Mathilda Beasley

Mathilda Taylor Beasley was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 14, 1832. Beasley educated slaves in her home before the Civil War although this was illegal at the time. 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. Beasley attempted to affiliate her group with the Franciscan Order but was ultimately unsuccessful. She also started one of the first orphanages in the United States for African-American girls. She died on December 20, 1903.