Cotton Canvas Tote Bag Susan King Taylor—more widely known as Susie King Taylor

Susan King Taylor—more widely known as Susie King Taylor—was a trailblazing educator, nurse, and memoirist whose life defied the limits placed on Black women in 19th-century America.

📚 Born into Bondage, Raised by Resistance

• Born August 6, 1848, in Liberty County, Georgia, into slavery.
• Secretly educated in Savannah by free Black women and sympathetic white youths, despite laws forbidding it.
• Her literacy became a tool of liberation—she wrote nighttime passes to protect Black neighbors from arrest.

🩺 Civil War Heroine

• Escaped slavery in 1862 and joined Union forces on St. Simons Island.
• At just 14 years old, she opened the first free school for Black children in Georgia run by a Black woman.
• Joined the 33rd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment as a laundress, but served far beyond that—teaching soldiers to read, nursing the wounded, and even handling weapons.
• Worked alongside Clara Barton and served for over four years without pay3.

✊🏾 Post-War Educator & Advocate

• After the war, opened schools for newly freed children and adults in Savannah and Liberty County.
• Faced systemic racism and economic hardship, eventually working as a domestic servant before relocating to Boston.
• Became a leader in the Women’s Relief Corps, supporting Black Civil War veterans.

🖋️ Memoirist & Legacy Keeper

• In 1902, published Reminiscences of My Life in Camp, the only Civil War memoir by a Black woman3.
• Her writing challenged white readers to recognize Black contributions and demand justice.

🕊️ Final Years & Enduring Impact

• Died in Boston in 1912, but her legacy lives on through historical markers, educational programs, and her powerful memoir.