Hanna Dyson I was born at Kerkstill in the parish of Kerkhetten in the Year 1728 My Father was a Clothmaker In my young Years my parents sent me to School Till I was so old that I could do some service at home I was of a very brisk & Lively turn of mind And I perceived often that if God did not preserve me I should run into uter ruing as I felt My basness & inclination there to stir very much in me my Father & Mother was always for there Children going to school Church very Constant & I got a great Liking thereto As I alwas lik’d to here what I could there & when ever I went to Church I uste to pray the Lord to bless me very earnestly & to bestow great blessing on me I uste to be very Much Consernd but did not then understand ye meaning thereof One time being in Very great Distress I went out in the Barn to pray & as I pray’d I wisht to God that he would answer me my prayer and preserve & keep me to the end of my days and make me his faithfull Servent but in a perticular Manner I pray’d that he would Give me his grace at that time, which might endure throought all the Days of My Life One Night I Drempt that we had Company & I going to attend on them on a Low flower I ment to men the One was was Drest in dark Collor and the Other in a Long read Robe he that was in black One ask’d me wether of them I should chose I was agoing I told him about my busyness he then ask’d me wich of them too I shoud chose, I then arnesty Looked on them both but did not directly give it Answer he said wether did I chose Heaven & Hell I said one always chose

Heaven you know he ask’d me again which of us then do you chuse I answerd him hastily not you, but this and standing nearest him in the Red Robe I got hold on him he then smiled at me & bowed his Head I also moved to him and got hold of the robe and wanted to look what was under it he then smiled again and bow’d his Head & said not yet I then was very much ashamed that I made so free with him, but he held out his hand & Smiled I then Looking down to the Ground lost sight of them both and so I awaked with a deep Soncern On my mind just then about there was a great talk about some prechers that sung hymns & pray’d & precht in Barns and particularly Misr Ingam who was just then come out of Jorde they called him a new found pretcher and so my Sisr And me whent one Night to here him But he mist that Night coming where he should have precht & so we must here him On my rode I went with some Body who lent me a little hymn Book I Learnt some verses there by which I uste frequently to sing soon after this my Mother fell sick & whent in to a Consomtion And dyd I then thought I had Lost one of my best friends I could have but being then left with my Father & Grandmother she was very good to me & kept me very close to my Book especialy asundays so that I might get amoungst no saught of lose Company, soon after my Mother Departer my Father also who was really a good & tender father over his Children Dyd I then whent to service being in my 13th Year I then begun to get more into things belong to the would which sated my inclination but as I had been brought up in another way I was not always satisfied there with becaus I did not know there ways rightly My

At one place where I was I fell sick & got the ague where I was obliged to live My place I had about a duzen or 14 Mile to go back to my native place And over Larg Commons to some where my master brought me alone back to the Last Common to so biding Farewell to him I sat me down & began to weep heartily Being exceeding Burdend with my Cloths & so weak that I scarsely say any means of getting to my Unkle where I was agowing & have no right home to go to made it very heard to me But I prayd to God that he would help & direct me how to go on I wept in a perticular manner thinking that with not praying sickness had come upon me Now I was not Long destant for ahome as my Ant in a few Days sent for me & said I should stay as Long as my sickness Lasted which was a great while but she behaved as a tender mother over me I then being quit recoverd I went to Harchet to see my Sisr And soon after then I wen to here Misr Ingam at Fox rode at Mirfeild he preached on 63d Chapr O Ezah who is this that cometh from edom with dyd Garmants for Bozrah this that is Glorous in his aperel Traveling in the Greatness of his strength I was very much tuched at this and though I never heard such preaching in my Life Soon after I begin to here the Bretheren & I was exceeding miserable thinking that all Preching & praying prevailed nothing on me but that I should be Lost & mend forever One Night I was exceedngly overcome with terror & fright thinking that I should go to hell & so should never be saved But in a little while I begun to grow eager & so being by my self at my busyness all at once I was exceeding seazed upon for Our dear Savr at that time manifested him self before my Heart and I say as Clearly as if I had seen him Crucifyed before my eyes that Left such an imprestion upon me that I was obliged to set down and I was quiet surprised what was come to me but and as miserable as I was before so happy was that after for I believed was, so that they perceived my chearfullness was well so my pease was I had was often spoken with & told that both going to hear ther prechers I was growne quite molencolly and again after a little while I begun to grow miserable again, but I gladly would have overcome it with like mindedness and things belonging to this world thinking there by to have Satisfaction & strove against it as much as lade in my power. one Sunday as I whent to Church (and always going to ran ahead) I though I would miss & so going home I got to my Companons as soon as possible and while we where to gether the Master of the house cameing & we whent but but he said as long as we was so altogether (and me amongst them) there would never be no good done which struck me so when I heard him that I left my Companions I made a resolution to mis the pritching no more and so but of & when but to rawhead but the preaching was half over then after a little while I begun to think that I could like to belong to the society accordingly I whent to Bror & Sisr Ockerhousen and told them my mind & Intention they askued me if I had quite Lost my inclination for the things of this world & how a soul should be that was a County member how was they gave me Leave to go to the county she next time so as soon as my Sisr perceived that I would belong to the Bretheren

She begun to think that I was better then her which caused a great dissagrement betwen us Brother & Sisr Ockerhousen got ordered me to go to Kane Wartons where I sayed near too year & from thence I removed to Cleckheaton to Live with Sarah rite & her Mother being engaged some where else & there I stayed from thence I removed in the Oeconomy when it begun at Clekheaton the same year the 22d of May the same Y I was received into the Congregation soon after I began to think very much about the Lordsupper & the Year following I became a Candidate in May when Broth Johanas & Benigna was here & on the 10th of July I had the Grace to be a pertaker for the first time Which in deed was every particular Grace & Bless for my poor heart & found it was a real food for my soul here I found my dear Saviour Begun a new school with me the Next Year after I removed from Cleckheaton to the home Oeconomy where I stayed about a Year & then I removed to the Low house to that Oeconomy & from thence to the Toop of the Hill Hear it was quite a new beganing to me & found it often very needfull to beg our Savr for Grace to help me thro’ with soon after I removed To the hall to weight on the Bretheren & Sister where I served about 2 Years ??? true I look on this as a great favour I found it was great Blessing to me to be amongst the Brethren & Sisrs & to serve them next I removed in to the Choir House but here I found it difficulter then ever I often pray’d to my Savr to help me thro’ with every thing after awhile I midst the Lords supper on the account of which I did find it still hard to be a sinner But I pray’d Our Savr that he would for give Me and take me again as his poor Sinner which he really did in Our dear Savr gave me Leave to enjoy that highest good the next time The tim after I mist again but I had leave to go the time following Now soon after this the a place Congregation was settled which was put very Close to us and was told us what would be required of every Broth & Sisr belonging in must do a place Congregation this was a perticular matter to me and especialy as times was very Critical with me I could not just resolve what to do firs we had it told by Bror Johanas in the Great Hall when was realy a Strikeing matter to me after wards in our owne meeting Hall at firs it put me a little to it but soon I saw there was no way but to give my self intirely to our Saviour to be his & what he pleas’d to do with me & that day I never forgot it soon after this I mist the Lordssupper again then I begun to reason very much & wounderd what was the matter that things whent so heard I when by myself into the Burying Ground and prayd our Saviour that he would make it Clear to me if it was my right place to be here or no for I realy was quite far & I did not know what to think & if he had some other view with me he would make me satisfyd that have ever I might have some Satisfaction. my Life some times I prayed our Savr that if he had some other view with me that he would bless my heart & give me a Grace which I felt he very often did

Now I begun to think wether I had done right or not with asking our Sav so far but soon after I became quite Satisfyed & I was clear in my Heart our Savr was Satisfyed tho’ things whent on but poorly soon after it was told me Conserning going to the Sisrs hous at Beedforde I had not the Least objections to make on this account but I found it so in my Heart that if our Savr & his Congn ordered it so with me I was quite Satisfyd tho’ I cant say but it caused me a deal of pain to leave this dear place Congn where I had so sensible felt my dear Savrs nearness. We set out on ye 18th of June in the year 60 with the Blessing of the Congn & on the 24th we arrived in Bedford in the Sisrs House here Our Savr begun quite a new school with our Savr began quite a new school with me & I felt I stood in need of his nearness in a prticular manner & I often keep band with my dear Savr to Comfort me for I felt the want of this dear place Congregation so much that sometimes I could not be satisfy’d but after awhile I begun to be better Satisfyed for I believed it was the place for me [Illegible] [Illegible] [Illegible] [Illegible] [Illegible] After awhile here [Illegible] [Illegible] Then I begun to think that if I could live the Bretheren I should have nothing against if But as our dear Savr who always steeped before my Heart Comforted me at that time also not long after it was told me I should come again to fullneck which I received with a glad heart and when I got to my dear Choir hous again I beged our Savr to grant me bouth the Old & new feeling which I can truly say he has now But I haveing a very sickly Tabernickel since the time of my comeing it has often caused me perplexity on account of my Comeing thro’ ???? at my turn the General Synod being & here what our Savr had to say to the Congn it affected me very much I thought I must take a great part there in I often uste to go out & beg our Savr to make a new begin with me And he did frequently steep before my Heart & Comfort me. In Ocktobr I feel sick so that I thought that our Savr would take me to himself but how ever it did not happen at that time Our Savr has had a perticular schooling with Savr me which in the end has proved perticularly blesst to me this year has been a very sickly one with me so that I often felt my self very weakly which has made me think often Our Savr perhaps intended to take me to himself & I do Injoy his nearness in a perticular manner