord, which reflects Wesleyan theology:
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord.
By the power of grace divine.
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And mine will be lost in Thine.
Commitment to Rescue Missions
Although Crosby is best known for her hymns, she wanted to be remembered primarily as a rescue mission worker. In a 1908 interview with the New Haven Register, she stated that her chief occupation was working in missions. Many of her hymns, including More Like Jesus (1867), Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour (1868), and Rescue the Perishing (1869), were inspired by her involvement in city missions.
For decades, Crosby lived in some of Manhattan’s poorest neighbourhoods, including Hell’s Kitchen, the Bowery, and the Tenderloin. She was deeply aware of the struggles of immigrants and the urban poor, dedicating her life to rescue missions and social outreach. From her first earnings as a poet, she resolved to give generously to those in need, refusing financial wealth and often declining honoraria for speaking engagements.
Key Mission Organizations
• American Female Guardian Society and Home for the Friendless (1865): Crosby wrote hymns for the children in this home.
• Howard Mission (1860s): She wrote More Like Jesus Would I Be for the mission’s anniversary.
• New York City Mission (1869): Inspired by her work here, she wrote Rescue the Perishing.
• Bowery Mission (1881–1900s): She spoke regularly at services and collaborated with organist Victor Benke to create hymns for the mission.
• Water Street Mission (1880s): America’s first rescue mission, where Crosby actively ministered to alcoholics and the homeless.
• Cremorne Mission (1882–1890s): Founded in a district known for vice, this mission provided shelter and spiritual support to struggling individuals.
Writing Career and Secular Works
Early Poetry and Literary Success
Crosby’s first poem was published by P.T. Barnum in The Herald of Freedom without her knowledge. She gained recognition after her eulogy for President William Henry Harrison was published in the New York Herald in 1841. Her work appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and other publications.
Published Books
• The Blind Girl and Other Poems (1844) – included her first published hymn, An Evening Hymn.
• Monterey and Other Poems (1853) – featured works on the Mexican-American War and Irish famine relief.
• A Wreath of Columbia’s Flowers (1858) – contained poems and short stories.
Marriage and Family
In the summer of 1843, Crosby met Alexander van Alstyne Jr. (sometimes spelled van Alstine or van Alsteine), known as “Van” by his friends. He was also blind and a student at the New York Institution for the Blind (NYIB), where he occasionally attended Crosby’s classes. He later became a teacher at NYIB for two years starting in 1855. During this time, the couple became engaged, leading to Crosby’s resignation from NYIB three days before their wedding on March 5, 1858, in Maspeth, New York.
After their wedding, the van Alstynes lived in a small home in the rural village of Maspeth, which at the time had a population of about 200 people—now present-day Maspeth, Queens, New York. At her husband’s insistence, Crosby continued to use her maiden name professionally, but she used her married name on legal documents. However, biographer Edith Blumhofer noted that despite her education, Crosby’s handwriting was barely legible, and on legal documents, she signed her name with an “X,” witnessed by friends.
In 1859, the couple had a daughter, Frances, who died in her sleep soon after birth. The cause of death is uncertain—some believe it was typhoid fever, while others speculate it was sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Crosby’s hymn Safe in the Arms of Jesus was believed to have been inspired by this loss. Though she rarely spoke publicly about being a mother, later in life she confided in an interview:
“Now I am going to tell you of something that only my closest friends know. I became a mother and knew a mother’s love. God gave us a tender babe, but the angels came down and took our infant up to God and to His throne.”
After their daughter’s death, Van became increasingly reclusive, and by late 1859, the van Alstynes began moving frequently, never owning a home and living in rented accommodations without a lease—a pattern that continued for the rest of their lives. Despite their modest lifestyle, they organised concerts where Crosby recited poetry and sang while Van accompanied her on various instruments. They donated half of the proceeds to help the poor. Crosby frequently gave away much of their income, prioritising charitable work over financial security.
Although they occasionally collaborated—Van composed music for some of Crosby’s poetry—they had different musical preferences. In 1874, they attempted to publish a hymnal featuring only their compositions, but it was rejected by Biglow and Main, likely due to the complexity of the melodies. That same year, Crosby was reported to be “living in a destitute condition”.
For many years, the van Alstynes had what some described as an “unusual married life”, living together only intermittently. By 1880, they had permanently separated for reasons that remain unclear. Crosby moved to a small flat at 9 Frankfort Street, near one of Manhattan’s worst slums on the Lower East Side. She continued her mission work and lived at various addresses in and around Manhattan. Van, meanwhile, continued teaching and performing in New York City.
See Also: Reinhard Bonnke’s Legacy: A Life Devoted To Winning Souls
Though they lived apart for over two decades, Crosby maintained that they remained on good terms, stayed in contact, and even ministered together on occasion. For example, in 1895, Alexander played a piano solo at the third annual reunion of the Underhill Society of America, while Crosby read an ode to Captain John Underhill, a historical figure in the family’s lineage. The only known instance of Crosby acknowledging any marital unhappiness was in 1903 when she remarked:
“He had his faults—and so have I mine, but notwithstanding these, we loved each other to the last.”
In 1896, Crosby moved from Manhattan to an apartment in a poor section of Brooklyn, residing near her friends Ira and Fannie Sankey and in proximity to the mansion of Phoebe Knapp, her collaborator on Blessed Assurance.
Despite their long separation, Crosby kept the surname van Alstyne until her death in 1915.
• an inspiration. This monument—containing the first stanza of Blessed Assurance—was significantly larger than her original gravestone, despite her explicit wishes against a grand marble monument.
• In 1975, Crosby was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in recognition of her immense influence on gospel music.
• In 2010, country and gospel singer George Hamilton IV toured Methodist chapels with a special presentation honoring Crosby’s contribution to gospel music. The program included stories about her charitable work, performances of her hymns, and some of his own uplifting songs.
• While she was not included in The Hymnal 1982, her hymns continue to appear in more recent hymnals, including Lift Every Voice and Sing II and the African American Heritage Hymnal.
Death and Legacy
Fanny J. Crosby passed away in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on February 12, 1915, at the age of 94, due to arteriosclerosis and a cerebral hemorrhage after a six-month illness. She was buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, near her mother and other family members. As per her request, her family erected a very small tombstone that read:
“Aunt Fanny: She hath done what she could; Fanny J. Crosby.”
Throughout her life, Crosby maintained an active interest in public affairs. Reflecting on her experiences with historical figures, she once said:
“There are not many people living in this year of grace who had the privilege of meeting such statesmen as Henry Clay, General Scott, and President Polk, but the names of these heroes are recorded with indelible letters among the annals of our national history, and their imperishable deeds are chronicled in characters that no person living should wish to efface. They were men of sterling worth and firm integrity, of whom the rising generation may well learn wisdom and the true principles of national honor and democracy that all of them labored so faithfully to inculcate.”
Fanny Crosby Day
Crosby’s contributions to gospel music and hymn writing were celebrated during her lifetime and long after her passing. On Sunday, March 26, 1905, churches of various denominations around the world observed Fanny Crosby Day in honor of her 85th birthday. That evening, she attended a special service at the First Baptist Church in Bridgeport, where she spoke and was presented with $85—one dollar for each year of her life.
Two decades later, in March 1925, approximately 3,000 churches throughout the United States observed Fanny Crosby Day once again to commemorate the 105th anniversary of her birth.
Fanny Crosby Memorial Home for the Aged (1925–1996)
In her will, Crosby left funds for the care of elderly men in need of shelter, specifying that they should pay only a nominal fee for their living expenses. In 1923, the King’s Daughters of the First Methodist Church of Bridgeport, Connecticut, honoured her wishes by beginning efforts to establish the Fanny Crosby Memorial Home for the Aged. The non-denominational home opened on November 1, 1925, in the former Hunter house at 1008 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, following a national fundraising drive by the Federation of Churches that raised $100,000 for its operation. The home remained in service until 1996, when it was given to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.
Memorials and Honours
Crosby’s legacy has been honoured in various ways:
• On October 8, 1934, the Enoch Crosby chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated a historic roadside marker commemorating her birthplace on the western side of Route 22 in Doansburg, New York, just north of Brewster.
• On May 1, 1955, a large memorial stone was dedicated in her honour by those who found her life to be an inspiration. This monument—containing the first stanza of Blessed Assurance—was significantly larger than her original gravestone, despite her explicit wishes against a grand marble monument.
• In 1975, Crosby was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in recognition of her immense influence on gospel music.
• In 2010, country and gospel singer George Hamilton IV toured Methodist chapels with a special presentation honouring Crosby’s contribution to gospel music. The programme included stories about her charitable work, performances of her hymns, and some of his own uplifting songs.
• While she was not included in The Hymnal 1982, her hymns continue to appear in more recent hymnals, including Lift Every Voice and Sing II and the African American Heritage Hymnal.
Known as the “Queen of Gospel Song Writers,” Fanny J. Crosby’s work remains a vital part of Christian hymnody, inspiring generations of believers through her poetry and music.
Content Credit| Agbetan Bisola
Image Credit| https://phamoxmusic.com/
