Welcome to five minutes in church history hosted by Dr Stephen Nichols, where we take a little

break from the present to go exploring the past. Travel back in time as we look at the people,

events, and even the places that have shaped the story of Christianity.

This is our story, our family history. Let's get started.

Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history. On this

episode we're talking about Phyllis Wheatley. She is the first published

African American woman. In 1773, she published poems on various subjects,

religious, and moral.

But her life was rather sad.

She was born in 1753 in West Africa and what is today modern

Senegal. She was sold as a slave and ended up in Boston. As just an eight-year-old

she was on a slave ship and found herself in Boston.

She was sold to the Wheatley family, and so that's her last name.

This family named her Phyllis, which was actually the name of the slave ship that brought her to Boston.

And so we have Phyllis Wheatley.

Her family did teach her how to read and write and they took her to church with them to Old South Church there in Boston.

When her master died, his will declared her emancipated, and shortly after she was freed,

she married.

Her husband was a grocer and unable to make a go of it.

He tried very hard but ended up in debtors prison.

While he was in prison, the Wheatleys had three children, two of

them died as infants and Phyllis herself became very ill and in 1784 at 31 years of age she died. During her lifetime

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