Anna Benigna Ettwein (1749-1834)

Name:
Anna Benigna Ettwein
First name:
Anna Benigna
Last name:
Ettwein (birth)
Birth date:
1749-06-19
Birth place:

Herrnhaag, Netherlands

Death date:
1834-07-16
Death place:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Gender:
Female
ML ID:

mlper000351

Relations (family):

Memoir:

  • Archive: Bethlehem Archives
  • Shelfmark: MemBeth0848

Anna Benigna Ettwein was born on June 19, 1749, in Herrnhaag, Netherlands, the daughter of prominent Moravian Bishop Johannes Ettwein, and was raised in Moravian children's schools before being received into the Single Sisters' Choir following early travels to England and North America. Her life was marked by candid spiritual introspection — including periods of doubt and dryness — as well as profound grief at the loss of both her mother and her father in 1802, through which she maintained an enduring faith and longing for the Savior. She departed peacefully in August 1834 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in her eighty-fifth year, leaving behind a memoir written partially in her own words that stands as a testament to her lifelong spiritual journey.