Mother Mathilda Beasley, O.S.F.

Mother Mathilda Beasley, O.S.F. (HM3I7)

Location: Savannah, GA 31401 Chatham County
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Country: United States of America
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N 32° 3.611', W 81° 5.955'

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Inscription

Georgia's First Black Nun

Mathilda Taylor was born in 1834 in New Orleans, and came to Savannah as a young woman. She taught black children in her home before the Civil War, when it was still illegal. She married Abraham Beasley, a successful black businessman, in 1869. After the death of her husband in 1877, Mrs. Beasley journeyed to York England around 1885 to study as a nun, a Poor Clare, a branch of the Franciscan sisters. She returned to Savannah and established an orphanage in 1886 which became the St. Francis Home in 1892. In 1889, Sister Mathilda founded the first group of black nuns in Georgia which were of the 3rd order of St. Francis and became known as `Mother Mathilda.` Under her direction, this small order ran the orphanage for several years until it dispersed, Mother Mathilda gained help from the Church for her orphanage and in 1899, took the habit of the Franciscans and continued working at the orphanage. In 1901, she was given a cottage near the Sacred Heart Church to which she had earlier given her husband`s landholdings. She began to sew in her home and give the proceeds to poor blacks. On Dec. 20, 1903, the much beloved "Mother Beasley" was found dead kneeling in the cottage`s private chapel. Nearby were her burial clothes, funeral instructions and will.
Details
HM NumberHM3I7
Series This marker is part of the Georgia: Georgia Historical Society/Commission series
Tags
Marker Number025-104_MARK
Year Placed1988
Placed ByGeorgia Historic Marker
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 8th, 2014 at 7:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 490631 N 3547110
Decimal Degrees32.06018333, -81.09925000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 3.611', W 81° 5.955'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 3' 36.66" N, 81° 5' 57.30" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)478, 912
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1707 Bull St, Savannah GA 31401, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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