Anna Maria was born in St. Gilgen, Archbishopric of Salzburg, to Eva Rosina and Wolfgang Nicolaus Pertl [de], deputy prefect of Hildenstein.

He suffered a severe illness in 1714 and had to change positions to one with a relatively small salary as deputy superintendent of Schloss Hüttenstein [de].

Her womb retained the placenta, and its subsequent enforced removal at that time posed an extreme risk of fatal infection.

The son, Wolfgang Amadeus, born 27 January 1756, achieved distinction first as a child prodigy, later as one of the most celebrated of all composers.

Assessing the evidence of the surviving letters, Abert writes of her role as spouse: "she understood her husband's phlegmatic and painfully conscientious nature and did all she could to spare him the numerous troubles and worries that stemmed from it, a task that cannot have been easy, given his perpetual mistrust, and there is no doubt that she will have drawn a veil over many an unpleasant incident not merely out of prudence, but also from fear.

Above all, she was a true mother to her children, who invariably sought refuge with her when their father's strict hand weighed unduly heavily upon them.

Several letters that Wolfgang wrote to his father from Paris, which are still famous today, deal with this tragic event.