Susanna Anthony
Encyclopedia
Susanna Anthony was an American diarist.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island
as the youngest daughter of a goldsmith
, she was raised as a Quaker but converted to a Congregationalist
in the midst of the First Great Awakening
in 1741. Anthony never married and lived an uneventful life but her diary chronicles a complicated spiritual existence. She penned over a thousand pages of diary entries which were excerpted by pastor Samuel Hopkins for his 1796 book The Life and Character of Miss Susanna Anthony. She kept a daily account of her life until 1769 (or none following that date were preserved by the time of Hopkins' book) but of those only a single volume (covering November 1, 1748 to May 5, 1751) currently survives, owned by the Connecticut Historical Society
. The most notable highlight excerpted by Hopkins was the account of her 1741 conversion written years later at age 28. Some of her many letters to Hopkins and others, most frequently her friend Sarah Osborn
, were collected as Familiar Letters in 1807.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
as the youngest daughter of a goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
, she was raised as a Quaker but converted to a Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in the midst of the First Great Awakening
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
in 1741. Anthony never married and lived an uneventful life but her diary chronicles a complicated spiritual existence. She penned over a thousand pages of diary entries which were excerpted by pastor Samuel Hopkins for his 1796 book The Life and Character of Miss Susanna Anthony. She kept a daily account of her life until 1769 (or none following that date were preserved by the time of Hopkins' book) but of those only a single volume (covering November 1, 1748 to May 5, 1751) currently survives, owned by the Connecticut Historical Society
Connecticut Historical Society
The Connecticut Historical Society is the official state historical society of Connecticut. Established in Hartford in 1825, the CHS is one of the oldest historical societies in the nation....
. The most notable highlight excerpted by Hopkins was the account of her 1741 conversion written years later at age 28. Some of her many letters to Hopkins and others, most frequently her friend Sarah Osborn
Sarah Osborn
Sarah Osborn was an American author.-References:* Gould, Phillip. "Sarah Osborn." Mulford, Carla, Vietto, Angela, and Winans, Amy E., American women prose writers to 1820, Dictionary of Literary Biography vol. 200, Gale, 1999.-External link:* at Google Books...
, were collected as Familiar Letters in 1807.
External links
- The life and character of Miss Susanna Anthony at Google Books
- Familiar Letters at Google Books