Phelps, Sylvanus Dryden, a Baptist minister, was born in Suffield, Conn., May 15, 1816; a graduate of Brown University, class of 1844. In 1846 he became pastor of the First Baptist Church at New Haven, Conn. He died November 23, 1895. Three volumes of poetry came from his pen. Five of Dr. Phelps's hymns are found in Church hymnals.