Elim Pentecostal Church have just celebrated 100 years. Their founder, George Jeffreys, a Welshman, was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational background. At the age of 15 he gave his life to Christ. George, along with his brother Stephen and others, started a Christian revival movement. It started in a small way but soon 1000s of people came to their conventions and camp meetings and many were saved. In 1962 George spoke to Reinhard Bonnke. just before he left for south Africa.He invited him in for tea and prayed for the 22 year old, passing on his 'mantle'. Elim Pentecostal Church have brought out a book, a DVD and a Music CD to celebrate. They also have a very good web site simply called Elim - Our History.

Over the years I have encouraged children to write about fires with a different emphasis at times. The first two sheets were created following a strike by the fireman and the army were using their green goddess fire engines - current event. The short story was written by me. Six of the sheets have a strong history connection - the Fire of London and the Gun Powder plot during the reign of the Stuarts. The two sheets on fire in the countryside deal with the every day problem of fires which can occur on very hot days in the summer. Three poem aids are included. The first two deal with fires the third deals with fireworks. Over the years I had a number of interesting poems to read.

The first two sheets Researching Information and Animal Cycle can help children put together material before they begin to write a story. I have put together a number of phrase/vocabulary/poetry sheets(16 )to encourage children to write about animals- one of their favourite topics to write about. There are some A5 Clip art pictures, which could be enlarged, for their best ‘copy’. There are also five word searches/crosswords.to

George Muller is remembered for the tremendous work he did with orphans in the nineteenth century in Bristol. He, with his first wife Mary, were responsible for looking after over 10,000 orphans. If he needed anything he took it to the Lord in prayer. He never solicited for donations but money or food or drink, or what ever was needed ‘happened’ following prayer. He was also responsible for 117 Christian schools and the educating of 120,00 children. Aged 70 he began a 17 year period of missionary travel with his new wife, Susannah, which took him across the five continents. This was in pre-aviation times and he covered some 200,000 miles. Incredible He returned to England in 1892. He died on 10th March 1898 in New Orphan House no.3. George Muller had originally came over to England in 1825 to work for the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews but due to ill health early on they went their separate ways. Their loss was Bristol orphans gain.

Saint Joseph of Arimathea feast day falls on the same day as Saint Patrick in some countries. Joseph was the one who went to Pontious Pilate, the Roman governor, to ask for the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. He with Nicodmus placed His body in a new tomb. I have typed out in full all the passages where Joseph is mentioned in each of the four Gospels He is mentioned in the Apocryphal (hidden) Gospels saying he went on a preaching mission to Gaul which lasted nearly thirt years. Legends about Joseph and Glastonbury were written in the Middle Ages…

Whilst browsing in TKMax I came across three excellent books about the Medieval England. Chronicles of the Middle Ages ISBN 978 1 908177 89 6 price £11.99. pub 2015 The book has been created by Book House. book -house.co.uk There are 96+pages to this colourful, interesting informative book . Certain pages open up to give you a 4 page display. I have included the index and a picture of a knight. How to be a knight by Sir Geoffrey de Lance ISBN 9781840119282 price 12.99 pub 2006 The book has been created by Templaf templatco.co.uk It is a 3D book with 12 beautifully illustrated double pages packed with information. Knights by Simon Adams ISBN 9781844420117 price £14.99 pub The book has been created by Carlton books It is a strong 3D book with 14 double pages beautifully illustrated packed with information. A number of years ago, whilst teaching in a Middle school, I created some work sheets -list shown - see Medieval England.

A Christmas and New Year Vocabulary plus a clip art picture for the diary.

Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of Medieval Catholicism She was the youngest of 25 children. She was a nun and a mystic. She was both clever and good so even popes sought her advice. She is remembered for her role in encouraging the Pope Urban V to return to Rome and for her letters. She never actually learnt how to write- dictated letters to secretaries. She died at the young age of 33 through exhaustion. She remains a greatly respected figure for her spiritual writings and political boldness to ’ speak truth to power ’ - it being exceptional for a women in her time period (Middle Ages) to have such an influence in politics and on world history. There were two tasks she set herself to accomplish. She wanted the Popes to move from Avignon, in France back to Rome so that ancient tradition was restored. Secondly she wanted peace between the pope and the people of Florence. She accomplished both of those aims/tasks. Her ’ Dialogue ’ , 100s’ of letters and dozens of prayers also gives her a prominent place in the history of Italian literacy. Pope Urban V1 celebrated her funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. She was the first woman to be declared ’ doctor of the church ’ by Pope Paul V1 in 1970. Sources used wikepedia, The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander, Historicas Women and Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Saint Columbo was an Irish priest, who following a dispute in Ireland , moved with 12 friends to the small Isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. Iona’s place in history was secured in 563 AD when Saint Colombo arrived with his 12 followers, built a church and established a monastic community. The monks spent their day in pray, teaching, writing - transcribing and illustrating beautiful books, and cultivating the land or fishing. Saint Columbo became the Abbot of Iona and surrounding isles. His wish was that Iona would become a centre of Learning. Hundreds of years later it is still a centre of Christianity. It has an influence far out of all proportion for its size in Scotland, England and mainland Europe. It is a place of pilgrimage, 130,00 come each year. Kings of Scotland, Ireland and Norway are buried there. The original building has gone but by the side of the Abbey entrance a small roof chamber is claimed to be the site of the saint’s tomb. The Lochness monster even gets a mention. Sources -wikipedia and * The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander

Sister Annie was a Norwegian missionary nurse who served in China and Hong Kong. In China she stood out because she was 190cms tall. She became a national hero when she appeared on the Norwegian version of *This is Your Life * in 1985. The Miracle at Midnight heading is the story of when Sister Annie and a friend almost lost their lives. This happened one day in June 1941 in northwest China. They were watching a procession and were asked to take off their hats to show respect to idols. Sister Annie refused and said her God would bring rain before midnight. Half an hour before midnight it rained. Sister Annie’s prayer was answered. By the age of 27 she had joined the Norwegian Missionary Association. In 1938 she arrived in Shaanxi, a province in Northern China where she stayed until the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1950. In 1951 the defeat of the Kuomintang meant all foreign missionaries had to leave and she moved to Hong Kong. Between 1953-5 Sister Annie worked at the Rennie Mill refugee camp. In 1955 Sister Annie worked with Helen Wilson and Hanny Gronlund to found the Haven of Hope Hospital - it is a rehabilitation centre for Chinese refugees.She worked there until her retirement in 1978. In 2015 it celebrated 60 years. In 1963 she was appointed as a First Class Knight of St. Olav. In the 1975 December Time * cover story named her as one of the world’s * living saints* along side Mother Teresa. In 1979 she was rewarded and MBE (Member of the British Empire) for her tireless labours in Hong Kong. I have included a list of the books she wrote. Sources wikipedia and * Ambassadors for Christ* edited by J.D. Woodbridge contributors Avid and Gudveig Meller

Mary was an American educator , stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist and civil rights activist. Whilst she was studying at the Moody Bible Institute she felt clear call to mission service in Africa. She was rejected - no openings for a black missionary in Africa - her major disappointment. She taught for a while in Georgia and then returned to South Carolina. She met and married Albertus Bethune. In 1899 they opened a mission school. In 1904 Mary met a traveling Methodist minister who told her about the terrible conditions in Daytona working on the railways. She was up to the challenge and the same year, on October 4th, she opened a new school. She then, for a few dollars down, bought an abandoned garbage dump and turned it into a school. It became the permanent site for the Daytona Beach Literacy and Industrial School for Negro girls. Within 2 years she had 250 female students. Mary developed extraordinary fund raising skills. John D. Rockefeller, the oil magnate was a major benefactor. As the school grew Mary’s greatest challenge was the Ku Klux Klan In 1920 Mary led a spirited vote registration drive that promoted Klan harassment. The stage was set for showdown between Mary and the Klan on the night before the mayoral election. Mary and her female pupils were ready. (Read ’ Quit running ') The election the next day the black voters waited patiently until all the white voters had cast their votes -the Klan endorsed candidate lost. By 1929 the school had been renamed Bethune-Cookman College. After this she turned her attention to black womens civil groups. (read ’ Civic Groups’ ) Resources used wikipedia Britannica online Encyclopedia Ambassadors for Christ contribution from Harold ivan Smith.

Martin Luther King was a gifted African- American Preacher and civil rights leader. His sermonic appeals for justice and personal activism helped change the course of American life. His most famous appeal was* I have a dream* speech - a dream for freedom and equality for black people. ( Read I had a dream speech). I have included a brief bibliography of his life written by History . It highlights all the important events of his public life - from his birth to his assassination ( page 1, of 4, lists the highlights). As a preacher his sermons became more Christ centred with a growing emphasis on the cross. He was one of the most compelling speakers of the twentieth century. Michael Duduit in his list of top 10 twentieth preachers in the world ranked Martin 4th. ( Read 4. Martin Luther King, Jr) Martin considered himself a preacher of the gospel rather than a civil rights leader. Fundamentally he was clergyman, a Baptist preacher. He was tragically assassinated in 1968. May his dream one day be fulfilled. I have also included 2 large print pages I used when teaching. Sources History The 10 greatest preachers of the 20th century

George was born and raised in Fenny Drayton, Leicestershire. At the age of 11 he remembered experiencing the ‘pureness’ of Divine presence. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to a local tradesman - a cobbler, then as a partner with a wool and cattle dealer. His integrity brought him commercial success but there was a spiritual rage furiously within. In 1643 he left home to seek the truth. By 1647 he was already a discerning critic of his culture. He turned to Bible reading and prayer. he began to talk to everyone about his ideas. In 1649 he was imprisoned for the first time. At his second trial in Derby (1650/1) a judge used the word ‘quaker’ in a sarcastic manner- according to George that’s whenit was first used. 1652 he climbed Pendle Hill in Lancashire where he had a vision of a’ great people to be gathered together’ waiting for him The beginning of the Society of Friends (Quakers) is dated soon afterwards. George preached on Firbank Fell,near Sedbergh, in Cumbria. Some days later he was at Swarthmoor Hall, home of Judge Fell, Margaret Fell and family. Swarthmoor was to become a vital hub for the Society in Margaret’s capable hands. Many of the new Friends were seekers from various denominations who were disillusioned with state religion. They responded eagerly to his prophetic proclamation of a new Day of the Lord. George and other Friends travelled all over the country. George went to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. Judge Fell did a lot to protect them until he died in 1658. Charles11 came to throne in 1660. George was imprisoned for 2 years in 1664/6. He began a journal which he continued to write until his death. On October 27th 1669 he married Margaret. There were now had Friends in the Caribbean. In 1671 they set sail for Barbados arriving in October. The Barbadian economy was slave based; some Friends were slave owners. George suggested freedom after 30 years service 1677 they went to to Holland and Germany. In the 1680s he spent a great deal of time lobbying Parliament against the persecution of Quakers. George lived to see the fruits of his labour when the Declaration of Indulgence followed by The Toleration Act of 1689 granted limited freedom to Quakers. The movement gradually took shape as a denomination. Several meeting houses were built before he died in London, on 23rd January 1691. George believed faithful witness to the Kingdom by word and deed would speed the gathering of the world’s peoples to Christ. Sources used Quakers in the World Great Leaders of the Christian Faith Woodbridge contribution by Arthur O. Roberts wikipedia

John Knox was an ordained minister successively for 3 Christian churches - Roman Catholic, Church of England and Church of Scotland. And for 19 months he was a galley slave. John in turn became a tutor, preacher at St. Andrews, galley-slave in French bondage and chaplain to the young English king- Edward VI. In the 1540s John came under the influence of converted reformers… He became the bodyguard for fiery Protestant preacher George Wishart. In 1546 Cardinal David Beaton had Wishart arrested, tried ,strangled and burned. 3 months later Beaton was murdered by Protestant conspirators. John was not ‘privy’ to the murder but did approve of it. In 1547 the occupants of St. Andrew Castle, including John, were put under siege. Some occupants were imprisoned; John was sent to the galleys as a slave. Released after 19 months he spent 5 years in England where his reputation for preaching quickly blossomed. During the reign of Mary Tudor (1553-8),when England reverted back to being Roman Catholic, John was exiled in Europe. Whilst there he helped originate the Puritan tradition and worked on an English version of the Bible. In 1559 he returned to Scotland to be proclaimed an outlaw by the Roman Catholic queen regent. The English ambassador, Randolph said, The voice of one man is able in one hour to put more life in us than 500 trumpets continually blustering our ears. Queen Mary arrived in Scotland in 1561. . When Mary was contemplating Don Car;os of Spain John sounded the Protestant alarm bell. John was charged with treason but the privy Council refused to convict him. Aged 50 John married 17 year old Margaret Stewart a distant relative of the queen - that completed the queen’s ‘cup of bitterness’. The Reformation finally came to Scotland. John laid down the right foundations. He aimed at support for the poor, equality of men before God and the advancement of education by having a school in every parish. He and his fellow ministers went to great pains to establish sound doctrine. Parliament ordered John and 5 colleagues to write a Confession of faith, the First Book of Discipline and *The Book of Common Order * . He ended up as preacher in Edinburgh church where he wrote History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland His power as a preacher lay in his capacity to fuse reason with emotion and to be a passionate logican in the pulpit. He was considered one of the most powerful preachers of his day. John was a minister of the Christian gospel who advocated a violent but bloodless revolution.He was a key figure in the formation of modern Scotland. Sources used *Great Leaders of the Christian Church editor Woodbridge content by J.D. Douglas Britannica Online Encyclopedia Christianity Today

Saint Hugh of Lincoln was born in Avalon in France - that’s why he also known as Hugh of Avalon. His mother died when he was only 8. His father, Guillaume, a soldier, decided to retire and together they went to the monastery of Villard-Benoit, near Grenoble Aged 15 Saint Hugh became a religious novice. Aged 19 he was ordained a deacon. On his father’s death in about 1165 he joined the monks at the Carthusian motherhouse of La Grande Chartreuse near Grenoble. He was ordained a priest and later became procurator of the housse ( c.1170). In 1179/80 he came to England where he was appointed by Henry11 to be the first prior of the Carthusian house of Witham in Essex. He became bishop of Lincoln in 1186. He was consecrated at Westminster. As both prior and bishop he defended the church’s liberties and gained respect from the monarchy. In 1185 Lincoln cathedral had been was badly damaged because of an earthquake. Saint Hugh set about rebuilding and greatly enlarging it in the new Gothic style. He was now one of the premier bishops in the UK and acted as a diplomat… Following visit to La Grande Chartreusein in 1200, to promote peace between King John of England and King Philip Augustus of France, he fell ill. He died in London and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral on November 24th , 1200. Two kings, 17 bishops, nobles and crowds of the common people came to the funeral of this much loved man. Saint Hugh is often shown with a swan by his side. This is because at his palace at Stow Park he had a pet wild swan. It would follow him everywhere, looking for food in his clothes, ’ walking ’ upstairs in the house and even guarding him while he slept. At the time of the Reformation he was the best known saint after Thomas Becket. Sources used wikipedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander

Teresa at the age of 21, against her father’s wishes, professed her vows as a Carmelite at the Spanish Convent of the Incarnation at Avilla. The relaxed rule of the Carmelites began to offend her. But 3 years suffering from a prolonged illness forced her to read books on the spiritual life. The ‘Letters’ of Jerome helped - his strong advocacy of the monastic life for women inspired her to begin again. By 1540 she was ready to ready to resume convent life but she was partly paraiyzed. For 12 more years she struggled to achieve that perfect love of In her autobiography* Life* she wrote ’ I voyaged on this tempestuous sea for almost 20 years with these fallings and risings’ Things began to changed when her glance fell on a statute of the wounded Christ.Jesus broke down her defences to reveal the reason for her spiritual exhaustion- her dalliance with the delights of sin. She broke from her past and under went a final conversion (1555).She dreamed of establishing convents where young women could pursue deep lives of prayer and devotion. In 1559 she had the ‘transfixion’ - a cherub pierced her heart with an arrow leaving her with a burning love of God and an unquenchable desire for his presence. This led her into reform. In 1563, with the blessing of Pope Paul 1V she opened the reformed Carmelite convent of St. Joseph in Avila. There the Discalced (shoeless) Carmelites would live under her new strict rules. Her reforms required utter withdrawal so the nuns could meditate on divine law and through a prayful life of penance, exercise what she termed ‘our vocation of reparation’ for the sins of humankind. She convinced John of the Cross to join her in the work. Her success as an administrator and reformer resulted in her founding 16 monasteries. Rest,indeed! I need no rest; what I need is crosses. She died, exhausted, on 4th October 1582 Yet it is her gift of spiritual direction, practiced personally with nuns and publicly in her writings for which she is known today. She had to be persuaded to put pen to paper- the results were ’ Life’ her autobiography, ‘Way of Perfection’ - practical advice for her nuns, and ‘Interior Castle’ - a theological treatise. Her legacy can be seen in Music, paintings, sculpture, literature , drama and film. Her life and writings restored many of the religious institutions of Spain. The Spanish parliament named her the Patroness of Spain. In 1622 Pope Gregory XV proclaimed her a saint Teresa of Avila was a major figure in the 16th century movement of Roman Catholic reform. Differences between Discaled Carmelites and Carmelites (See enclosed material for more information) Sources used Church History Britannica Online Encyclopedia wikipedia Great Leaders of the Christian Church Woodbridge contribution by Caroline T. Marshall

Jack. aged 9, was placed in an orphanage by his overwhelmed mother. He left the orphanage when he was 17. He began to drink and gamble. 1941 Jack joined the army - that’s probably where he was ‘born again’. He attended church services every evening and as a result was persecuted by his fellow soldiers. A sergeant sent him to see a psychiatrist - they concluded he wasn’t a danger to himself or or others. 1944 left the army and was ordained minister of the Assemblies of God (A of G) in Springfield, Missouri. Jack was a large man with a dynamic platform presence. The boldness of the Spirit of God was evident in his blunt to the point, frank, sometimes overbearing direct preaching style, which communicated with the masses. They walked out of his meetings full of faith for tomorrow He brought healing to the sick. After a song he would grab those in wheelchairs by the hand and jerk them up out of their chairs. The proof that God was with him was they walked away healed. Jack went to an Oral Roberts revival meeting and decided he wanted a bigger tent that Roberts. He bought the largest tent in the world- it held 22,000 seats. Jack shared a testimony of a time when he asked God to fill one of his tents. He prayed, God, you can fill this tent. The reply was, Give all the glory to Jesus Christ, and I will bless you and cause you to grow and prosper. 1950 he published The Herald of Healing magazine. Within 6 years it was being delivered to 360,000 readers. He opened a children’s orphanage. 1953 A of G expelled Jack- in their opinion he had become too independent and extreme. He built one of the largest churches in Dallas - the Dallas Revival Center in just 2 years. This he was now his home base and center of his ministry activities. 1956 he set up his tent in South Florida. 1000s attended . Miami’s officials heard he was praying for the sick without a medical license - they put Jack in jail! In a packed courthouse he won the case. The same year Jack died of polio while preaching in Hot Springs , Arkansas. Jack died on 16th December, he was only 39. Dr. Kenneth Hagin Sr. , founder of the Word of Faith Movement said * Jack Coe had the strongest healing anointing of anyone in my life time. Definition of Voice of Healing Revival included in notes Sources used Voice of Healing evangelist What was the voice of Healing Revival?

Frank Arthur ‘Bones’ Jenner was an Australian evangelist, born in England. His signature approach to evangelism was to ask people on George Street, Sydney, If you died within 24 hours, where would you be in eternity? Heaven or hell? Frank was born on 2nd November 1903 and raised in England. According to his posthumous biographer, Raymond Wilson, he was anti-authoritarian and during WW1, aged 12, sent to work on a ship for misbehaving boys. In South Africa he was bitten by a tsetse fly and contracted trypanosomiasis (a sleeping sickness) and in a coma for 15 days. He recovered but suffered from narcolepsy (sudden and uncontrolled episodes of deep sleep) for the rest of his life. He was never allowed to drive a car. He joined the Royal Navy but deserted in New York to join the US Navy. Aged 24 he deserted again while in Australia. He then worked for the Royal Australian Navy until he bought himself out in 1937- with no pension. By this time he was into gambling and he kept a rabbit’s foot for luck - hence his nickname ’ Bones’. While in Melbourne he met Charlie Peters who invited him to dinner. On 6th of July 1929 he married Charlie’s daughter, Jessie. In 1937 he encountered a group of men from Glanton Exclusive Brethren. One was engaged in open-air preaching. Frank said he would listen to the good news if he could share his first -they played crap on the pavement. One of the brethren invited him to his home and he converted to Christianity. Jessie thought he had become manic or insane and left him, taking their daughter Ann. Jessie then had boils and with care from the Brethren became a Christian. Frank and Jessie made up. He stopped gambling but money was tight-he was often unemployed because he would evangelize at his work place and get fired! Jessie then had a peptic ulcer and moved to India until she recovered. In 1939 he was recalled to active duty and given a shore duties in Sydney. After WW11 he was a janitor for IBM. For the next 28 years Frank engaged in personal evangelism. He set himself the target of speaking to 10 people a day. He woke up at 5 am daily to pray. He kept a verse in his pocket* I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me* (Phil4:13) He probably spoke with more than 100, 000 people - by opening with ‘If you die…’ on George Street and giving them Scripture tracts until he was debited with Parkinson disease. In 1952 Rev Francis Willmore Dixon, from Bournemouth, decided to travel to Australia with his wife, Nancy. He had heard Peter Culver, his youth pastor, and Noel Stanton testify that Frank was the reason they were converted. They met Frank in 1953. Frank was now 50 and he cried when he heard for the first time that his evangelism had worked Frank died of cancer in 1977. By 1979 Dixon had discovered 10 people. Nancy, wrote The Jenner story 2000 Wilson published Jenner of George Street: Sydney’s Soul-Winning Sailor the true story of an extraordinary man

Rebecca Lee Crumpler (nee Davis) was an American physician and author. She initially trained as a nurse but in 1864 she became the first African-American female doctor of medicine in the USA. She was the only female physician author in the 19th century A Book of Medical Discourses (1883) She dedicated herself to treating women an children who lived in poverty. Rebecca treated patients regardless of their ability to pay and often took no money for her work As a child she excelled in mathematics. In the 1870s she attended the elite West newton English and Classical School in Massachusetts. She taught in Wilmington beginning in 1874 and in New Castle, Delaware beginning in 1876 She married Wyatt Lee, a Virginia native and former slave in 1852. This was his second marriage and his son Albert dies aged just 7. This tragedy motivated her to become a nurse. She studied nursing for the next 8 years( 1855-64). The doctors and nurses are impressed with her knowledge and skills and encourage her to enroll in medical college. In 1860 she wins a scholarship to train as a doctor at the New England Female Medical College, Boston. She was the first and only African=American physician in her class. (Read Education -Nursing and medical school) In 1864 she become the first African- American woman to earn a medical degree. That year, because of the US Civil War (1861-5), she lost her funding and then her husband to tuberculosis . On 24th May 1865 she marries Arthur Crumpler a former fugitive slave. They are both active members of the Twelfth Baptist church where Arthur is a trustee. They move to Richmond , Virginia. She helps slaves rebuild their lives after slavery. She treated patients who otherwise would not have received medical care. She was subject to ‘intense racism’ and sexism while practicing medicine. She is shunned by fellow doctors and has problems getting the medication required. They return to Boston ((1869) where she sets up a medical clinic in a mainly African- American community of Beacon Hill. She treats women and children for free, if they are unable to pay. They stay there until 1880 11 years. By 1883 they are now living in Hyde Park, New York. She writes her medical journal * A Book of Medical Discourses*(BofMD) it was dedicated to nurses and mothers and focused on the medical care of women and children.(Read BofMD) Rebecca died in 9th March 1895, aged 64. She overcame a number of obstacles. She was the first African- American to become a doctor in the USA. She was the first African- American to publish a medical book. She is an inspiration for those who follow in her footsteps. On 16thJuly, 2020 a gravestone, following a ceremony, was finally installed at Fairview Cemetery to mark where Rebecca and Arthur were buried. Sources Amazon Timelines from Black History

Phillis Wheatley Peters, also spelled Phyllis and Wheatly, was the first African-American author of a published book of poems - Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Phillis was born in West Africa, probably present day Gambia or Senegal. She was sold into slavery aged 7 or 8 and transported to North America. She arrived in Boston, in the British Colony of Massachusetts, on 11th July 1761. She was enslaved by the Wheatley family of Boston. She was named Phillis after the name of the ship which transported her The Phillis. She was given the last name of Wheatley since it was common custom, if any surname was used, for enslaved people. The Wheatleys gave her the opportunity to learn to read and write and encouraged her talent for writing poetry. Their daughter Mary was her first tutor in reading and writing. Their son Nathaniel also helped. By the age of 12 she was reading Greek and Latin classics in their original language In 1770 she wrote a tribute to the evangelist George Whitefield. Many of her poems expressed Christian themes and many were dedicated to famous figures. In 1772 she successfully defended her authorship in court. The signed attestation is included in the preface to her book ( See ‘Poetry’) In 1773, aged 20, she made a trip to London, with her master’s son,seeking to find publication of her work. It was also thought it would help her health - she suffered from chronic asthma. Phillis met prominent people who became patrons. She had an audience with the Lord mayor of London, Frederick Bull. Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntington, subsidized volumes of her poems. Selina became ill so they never actually met. Poems on various subjects, Religious and Moral was published in London on 1st September 1773. It brought her fame in both England and the American colonies. She met George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1776. Jupiter Hammon praised her work in a poem. She *became the most famous African on the face of the earth *Voltaire. Phillis was emancipated (set free from slavery in November 1773 by the Wheatleys. But she soon lost the support of the Wheatleys, Susanna diedi n 1774, and John in 1778. She met and married John Peters, a free black grocer. They struggled with poor living conditions. They lost 2 babies. In 1784 he was imprisoned. Phillis went o work as a scullery maid in a boarding house. She became ill and died on th 5th December 1784. Her infant son soon after. Despite her early fame Phillis died in poverty and obscurity at the age of just 31. She is honored as the first African -American to publish a book of poetry and the first to make a living from her writings. 2002 Molefi Kete Asante listed her as one of his 100 greatest African- Americans For more ‘Legacy and Honors’ read notes. Sources Amazon Timelines from bBack History Wikipedia