Susanna Annesley Wesley (1669-1742) - Find a Grave Memorial

Religious Figure. She was the mother of John and Charles Wesley, the founders of the Methodist Church in England, and is sometimes referred to as the "Mother of Methodism." The youngest of 25 children, her father was a Dissenter of the Church of England and formed his own church. However, at age 12, she stopped attending her father's church and joined the Church of England. She married poet and cleric Samuel Wesley at the age of 19, and they had 19 children but only 10 survived infancy. The family struggled financially and their home burned down on two separate occasions. In 1710, when her husband was absent of a long period of time, she began to hold service every Sunday evening in the rectory kitchen for the benefit of her children and servants. Word of mouth spread, others asked permission to come, until she was preaching to around 200 people crammed into and out of the kitchen. Though her husband protested on his return that it was unseemly for a woman to hold prayers, she continued this practice for years in spite of his hearty opposition. After her husband's death in 1835, she continued her practice until her own death at the age of 73. Many historians contend that her "kitchen prayers" were the seed of the Methodist movement.

Bio by: William Bjornstad