author
David De Forest Burrell
1876–1950
A Presbyterian minister and storyteller, he wrote gentle religious fiction and devotional pieces that often returned to Bethlehem, Christmas, and everyday faith. His books have a warm, old-fashioned style shaped by both pastoral work and family ties to the well-known preacher David James Burrell.
1 Audiobook
The hermit's Christmas
by David De Forest Burrell
About the author
Born in Chicago on June 29, 1876, he was the son of the prominent Presbyterian minister David James Burrell and Clara Sergeant De Forest Burrell. He studied at Yale, graduating in 1898, and later became a clergyman himself.
Alongside his ministry, he wrote a number of short religious works and stories, including How They Came to Bethlehem, When the Blind Saw, Letters from the Dominie, The Hermit's Christmas, and The Lost Star. He also wrote David James Burrell: A Biography in 1929, a natural extension of his family background and church-centered life.
He died in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1950. Although not widely known today, his writing still carries the quiet appeal of early twentieth-century devotional literature: brief, reflective, and closely tied to Christian themes.