Ada R. Habershon

Ada Ruth Habershon (1861-1918) was an English Christian hymnist, best known for her 1907 gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" for which the tune was composed by Charles H. Gabriel.

Ada R. Habershon was born in Marylebone, England, on January 8, 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 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 that were later published.

Habershon's first foray into hymn writing came in 1899, when she wrote several hymns in the German language. She wrote her first English language hymns in 1901, while ill. In 1905, Charles M. Alexander and R. A. Torrey toured the United Kingdom, and Alexander asked Habershon to write hymns for use during this evangelistic tour. Habershon ultimately sent Alexander over 200 hymns.

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