She was a missionary among Native Americans and assisted her father, Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf, and her husband, Bishop Johannes Langguth, in their religious activities in Europe and America.

[1]: 55 Her parents, Pietist Lutherans, lived in Castle Berthelsdorf until Benigna was two years of age.

Both of her parents became involved with the Moravians and conducted a number of missionary journeys, sometimes bringing their daughter with them.

[2] Authorities in Saxony became aware of the religious activities at Herrnhut, which resulted in a ten-year period of exile (about 1737 to 1747) of Nicolaus Zinzendorf from his land.

[1]: 54 Beginning in July 1742, Zinzendorf journeyed into the wilderness with her father to perform missions with local Native Americans.

It was one of the few times that Zinzendorf was with her three siblings and parents in the same place, due to missionary work and the ten-year exile from his land.

Langguth became the Baron von Watteville before their wedding, which was officiated by her father during a Synod meeting [2] in Zeist, Netherlands in 1746.

According to the custom of their religion, the children stayed at the nursery, leaving their parents to continue on with their work for the church.

[1]: 56 Her six-times great granddaughter, M. Blair Gericke graduated from Moravian College in May 2011 with a bachelor's degree in Nursing.