Ada Ruth Habershon (8 January 1861-1918) was an English

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

hymnist, best known for her 1907

gospel song Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

" Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" for which the tune was composed by Charles H. Gabriel.

Biography

Ada R. Habershon was born in Marylebone, England, on 8 January 1861. Her father, Dr. Samuel Osborne Habershon, was a noted physician; her mother was Grace Habershon. She was raised in Chelsea, London, in a Christian home. In her twenties, she was a member of the circle surrounding Charles Spurgeon. She met Dwight L. Moody and

Ira D. Sankey Ira David Sankey (August 28, 1840 – August 13, 1908) was an American gospel singer and composer, known for his long association with Dwight L. Moody in a series of religious revival campaigns in America and Britain during the closing decades o ...

in 1884 during their preaching tour of England. At their urging, she visited the United States, delivering a series of lectures on the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

that were later published. Habershon's first foray into hymn writing came in 1899, when she wrote several hymns in the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

. She wrote her first English language hymns in 1901, while ill. In 1905, Charles M. Alexander and

R. A. Torrey Reuben Archer Torrey (28 January 1856 – 26 October 1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. He aligned with Keswick theology. Biography Torrey was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of a banker. He graduated from ...

toured the United Kingdom, and Alexander asked Habershon to write hymns for use during this evangelistic tour. Habershon ultimately sent Alexander over 200 hymns.

Works

* ''Types in the Old Testament'', 1898 * ''Vorbilder: Christus im alten Testament'', 1899 * ''The Study of the Types'' (London: Morgan & Scott, 1898) * ''The Study of the Parables'' (London: Nisbet, 1904) * ''The Bible and the British Museum'' (London: Morgan & Scott, 1904) * ''The Priests and Levites, a Type of the Church; a Bible Study'', 1908 * ''A Sevenfold Method of Studying the Epistles to the Seven Churches'', 1914 * ''Hidden Pictures: Or, How the New Testament is Concealed in the Old Testament'' (London: Flemming H. Revell Company, 1916) * ''The Day of Atonement in Its Prophetic Aspect'', 1916 * ''A Gatherer of Fresh Spoil; an Autobiography and Memoir'', 1918 * ''I Am a Prayer and Other Poems'', 1918 * ''Israel’s Exodus: Past and Future'', 1918 * ''Outline Study of the Tabernacle'' * ''The Victorian Handbook of Types'' * ''Study of the Miracles'' * ''The Titles of the Lord of Glory'', 1910 (with a preface by Sir Robert Anderson) * '' Exploring in New Testament Fields''

References / External Links

Profile from Public Domain Music
at the Cyber Hymnal
List of Hymns from hymnary.org
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Habershon, Ada 1861 births 1918 deaths Christian hymnwriters English hymnwriters 19th-century English musicians British women hymnwriters 19th-century British women musicians

Biography

Works

See also

References / External Links