Edwards, Sarah Pierpont (1710–1758)

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Edwards, Sarah Pierpont (1710–1758)

American mystic. Born Sarah Pierpont, Jan 9, 1710, in New Haven, Connecticut; died Oct 2, 1758, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; dau. of James Pierpont (pastor and co-founder of Yale College) and Mary Hooker (granddau. of Reverend Thomas Hooker who founded Hartford); m. Jonathan Edwards (pastor), 1727; children: Sarah, Jerusha, Esther, Mary, Lucy, Timothy, Susannah, Eunice, Jonathan, Elizabeth and Pierpont Edwards.

Puritan mystic, known for her piety and beauty, married Yale graduate and pastor Jonathan Edwards (1727); moved to Northampton parsonage with husband and participated in Northampton revivals (1738), experiencing ecstasies similar to those of St. Teresa of Avila and recording experiences in diary; followed husband to posting in Stockbridge (MA) parsonage and Indian mission, at edge of frontier; a practical pioneer woman, lived resourcefully and fearlessly while caring for 11 children; made home center of hospitality, welcoming guests and caring for soldiers quartered in barracks; had good relations with Native Americans of area as well.

See also Edna Gerstner, Jonathan and Sarah: An Uncommon Union (Soli Deo Gloria, 1995).