Ann Stead (1730-1772)

Title

Ann Stead (1730-1772)

Creator

Stead, Ann, 1730-1772

Publisher

Moravian Lives Project

Date

1772

Type

Text

Format

image/jpg

Description

This memoir recounts the spiritual life of Ann Stead (1730–1772), who was raised in the Church of England and initially cared little about religion. After marrying a man connected with the Moravian Brethren, she gradually became drawn to their meetings and teachings and experienced a profound religious awakening in which she felt assured of Christ’s forgiveness and love. She later joined the Moravian congregation and became deeply devoted to prayer, communion, and fellowship with Christ. The account also describes her life as a mother of ten children, the loss of five of them, and her final illness following the birth of her last child. During her sickness she remained peaceful, joyful, and unafraid of death, expressing complete trust in Christ as her “Friend & Redeemer,” and was remembered as spiritually comforting and inspiring to those who visited her before her death in 1772.

Subject

Stead, Ann, 1730-1772
Moravians--Biography
Women--Biography
Autobiographies

Identifier

Ful/3/33

Place

Fulneck, England

Language

eng

Extent

3 pages

Rights Holder

Fulneck Moravian Archives, Fulneck, England

transcript of

The Life of the mard. Sr Ann Stead who departed
to her Redeemer June 13th 1772

She herself dictated the following to her Husband.

I was born at Bradford March 28th 1730 & educated in the
Church of England. I grew up in a very careless manner
having no particular thoughts or Concern about my Salva-
tion. In the Year 1750 I was married to my present
Husband who belonged to the Brethren’s Society, but being
gay & liking the world & the ways thereof,
I was much against his going to the Brns Meetings, which occasioned
him to speak very seriously tho tenderly with me when he told me
his Reasons for going among the Brethren, & that he for him,
self was determined to continue his Connexion with them
& adhere to the Doctrine he had heard of them, but would
give me full liberty to go to divine Service
wherever I chose. I was not satisfied long to go a dif-
ferent way to my husband, & moreover seeing something
more in him than I saw in myself & many others I was
drawn to go with him. In 1751 we moved to Pudsey where
I not only attended the Meetings of the Brn but also got
reacquainted with them to the blessing of my Heart, & soon
after was received into the Society. About this Time
our Savr began to labour powerfully on my Heart, &
particularly did He make it clear to me what a wretched
miserable Sinner I was, & I continued for some Time in
great distress of Soul, not knowing what to do or how
I should be helped. In this Condition I once went in great
Heaviness to a Meeting which Br Parminter held, during
which the Lord manifested Himself to my Heart in his
bloody Form just so as He expired on the Cross, and He
asured me that He had blotted out all my Sins & received
me as by Child. This was an Hour of grace that has never

since been erased out of my Mind. Now I was full of joy
& Thankfulnes for the mercy He had shown to my Soul. &
ever since He has given me that grace that all Times
& amidst the farther knowlege I had of my own Depravity
I could always go confidently to Him with all my Concerns
& cast myself with them upon his merciful Heart & He
has approved Himself gracious & faithful to me. Jan: 6th
1757 I was recd into the Congn during an overpowering
feeling of our Savrs Love which melted my Heart in such
a Manner as I am not able to express. apr. 18th 1761 I was
admitted to the holy Communion, which grace made me
deeply ashamed, feeling my great unworthiness. This
caused me to examine more strictly into
my own Heart, & which also proved the Occasion of my
diving still deeper into for Heart of Love & experiencing
more of the grace which He had in Store for me.

So far her own Account.

She had a tender Heart to our Savr & spent her
Time in Communion with Him. Her marriage was
blest with 10 Children 5 of whom went Home before
her. She was in a poor state of Health before the
Birth of her last child in January & has never been
well since then. In her Sickness her Children lay
upon her Mind with much Concern, & she was exceedingly
pained at thinking how it might go with them, but
was obliged to commit them to the Mercy of God
She was tenderly occupied with our Savr and what He had done for her & had no Incli-
nation for Conversation about any other Subject, but
was all alive whenever He was spoken or sung of. The
time of her Sickness was a Season of real grace & Blessing

to her Heart, & on extraordinary presence of our
Savr was perceived by all the Brn & Srs whenever
they visited her, which made it a comfort & Blessing to
them. Her whole Mind was bent upon going Home,
Being asked if she should not like to recover again
she replied: “O no! I would mend again for a 1000 worlds.”
Being asked by some of her Neighbours, if she was not
afraid to die, & whether she had no dark apprehen-
sion at the Thoughts of being soon in Eternity?
She answered: “no, I have neither Fear nor dark
apprehensions, but can resign my Soul to my
Savr with joy & with the same composure & serenity as when
I go to sleep at Nights because He has granted me
the Happiness to know Him as my Friend & Redeemer.”

She had the holy Communion administred to her
twice in her House, attended with an extraordinary
Feeling of grace. Thus she remained, an Edifica:
to those who saw & spoke with her, till it pleased
our Savr to fetch her Soul to Himself in her 43d Year.