Illustration.: In Touch Ministries
Known as an American hymn writer and poetess, Fanny Crosby wrote over 9,000 hymns during her life. Many stories have been told about her. She entered what was then known as the New York Institution for the Blind at the age of fifteen and afterward taught English and history (1847-58).
As a pupil and as a teacher, Fanny spent 35 years at the school. She was often asked to entertain visitors with her poems and she frequently met with presidents, generals and other dignitaries. She was asked to play at President Grant's Funeral. Her first book of poems was published in 1844 was called The Blind Girl and Other Poems.
After leaving the school, she dedicated her life to serving the poorest and the neediest. Supporting herself by her writing, she quickly gained fame for her hymns. It is said that publishers had so much of her work, that they took to using them under pseudonyms. Her usual fee was a mere $2 which frequently went to her work with the poor. Her mission work is legendary, as is her devotion to serving others above herself.
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