Susanna Annesley (1669 to 1742)
Church of England
25th Child Managed 19 of Her Own
Susanna Annesley was born the daughter of a nonconformist minister, in London, the youngest of 25 children. She renounced Nonconformity early in life, giving her allegiance to the Church of England. In 1689, she married Samuel Wesley. Over the next nineteen years she bore him 19 children, the last two being John (1703) and Charles (1707) Wesley. In 1709 there was a fire at the rectory, and the mother played a notable heroic part in saving the lives of John and Charles. Taking a mother's place in the education of her children, Susannah Wesley is said to have spent time each day with each child personally and individually, teaching them the things of God. She was a remarkable preacher's daughter, preacher's wife, and preacher's mother.
