Florence Morse Kingsley (1859 - 1937)

Florence Morse Kingsley (July 14, 1859 – November 7, 1937) was an American authoress of popular and religious fiction. Florence Morse Kingsley was born in Poe, Medina County, Ohio, to artists Eleanor Ecob and Jonathan Bradley Morse. Florence grew up in Brecksville Township, Ohio where her parents were educators in the local school district. Florence Morse Kingsley was a contemporary of fellow writer Lew Wallace, the author of Ben-Hur. The influence of her early Wellesley days were captured in her books: When Kingsley was thirty-five, a publisher held a writing competition to obtain the best manuscript that would inspire a child’s faith for Christ. It was in this contest that Florence Kingsley submitted her manuscript for Titus: A Comrade of the Cross. In six weeks, 200,000 copies had been printed to meet demand. She later published two other works of Christian fiction: the sequel to her original entitled Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross, and the epic tale The Cross Triumphant. Kingsley was featured in, and a contributing writer to, the Ladies' Home Journal.