William Ralph Featherston
(1848 - 1875)

William Ralph Featherston (1848-1875) was a Christian hymnwriter who wrote the poem My Jesus I Love Thee. He is believed to have written the poem at the age of either 12 or 16 years.
In 1876 Adoniram Gordon used the poem as lyrics for a hymn.
Featherston died prior to his 27th birthday, and is not known to have written any other songs.
Inspiration
According to Tim Challies, "Hymn Stories: My Jesus I Love Thee - Tim Challies". 10 March 2013.
Not much is known about Featherston, except that he attended a Methodist church in Montreal, that he was young when he wrote the poem (12 or 16 years old), and that he died at just 27 years of age. One story about how the poem became public is that Featherston mailed it to his aunt in Los Angeles who, upon reading it, quickly sought its publication... It wasn’t until several years after Featherstone’s death that Adoniram Judson Gordon (founder of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) added a melody and published it in his book of hymns, thus forever transforming this poem to a song.

Find A Grave memorial 108144867
William Ralph Featherston born 23 July 1846 Montreal Region, Quebec, Canada
died 20 May 1873 (aged 26) Montreal, Montreal Region, Quebec, Canada
buried Cimetière Mont-Royal, Outremont, Montreal Region, Quebec, Canada Section C5
Inscription
"My Jesus hath done all things well"
Gravesite Details death date maybe burial date. Cemetery maybe Hawthorn-Dale. For Information

https://hymnary.org/person/Featherston_William?tab=texts
William Ralph Featherston(e) Canada 1846-1873. Born at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church there. He became a Christian at age 16 while in Toronto, and is thought to have written his famous hymn about the same time. He sent the poem to his aunt, Ms. E. Featherston Wilson and she gave it to a publisher. Adoniram. J Gordon, an evangelist, founder of Gordon College & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, found the hymn in a 1870 London hymnal and was impressed with the words, but did not like the tune, so he composed the melody that has been used with the hymn ever since. Featherstone is thought to have married Julie R MacAlister in 1869 and that they had a son, John, in 1870. Featherstone died in Montreal at age 26. John Perry

William Ralph Featherston