Ethel Jenner Rosenberg
About Ethel Jenner Rosenberg
Lived 1858 – 1930 (aged 72).
Early Western Baháʼí pilgrims. Standing left to right: Charles Mason Remey, Sigurd Russell, Edward Getsinger and Laura Clifford Barney; Seated left to right: Ethel Jenner Rosenberg, Madam Jackson, Shoghi Effendi, Helen Ellis Cole, Lua Getsinger, Emogene Hoagg Ethel Jenner Rosenberg (6 August 1858 – 17 November 1930) became the first English Baháʼí.
Rosenberg became a Baháʼí when she converted in 1899, after having been introduced to the Baháʼí Faith by Mary Thornburgh-Cropper, an American resident in London who had converted in 1898. Rosenberg was born in the city of Bath, Somerset, to a Jewish family and was a painter trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. She was ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's social secretary during his visits to London. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá asked her, among others, to give consideration to publishing Baháʼí books, which resulted in the publication of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in London and A Brief Account of the Bahai Movement. Rosenberg also assisted Laura Clifford Barney in compiling Some Answered Questions and Lady Blomfield in compiling Paris Talks.
Rosenberg traveled to America three times, initially doing so with Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl and Laura Clifford Barney. She would spend many months in the United States and stayed with Phoebe Hearst.
Rosenberg made three pilgrimages to Haifa, in 1904, 1909 and 1921. When she arrived in Haifa for her third pilgrimage, in 1921, she found that ʻAbdu'l-Bahá had recently died. Remaining in Haifa, she greeted Lady Blomfield, Shoghi Effendi, and Shoghi Effendi's sister Ruhangiz when the three arrived from England on 29 December 1921. Shoghi Effendi gave her instructions for the calling of the first National Spiritual Assembly of England, on which she would serve.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Ethel Jenner Rosenberg's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Ethel Jenner Rosenberg's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ethel Jenner Rosenberg?
(1858-1930)
When was Ethel Jenner Rosenberg born?
Ethel Jenner Rosenberg was born on 6 August 1858 in Bath.
When did Ethel Jenner Rosenberg die?
Ethel Jenner Rosenberg died on 17 November 1930.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Ethel Jenner Rosenberg
· DBpedia: Ethel Jenner Rosenberg
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ethel Jenner Rosenberg. https://biography.guide/ethel-jenner-rosenberg/
MLA: "Ethel Jenner Rosenberg." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ethel-jenner-rosenberg/.
Chicago: "Ethel Jenner Rosenberg." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ethel-jenner-rosenberg/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-24 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:04 UTC