Fanny Crosby was a prolific hymn writer, writing more than 8,000 hymns. Soon after she was born in 1820, it was realised that she was totally blind. Before she was one year old her father died, so Fanny was cared for by her mother Mercy and her maternal grandmother Eunice.
The family moved to New York and experienced financial hardship. Fanny’s grandmother Eunice was determined that her granddaughter would flourish despite being blind. She read classics like Shakespeare and Don Quixote to Fanny, taught her about nature, and taught her to memorise many verses from the Bible. Fanny said, ‘It was Grandma who brought the Bible to me, and me to the Bible.’
In 1849, a cholera outbreak flooded both the city and the New York Institution of the Blind where Fanny was studying. Many of Fanny’s friends died. One night, Fanny dreamed of a friend who appeared close to death. He asked about her eternal salvation. When she woke up, Fanny felt unsettled and began attending numerous churches.
