Fanny Allen
| Frances Margaret "Fanny" Allen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Order | Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
November 13, 1784 Sunderland, Vermont |
| Died | September 10, 1819 (aged 34) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Religious career | |
| Profession | May 18, 1811 |
Frances Margaret ("Fanny") Allen (November 13, 1784 – September 10, 1819) was the first New England woman to become a Catholic nun. The daughter of Revolutionary War General Ethan Allen, she converted to Catholicism and entered the convent of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph in Montreal in 1811.
Born on November 13, 1784, Frances Margaret Allen was the eldest child of the American patriot Ethan Allen and his second wife, Frances Montresor Brush Buchanan Allen. She was born in a house built by her father on the side of the Batten Kill in Sunderland, Vermont. Her family moved to various settlements in Vermont in her youth, and Frances, who was called Fanny, spent her childhood in Burlington, Westminster, and Swanton.
She was four years old when her father died suddenly on February 12, 1789. After her father's death, the family moved to Westminster to live with their maternal grandmother. It was in Westminster that Allen's mother married Dr. Jabez Penniman in 1793. Penniman cared for Fanny as if she were his own daughter, showing a great interest in her education.
In her youth, Allen reported having a mysterious experience that would later be a major factor in her decision to enter Catholic religious life. The story, in her own words, goes as follows:
When I was twelve years old, I was walking one day on the banks of the river which flowed not very far from our house. The water, although very clear, rolled by in torrents. Suddenly I beheld emerging from the river an animal more resembling a monster than a fish, for it was of extraordinary size and horrid shape. It was coming directly toward me and sent a chill of terror through me. What aggravated my peril was that I could not turn away from this monster. I seemed paralyzed and rooted to the ground. While I was in this torturing situation, I saw advancing toward me a man with a venerable and striking countenance, wearing a brown cloak and carrying a staff in his hand. He took hold of my arm gently and gave me strength to move while he said most kindly to me: "My child, what are you doing here? Hasten away." I then ran as fast as I could. When I was some distance off, I turned to look at this venerable man, but I could see him nowhere.
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