Ada R. Habershon

Ada Ruth Habershon (8 January 1861 – 1 February 1918) was an English Christian hymnist and writer, best known for her 1907 gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" for which the tune was composed by Charles H. Gabriel.

Biography

Early life and ministry Ada Ruth Habershon was born in Marylebone, England, on 8 January 1861. She was the youngest of four children. Her father, Samuel Osborne Habershon, was a noted physician; her mother was Grace Habershon. She was raised in Chelsea, London, in a Christian home. Her parents were part of the Plymouth Brethren movement, although they also worshipped regularly at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Habershon was educated at a boarding school in Dover, and later studied at the Female School of Art in South Kensington for three and a half years.

Later life and death In 1912, Habershon founded the Women's Branch of the Society for the Investigation of Prophecy. The society held twice-yearly conferences, where Habershon presented papers alongside others. She was its honorary secretary until her death. Her autobiography, A Gatherer of Fresh Spoils, was compiled by her sister and published in 1918.

Works

Types in the Old Testament, 1898 Vorbilder: Christus im alten Testament, 1899 The Study of the Types (London: Morgan & Scott, 1898) The Study of the Parables (London: Nisbet, 1904) The Bible and the British Museum (London: Morgan & Scott, 1904) The Priests and Levites, a Type of the Church; a Bible Study, 1908 A Sevenfold Method of Studying the Epistles to the Seven Churches, 1914 Hidden Pictures: Or, How the New Testament is Concealed in the Old Testament (Edinburgh: Oliphants Ld, 1916) The Day of Atonement in Its Prophetic Aspect, 1916 A Gatherer of Fresh Spoil; an Autobiography and Memoir, 1918 I Am a Prayer and Other Poems, 1918 Israel’s Exodus: Past and Future, 1918 Outline Study of the Tabernacle The Victorian Handbook of Types Study of the Miracles The Titles of the Lord of Glory, 1910 (with a preface by Sir Robert Anderson) Exploring in New Testament Fields