Wheatley, Phillis, c. 1753-1784
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Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753-1784), first Black woman poet in America, was brought as an African slave in about 1761 to Boston, Mass., where she was purchased by John Wheatley. Educated in the Wheatley household, first by Wheatley's wife Susannah and later by his daughter Mary, Phillis Wheatley began writing poems in her early teens. It was through her published poetry that she became a member of Boston's literati and travelled briefly to England, returning in 1773 during Mrs. Wheatley's final illness. After John Wheatley's death, she married John Peters in 1778; she and her only surviving child died impoverished in December 1784.
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| Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
|---|---|---|---|
| referencedIn | Women of Distinction: Remarkable in Works and Invincible in Character. | ||
| referencedIn | Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction. | ||
| referencedIn | Lifting as They Climb. |
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Person
Birth 1753
Death 1784-12-05
Birth 1753
Death 1784
Birth 1753
Death 1784
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