Fanny Crosby
Frances Jane van Alstyne , more commonly known as Fanny Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. A member of the Sixth Avenue Bible Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, she wrote many hymns together with her pastor, Robert Lowry. She was one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing over 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with over 100 million copies printed, despite being blind from shortly after birth. She is also known for her teaching, and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name.
Frances Jane Fanny Crosby was born on March 24, 1820, in the village of Brewster, about 50 miles north of New York City. She was the only child of John Crosby, a widower who had a daughter from his first marriage, and his second wife, Mercy Crosby, both of whom were relatives of Revolutionary War spy Enoch Crosby. According to C. Bernard Ruffin, John and Mercy were possibly first cousins, however by the time Fanny Crosby came to write her memoirs , the fact that her mother and father were related... had become a source of embarrassment, and she maintained that she did not know anything about his lineage.
Source: Wikipedia