Catherine Harbison Waterman Esling

Esling, Catherine H., née Watterman, was born in 1812, and married in 1840 to George J. Esling, of Philadelphia. Her poems were collected and published in 1850 as The Broken Bracelet, and other Poems. She is widely known as the author of "Come unto Me, when shadows darkly gather" (Invitation), which appeared in the Christian Keepsake annual, 1839, in 9 stanzas of 4 lines. It is usually given in an abbreviated form. Mrs. Esling is a member of the American Protestant Episcopal Church. (Nutter, 1884, p. 253.)

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)