Antonija Höffern

Antonija Höffern (; 4 February 1803 – 21 May 1871) was a Slovenian noblewoman and educator who is credited as being the first Slovenian woman to immigrate to the United States, doing so in 1837. After spending two years working as a missionary with the Ojibwe, she moved to Philadelphia, where she established an elite girls' school.

Biography Antonija Baraga was born on 4 February 1803 in the village of Knežja Vas in the Duchy of Carniola, now modern-day Slovenia. Her father was Janez Nepomuk Baraga, a minor noble and the caretaker of , and her mother was Marija Katarina Jožefa. She spent her early life at Trebnje Castle, which had been owned by her father since 1799. Following the deaths of her parents in 1812, Baraga, her brother Frederic, and her sister Amalija, were adopted by prominent Ljubljana lawyer , who was a family friend, and his wife Ana. Dolinar was a mentor to both Frederic and Antonija, ensuring that both were well-educated. She became fluent in five languages, while her brother began studying law in Vienna at Dolinar's recommendation.

Dolinar introduced her to financier Feliks Höffern-Saalfeld, and the couple were married on 31 May 1824 in the Ljubljana Cathedral. However, her husband died suddenly on 6 February 1830. However, claims of this engagement are disputed: the newspaper and the Slovenian Women's Union of America both suggest that she and Čop had broken up prior to his death, while writer Alojz Rebula doubted that they were ever engaged.

Beginning in 1830, her brother Frederic had been a missionary in the United States, working with the Ojibwe in the Great Lakes region. In 1837, while her brother was visiting Slovenia, Höffern decided to join him in America; she is considered to be the first Slovenian woman to immigrate to the United States. Travelling via Paris and New York, the siblings first moved to Mackinac Island in Michigan, and later to La Pointe in Wisconsin, embedding themselves with the Ojibwe. Höffern assisted her brother as a housekeeper, teacher, and lay missionary.

Höffern struggled to adapt to living in the wilderness with the Ojibwe, having been "used to salon life". In 1854, due to financial issues, the school was forced to close, and Höffern moved back to Europe, settling in Rome, where she established another girls' school. In her later life, she returned to Ljubljana, living modestly until her death on 21 May 1871.

The National and University Library of Slovenia collection contains a photo of her "Ojibwe deerskin moccasins".