Elisha Hoffman

Elisha Albright (E. A.) Hoffman (born May 7, 1839 in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, USA; died 1929 in Chicago, Illinois) was a Presbyterian minister, composer of over 2,000 hymns and editor of over 50 song books. The son of an Evangelical minister, Hoffman grew up singing sacred hymns both in church and in the home with his parents. After completing high school, Hoffman furthered his education at Union Seminary in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, and was subsequently ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1868.

Following his seminary education, Hoffman began work with the publishing branch of the Evangelical Association in Cleveland, Ohio. After serving in this position for 11 years, Hoffman held several pastoral positions in the midwest. He pastored churches in both Cleveland and Grafton, Ohio, in the 1880s; moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan and the First Presbyterian Church in the mid-1890s; and finished his ministry in Cabery, Illinois from 1911-22. Hoffman died in 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, and is buried there in Oak Woods Cemetery.

During the course of his life, Hoffman composed over 2,000 hymns, and edited over 50 song books, including: The Evergreen, 1873; Spiritual Songs for Gospel Meetings and the Sunday School, 1878; Temperance Jewels (Boston, Massachusetts: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1879); Bells of Victory (Boston, Massachusetts: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1888); Pentecostal Hymns No. 1 (Chicago, Illinois: Hope Publishing Company, 1894); Favorite Gospel Songs: A Tune Book (Jersey City, New Jersey: J. N. Davis, 1894); and Jubilant Voices (Chicago, Illinois: Hope Publishing Company, 1907).

Elisha Albright Hoffman was born May 7, 1839 in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Hoffman’s parents, Francis A. and Rebecca A. Hoffman, were both of German descent. His father worked as a minister in the Evangelical Association for over 60 years, which likely influenced Hoffman’s decision to enter the ministry.

Hoffman’s musical education was obtained from his parents. While possessing natural musical abilities, Hoffman never attended a school of music. Any musical instruction Hoffman received came from his experiences at his father’s church or at home. In addition to singing at church, the Hoffman household had a daily family worship time, of which hymn singing was an important part. Hoffman, therefore, became very familiar with the musical and spiritual tradition of Evangelical hymnology at a very early age. It was during these times of family worship that Hoffman developed a love for sacred music and a belief that song was “as natural a function of the soul as breathing was a function of the body.”

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