E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss

Born in Portland, Maine, on October 26, 1818, she was the daughter of pastor and writer Edward Payson. She worked as a teacher before marrying George Lewis Prentiss in 1845, and her life later included years in Massachusetts, New York, and a period in Europe.

She became widely known as a devotional writer, poet, and hymn writer. Many readers remember her most for the hymn "More Love to Thee" and for Stepping Heavenward, a novel that has stayed popular for generations because of its plainspoken spiritual insight and close attention to ordinary daily life.

Her writing was shaped by deep Christian faith and by personal sorrow, including serious illness and family losses. She died in Dorset, Vermont, on August 13, 1878, but her work has continued to reach readers who value gentle, heartfelt religious writing.