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Elizabeth Prentiss

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Elizabeth Prentiss

Elizabeth Prentiss (1818-1878), from The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss, 1882. Courtesy Internet Archive.

Elizabeth Payson Prentiss (October 26, 1818 - August 13, 1878) was an American poet and prose 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.

Life[]

Elizabeth Payson was born in Portland, Maine, the 5th of 8 children (only 6 of whom survived infancy)[1] of 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 3 times a day.[2]

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.

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.[3]

By age 16, Elizabeth Payson had become a regular contributor of stories and poems to The Youth's Companion, a New England religious periodical.[4] In 1838, she opened a small girls' school in her home and took up a Sabbath-school class as well. 2 years later, she left for Richmond, Virginia, to be a department head at a girls' boarding school run by a Mr. Persico.[5]

In 1845, she married George Lewis Prentiss, a brother of her close friend Anna Prentiss Stearns.[6] Elizabeth Prentiss had 6 children, of whom 4 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

The Prentisses settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where George became pastor of South Trinitarian Church.

In 1851, George Prentiss became the pastor of Mercer Street Presbyterian Church in New York City.[7] 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 3 months, her 2nd and 3rd children – one as a newborn, one aged 4.

Though Elizabeth struggled with chronic health problems, she went on to have 3 more healthy children. Her earliest book of stories, Little Susy's Six Birthdays, written in just 10 days, was published in 1853.[8] In 1856, following the nearly fatal illness of her daughter Minnie, she wrote the hymn "More Love to Thee."[9]

After George resigned from his church in New York because of failing health, the family went abroad to Europe for a couple of years.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12]

Recognition[]

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."[13]

Publications[]

Poetry[]

Novels[]

Short Fiction[]

Non-fiction[]

Juvenile[]

Translated[]

Letters[]

  • George Lewis Prentiss, Life and Letters. New York: A.D.F. Randolph, 1882; London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1882.


Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[14]

See also[]

More_Love_to_Thee,_O_Christ

More Love to Thee, O Christ

References[]

  • James, Sharon, Elizabeth Prentiss: More Love to Thee, Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2006.
  • Prentiss, George Lewis, More Love to Thee: The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss, New York: A.D. Randolph, 1882.

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Prentiss, George Lewis (1882). The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss. New York: A.D.F. Randolph. 
  2. ↑ James, Sharon (2004). Elizabeth Prentiss: More Love to Thee. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth. 
  3. ↑ James, p.16 .
  4. ↑ James, p. 18.
  5. ↑ James, pp. 27-28.
  6. ↑ Prentiss, p. 95.
  7. ↑ James, 66-67.
  8. ↑ James, 78.
  9. ↑ James, 89.
  10. ↑ James, p. 94-95.
  11. ↑ James, 143.
  12. ↑ Prentiss, p. 527.
  13. ↑ Prentiss, preface.
  14. ↑ Search results = au:Elizabeth Prentiss, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Oct. 25, 2013.

External links[]

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