The daughter of former slaves, born in Cape May, New Jersey.

Jarena Lee is the considered the first female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1836, she published her autobiography, THe Life and Religious Experiences, of Jarena Lee, a Coloured Lady, Giving an Account of Her Call to Preach the Gospel.

Her maiden name is unknown and the year of her death is uncertain. She married Joseph Lee, a minister of a Black church in Snow Hill (Lawnside - about 6 miles from Philadelphia) in 1811.