Mathilda Beasley

Mathilda Taylor Beasley (November 14, 1832 - December 20, 1903) was the first African American nun to serve in the state of Georgia. She founded a group of African-American nuns and one of the first U.S. orphanages for African-American girls. In 2004 she was posthumously named a Georgia Woman of Achievement.

Biography

She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 14, 1832.[1] Beasley educated slaves in her home in Savannah, Georgia before the Civil War although this was illegal at the time.[2] She was baptized as a Catholic in 1869, possibly in preparation for her marriage to Abraham Beasley, a wealthy free black restaurant owner in Savannah, who died in 1877. Later in life, after becoming a Franciscan nun in England, Beasley returned to the United States and founded a group of African-American sisters in Georgia, called the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.[3] Beasley attempted to affiliate her group with the Franciscan Order but was ultimately unsuccessful.[4] She also started one of the first orphanages in the United States for African-American girls,[3] the St. Francis Home for Colored Orphans[5]. She died on December 20, 1903.[1]

Legacy

A historical marker documenting the life of Mother Mathilda Beasley, Georgia's first black nun, was erected in 1988 by Georgia Historical Marker at the home of Beasley in Savannah Georgia.[6] In 2004, Beasley was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement hall of fame.[1]

Further reading
  • "Mathilda Beasley and the Catholic Church". Georgia Historical Society. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
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References
  1. "Honorees: Mathilda Taylor Beasley". Georgia Women of Achievement. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  2. Wells-Bacon, Mary (May 26, 1987). "The Life of Mathilda Beasley" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2015.
  3. Berend, Stephen (February 21, 2004). "Teacher, nun, hero - Savannah's Mother Mathilda will be honored as one of Georgia's 'Women of Achievement.'". Savannah Morning News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017.
  4. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. First Indiana University Press Edition. 1994. pp. 99–100. ISBN 0-253-32774-1.
  5. "Marker Monday: Mother Mathilda Beasley, O.S.F.: Georgia's First Black Nun". Georgia Historical Society. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  6. "Mother Mathilda Beasley, O.S.F. Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2020-05-21.


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