William Scribner (March 13, 1820 – March 28, 1884) was an American preacher, Presbyterian minister, and author whose writings on prayer and child salvation left a modest but enduring mark on 19th-century evangelicalism. Born in New York City to Charles Scribner, a dry goods merchant who later co-founded the publishing firm Baker & Scribner, and Hannah Porter, he grew up in a well-to-do family with ties to religious publishing—his brother Charles Scribner I launched Charles Scribner’s Sons. Educated privately, Scribner graduated from Princeton University in 1840 with classical training, then studied at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was ordained in 1844 by the Presbytery of New York. Scribner’s preaching career began as assistant pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Jersey City, New Jersey (1844–1846), followed by a pastorate at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City (1846–1850). Known for a gentle, earnest style, he focused on personal piety and family faith, themes central to his books Pray For Your Children; or, An Appeal to Parents to Pray Continually for the Welfare and Salvation of Their Children (1873) and "These Little Ones": What God Has Commanded Touching Their Church Membership (1878). After health issues forced a break, he served as stated supply in Red Bank, New Jersey (1855–1856), and later worked as a Bible agent in Michigan and a missionary in New York’s Bellevue Hospital. Married to Ellen Augusta White in 1848, he had no children, pouring his pastoral care into his flock and writings.