Grace Livingston Hill and her family of writers

Both of Grace's parents, Rev. Charles Livingston and Marcia Macdonald Livingston, were writers. While both of them wrote for publications like "The Pansy", Marcia wrote a few books of her own (usually as Mrs. C.M. Livingston) and collaborated on several with her sister, Isabella Macdonald Alden. This great family photo shows Grace with daughter Margaret, and her mother, Marcia, and father, Charles—reading, of course!

Grace's aunt, Isabella Macdonald Alden was better known to millions of readers as "Pansy". She was a beloved writer of Christian literature and a popular speaker at Chautauqua meetings and Sunday School conferences. Not only did she author nearly twice as many books as Grace, she was editor and writer for her own magazine called "The Pansy". You can read more about Grace's "Auntie Belle" at our Pansy website.

Aunt Isabella's son, Raymond Macdonald Alden was also an author, and a professor of literature at Leland Stanford University. Raymond was known for his scholarly work and authored a number of college textbooks on the subject. He was also a noted authority on Shakespeare. Many readers remember his well-known Christmas tale, "Why the Chimes Rang". This popular story was written when his mother was too ill to finish a writing assignment. She asked him to write a story in her place and a classic was born. He also wrote for "The Pansy" under the pen name "Paranete".

Grace's uncle, the Rev. G. R. Alden was a writer and helped edit "The Pansy" weekly magazine. "The Pansy" seemed to be a family effort—everyone appeared in print in one issue or another. He wrote as G.R.A. Uncle Ross also wrote a small book, "Glimpses of Boyhood" which is a companion to his wife's book "Glimpses of Girlhood".

Grace's first husband, the Rev. Thomas Guthrie Franklin Hill, wrote for Christian Endeavor. Along with Grace, he wrote two volumes of "Christian Endeavor Hour with Light for the Leader". This was a guide book for leaders of Christian Endeavor youth groups.

Grace's daughters, Margaret Livingston Hill and Ruth Glover Hill (her pen name was Ruth Livingston Hill), published books as well. Margaret published three books, but Ruth was a bit more prolific. Ruth finished Grace's last book, "Mary Arden". She went on to write several novels in a similar style. Later in life, she wrote Bible study curriculum and was a noted Bible teacher and missionary.

Grace's grandson, Robert Livingston Munce, wrote her biography and is founder and president of Munce Marketing Group, the largest independent Christian bookstore marketing firm in the industry.

Grace's Half-Grand Uncle Horatio Gates Spafford is best known for writing the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" as well as writing other works. And yes, the "Spafford" name in "Marcia Schuyler" comes from Grace's family tree—her grandmother's name was Myra Spafford

Cousin Frances Livingston Wells Henry wrote a beautiful memorial sketch of her husband, E.L.. Henry, who was a famous artist in the 1800's. He gave Grace a number of paintings to use for Marcia Schuyler, Phoebe Deane, and Miranda. You can learn more about the art of the Marcia Schuyler trilogy at our E. L. Henry website.

Words definitely run in the family!