He Went About Doing Good

Full Name: Crosswell, William
Birth Year: 1804
Death Year: 1851

William Crosswell, sometimes spelled William Croswell in later publications, was an American Episcopal clergyman, poet, and hymn writer active in the first half of the nineteenth century. He was born on November 7, 1804, in Hudson, New York, into a clerical family. His father was Rev. Dr. Crosswell of New Haven, who later played a significant role in preserving and publishing his son’s literary work after his death.

Crosswell received his early education at Yale College, from which he graduated in 1822. After graduation, he initially pursued legal studies, though this path was short lived. He soon redirected his vocational focus toward theology, entering Hartford College as a theological student. His theological training culminated in his reception of Holy Orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1829, marking the formal beginning of his clerical career.

In the same year as his ordination, Crosswell became Rector of Christ Church, Boston, a prominent parish in New England. His ministry later took him to St. Peter’s Church in Auburn, New York, where he served beginning in 1840. In 1844, he returned to Boston as Rector of the Church of the Advent, a position he held until his death. His clerical career was characterized by steady parish service rather than ecclesiastical advancement or institutional leadership.

During his earlier years at Hartford, specifically in 1827 and 1828, Crosswell assisted in editing the periodical The Watchman, to which he contributed a number of poetic compositions. These writings form the foundation of his later reputation as a hymn writer and religious poet. His hymns were composed primarily for specific liturgical seasons or ecclesiastical occasions, including Advent, Lent, Epiphany, Ordination, and benevolent ministries.

Among his best known hymns are “Lord, go with us, and we go”, derived from his longer work titled the “Traveller’s Hymn”, and “Lord, lead the way the Savior went”, written in 1831 for the Howard Benevolent Society of Boston. The latter has been widely regarded as one of the most enduring American hymns associated with charitable and benevolent service. Other hymns include “Now gird your patient loins again” for Advent and “O Savior, leave us not alone” for Lent.

Crosswell also produced a translation of the Latin hymn “Veni, Creator Spiritus”, rendered as “Creator, Spirit, come and bless us.” Despite the quality of his work, many of his hymns did not achieve wide circulation in English hymnals during his lifetime.

William Crosswell died suddenly in Boston on November 9, 1851, at the age of forty seven. His literary legacy was preserved through posthumous publications. His Poems were collected by his father and edited with a memoir by Dr. Arthur Cleveland Coxe, later Bishop Coxe, and published in 1861. These volumes remain the primary source for his hymn texts and poetic writings.