Ann Stead (1730-1772)

Name:: Ann Walker

First name:: Ann

Last name:: Walker (birth)

Last name:: Stead (married)

Birth date:: 1730-03-28
Birth place:: Bradford
Death date:: 1772-06-12
Death place:: Dudley Hill, Bradford

Gender:: Female
ML ID:: mlper000568

Relations (family):

John Walker, parent
Isaac Stead, spouse
John Stead, child
Sarah Stead, child
Mary Stead, child
Joshua Stead, child
Richard Stead, child
William Stead, child
Robert Stead, child
James Stead, child
Joshua Stead, child

Memoir:

Archive: Fulneck Archives
Shelfmark: Ful/3/33

Ann Stead was born at Bradford on March 28, 1730, raised in the Church of England with little religious concern until her 1750 marriage to a Brethren member whose quiet faithfulness drew her gradually toward the congregation, where a vision of the dying Christ during a meeting brought her a sudden and lasting assurance of forgiveness. Received into the congregation in 1757 and admitted to communion in 1761, she spent her remaining years in close spiritual communion with the Savior, bearing ten children, five of whom predeceased her, and enduring a prolonged final illness with a serenity that made her sickroom a place of grace for all who visited. She died on June 13, 1772, in her forty-third year, having declared that she would not recover for a thousand worlds and that she could resign her soul to her Savior with the same composure as falling asleep at night.

View Transcription of Memoir

1
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.