Elizabeth Prentiss
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Payson Prentiss (26 October 1818 – 13 August 1878) was an author, well known for her hymn "More Love to Thee, O Christ" and the religious novel Stepping Heavenward (1869). Her writings enjoyed renewed popularity in the late 20th century.
, United States, the fifth of eight children (only six survived infancy) of the eminent Congregationalist pastor Edward Payson
. The influences of New England
Christianity, consisting of the inherited Puritan
foundation with added evangelistic, missional, and philanthropic elements, were evident in the Payson family. The family gathered for prayer three times a day.
Elizabeth was deeply impacted by the death of her father, who had suffered from tuberculosis for over a year, on October 22, 1827. The family moved to New York City in 1831, and in May of that year, Elizabeth made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ and joined the Bleecker Street Presbyterian Church.
From an early age, Elizabeth exhibited sharp mental abilities, deep and indiscriminatory sympathy, and an exceptional perceptiveness. She was well educated and possessed a gift for writing. By age 16, Elizabeth Payson had become a regular contributor of stories and poems to The Youth's Companion, a New England religious periodical. In 1838, she opened a small girls' school in her home and took up a Sabbath-school class as well. Two years later, she left for Richmond, Virginia
, to be a department head at a girls' boarding school run by a Mr. Persico.
In 1845, she married George Lewis Prentiss, a brother of her close friend Anna Prentiss Stearns.
The Prentisses settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts
, where George became pastor of South Trinitarian Church. After a happy time of transitioning into the duties of a pastor's wife and a housewife, in 1852 she lost, within a period of three months, her second and third children – one as a newborn, one at age four.
In 1851, George Prentiss became the pastor of Mercer Street Presbyterian Church in New York City.
Though Elizabeth struggled with chronic health problems, she went on to have three more healthy children. Her first book of stories, Little Susy's Six Birthdays, written in just ten days, was published in 1853. In 1856, following the nearly fatal illness of her daughter Minnie, she wrote the hymn "More Love to Thee."
After George Prentiss resigned from his church in New York because of failing health, the family went abroad to Europe for a couple of years. In 1860, they returned to New York, where George resumed his pastorate and held a chair at Union Theological Seminary
. Stepping Heavenward, Elizabeth Prentiss's most popular book, was published in installments by the Chicago Advance in 1869.
The family eventually settled in Dorset, Vermont
, where Elizabeth would die in 1878 at the age of 60. Her hymn "More Love to Thee" was sung at her funeral. After her death, George Prentiss published The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss (1882), citing his wife's words in the book's preface: "Much of my experience of life has cost me a great price and I wish to use it for strengthening and comforting other souls."
Elizabeth Prentiss had six children, of whom four survived infancy:
Biography
Elizabeth Payson was born in Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, United States, the fifth of eight children (only six survived infancy) of the eminent Congregationalist pastor Edward Payson
Edward Payson
Edward Payson , American Congregational preacher, was born on 25 July 1783 at Rindge, New Hampshire, where his father, Seth Payson , was pastor of the Congregational Church. His uncle, Phillips Payson , pastor of a church in Chelsea, Massachusetts, was a physicist and astronomer...
. The influences of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Christianity, consisting of the inherited Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
foundation with added evangelistic, missional, and philanthropic elements, were evident in the Payson family. The family gathered for prayer three times a day.
Elizabeth was deeply impacted by the death of her father, who had suffered from tuberculosis for over a year, on October 22, 1827. The family moved to New York City in 1831, and in May of that year, Elizabeth made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ and joined the Bleecker Street Presbyterian Church.
From an early age, Elizabeth exhibited sharp mental abilities, deep and indiscriminatory sympathy, and an exceptional perceptiveness. She was well educated and possessed a gift for writing. By age 16, Elizabeth Payson had become a regular contributor of stories and poems to The Youth's Companion, a New England religious periodical. In 1838, she opened a small girls' school in her home and took up a Sabbath-school class as well. Two years later, she left for Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, to be a department head at a girls' boarding school run by a Mr. Persico.
In 1845, she married George Lewis Prentiss, a brother of her close friend Anna Prentiss Stearns.
The Prentisses settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
, where George became pastor of South Trinitarian Church. After a happy time of transitioning into the duties of a pastor's wife and a housewife, in 1852 she lost, within a period of three months, her second and third children – one as a newborn, one at age four.
In 1851, George Prentiss became the pastor of Mercer Street Presbyterian Church in New York City.
Though Elizabeth struggled with chronic health problems, she went on to have three more healthy children. Her first book of stories, Little Susy's Six Birthdays, written in just ten days, was published in 1853. In 1856, following the nearly fatal illness of her daughter Minnie, she wrote the hymn "More Love to Thee."
After George Prentiss resigned from his church in New York because of failing health, the family went abroad to Europe for a couple of years. In 1860, they returned to New York, where George resumed his pastorate and held a chair at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
. Stepping Heavenward, Elizabeth Prentiss's most popular book, was published in installments by the Chicago Advance in 1869.
The family eventually settled in Dorset, Vermont
Dorset, Vermont
Dorset is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,036 at the 2000 census. Dorset is famous for being home to America's oldest marble quarry and for being the birth place of Alcoholics Anonymnous co-founder Bill W...
, where Elizabeth would die in 1878 at the age of 60. Her hymn "More Love to Thee" was sung at her funeral. After her death, George Prentiss published The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss (1882), citing his wife's words in the book's preface: "Much of my experience of life has cost me a great price and I wish to use it for strengthening and comforting other souls."
Elizabeth Prentiss had six children, of whom four survived infancy:
- Annie, b. 1845
- Eddy b. 1848 & d. 1852
- Bessie b. & d. 1852
- Minnie, a girl, b. 1854
- George, a boy, b. fall 1857
- Henry ("Swiss boy"), b. 1859
Publications
- Little Susy's Six Birthdays, 1853
- Only a Dandelion, and other Stories, 1854
- Henry and Bessie: or, What they did in the Country, 1855
- Little Susy's Six Teachers, 1856
- The Flower of the Family: A Book for Girls, 1856
- Peterchen and Gretchen; or, Tales of Early Childhood, 1860
- The Little Preacher, 1867
- Little Threads; or, Tangle Thread, Silver Thread, and Golden Thread, 1868
- Little Lou's Sayings and Doings, 1868
- Fred and Maria and Me, 1868
- The Old Brown Pitcher, 1868
- Stepping Heavenward, 1869
- Nidworth, and his three Magic Wands, 1869
- The Percys, or, Ever Heavenward or, Toward Heaven or, A Mothers Influence 1870
- The Story Lizzie Told, 1870
- Six Little Princesses and what they turned into, 1871
- Aunt Jane's Hero, 1871
- Golden Hours: Hymns and Songs of the Christian Life, 1873
- Aunt Jane's Hero',' 1873
- Urbane and His Friends, 1874
- Griselda: A Dramatic Poem in Five Acts, 1876 (trans. from the German by Friedrich Halm)
- The Home at Greylock, 1876
- Pemaquid; a Story of Old Times in New England, 1877
- Gentleman Jim, 1878
- Avis Benson; or, Mine and Thine, with other Sketches, 1879