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Former slave Susie King Taylor helped shape Liberty County
Susie King taylor
Susie Baker King Taylor

Liberty County is filled with incredible history and people, both past and present, who have influenced and shaped the community we know and love today. We have many heroes that have hailed from within our county lines to include Declaration of Independence signers, war heroes, and Civil Rights activists just to mention a few. One of those heroes has an extraordinary story and legacy of her own, Susie King Taylor.

Susie King Taylor was born into slavery as Susie Baker on August 6, 1848, right here in Liberty County. During her childhood, Susie sought out an education despite incredibly harsh laws in Georgia against African Americans gaining a formal education. Her education would later prove to be incredibly valuable not just to herself but to the many other African Americans she would teach to read and write. At the age of 14, Susie and her family became liberated after a heroic escape from the plantation where they were enslaved and making their way to safety behind Union lines.

Soon after her new found freedom, Susie married Edward King and together they joined the first all African American regiment in the Union troops. She traveled with the regiment during their time at war listed as a laundress but soon took on the role of nurse and teacher. Four years later, the unit was mustered out of service and the Kings made their way to Savannah. Susie set forth the task of creating her own school to continue educating but soon faced hardships to include the death of her husband. Unable to pursue the path of teaching, she took up work as a domestic servant and eventually moved to Boston in 1872. She spent the rest of her days with her second husband Russell Taylor and devoting her time to the Woman’s Relief Corps. In 1902, she completed and published a composition about her time served during the war titled Reminiscences of My Life in Camp.

Susie King Taylor died just 10 short years later in 1912. In the 107 years since her death, her life and legacy continue to speak volumes of the brave woman that she was. And to honor her legacy, the Liberty County Historical Society will be dedicating a historical marker at Midway First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, March 26 at 11 a.m. It’s easy to see that Susie continues to inspire local residents and visitors alike to follow their passions and never give up!

 

Catie Fanucci is the Creative & Content Coordinator for the Liberty County CVB. The Right Blend Blog is written by two different authors employed by the Liberty County Chamber/CVB. All content provided on The Right Blend blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on their site or found by following any link on their site.


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