Hannah Heaton (1721–1794)

Hannah Heaton was a colonial American farm wife and mother. In 1743, she married Theophilus Heaton, Jr., with whom she settled in North Haven, Connecticut and had two sons. Beginning in 1741, she kept a diary that spanned 40 years, from the Great Awakening through the American Revolutionary War. The manuscript was preserved for 200 years before being published for the first time in 2003. The diary offers an unparalleled look at the inner life of a devoutly religious and intensely self-aware 18th-century American woman. She was a staunch patriot who carefully recorded her impressions of the Revolution, its political policies and military engagements, in additional to the details of her own private life. Today the diary serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students of colonial history, women's studies, and religion in America.