Susan Warner (1819-1885) and Anna Warner (1827-1915) were born in New York. Their father, Henry Warner, was a lawyer, and their mother was a wealthy socialite from Hudson Square. Both of their parents lineage could be traced back to the Puritans. Their mother died while they were still young, and their father's sister, Fanny, came to live with them and raise them.
They were well to do until the "Panic of 1837". This left the family drained of finances due to lawsuits and bad investments, and they moved into an old home on Constitution Island, across from the military academy West Point.
It was after this that the girls came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and became members of the Mercer Street Presbyterian church. This is where they met their good friend and fellow author, Elizabeth Payson Prentiss, who was their pastor's wife in the 1850's.
The girls wanted to help their family's financial situation and so they started writing. They both became well known Christian authors of their time writing around 106 publications. It was in one of these, a novel titled Say And Seal, that the famous children's hymn Jesus Loves Me was born. Susan was writing about a little boy named Johnny Fox who was dying. In the story, his Sunday School teacher sings him a little song. Susan asked Anna to write the song that would be sung by the character.
Jesus loves me- this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong-
They are weak, but He is strong.
Jesus loves me- loves me still,
Though I'm very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie.
Jesus loves me- He will stay,
Close beside me all the way.
Then His little child He'll take,
Up to heaven for His dear sake.
The three familiar verses of Jesus Loves Me were then penned, They were changed by William Bradbury when he wrote the melody that they were to be sung to, and they have been sung by children around the world ever since, with the added chorus:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Susan and Anna started teaching Bible classes for those who were going through the military academy. For forty years these ladies taught the cadets that went through. Though both were only civilians who lived near the military academy, they were buried in the West Point cemetery will full military honors. Their home has become a museum to their remembrance which is still maintained by West Point.
Their far reaching effects are best seen in the story of the PT-109, a torpedo boat, commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy in 1943 (who later became president). During World War II, PT-109 was rammed and sunk near the Solomon Islands. Eleven of the survivors swam from island to island until they found Olasana Island where they found coconut trees and drinkable water. Some native's from Australia found the survivors who sang them the song Jesus Loves Me written by the ladies who taught the cadets so long ago.
