15 moments

1. Residence in the Wheatley household

   1761-01-01 · Wheatley family home site, State Street and Kilby Street, Boston, Massachusetts

   After arriving in Boston, Wheatley lived in the Wheatley household, where she was educated and began writing poetry. The former house site is at the present intersection of State and Kilby Streets. The Wheatley mansion no longer survives; coordinate marks the documented street-corner site.

2. Arrival in Boston Harbor

   1761-07-11 · Boston Harbor, Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay

   

   Wheatley arrived in Boston as an enslaved child aboard the slave ship Phillis. John and Susanna Wheatley subsequently purchased her and gave her the name Phillis. Coordinate represents the historic Boston waterfront; the exact landing point is uncertain.

3. Baptism at Old South Meeting House

   1771-08-18 · Old South Meeting House, Boston, Massachusetts

   

   Wheatley was baptized at the Old South Meeting House, becoming part of its congregation while still enslaved.

4. Authorship examination in Boston

   1772-01-01 · Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay

   

   Wheatley defended her authorship before a panel of prominent Boston citizens; their attestation later appeared in the preface to her London book. The exact venue of the examination is not securely documented; coordinate represents central colonial Boston.

5. London publishing journey

   1773-01-01 · London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   Wheatley traveled with Nathaniel Wheatley to London to promote and secure publication of her collected poems, gaining access to British literary and political circles. Coordinate represents central London because the source describes a multi-site stay.

6. Visit to Greenwich

   1773-01-01 · Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   During her London stay, Wheatley visited Greenwich sites including the observatory, park, and Royal Hospital for Seamen. Coordinate marks the Royal Observatory as a defensible representative point for her documented Greenwich visits.

7. Visit to the British Museum

   1773-01-01 · British Museum, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   Wheatley visited the British Museum during her documented tour of London in the year her first book was published.

8. Visit to the Tower of London

   1773-01-01 · Tower of London, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   Wheatley toured the Tower of London during the London journey that led to the publication of her first book.

9. Visit to Westminster Abbey

   1773-01-01 · Westminster Abbey, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   Wheatley visited Westminster Abbey while touring greater London during the 1773 publication journey.

10. Meeting with Benjamin Franklin

    1773-07-07 · London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

    Benjamin Franklin visited Wheatley in London after being asked to offer assistance to the young poet. The meeting documents her access to transatlantic intellectual networks during the publishing trip. Franklin's letter is dated London, July 7, 1773; the precise house where they met is not identified.

11. Return to Boston after London journey

    1773-10-01 · Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay

    Wheatley had returned to Boston from London by October 1773, shortly before or around the appearance of her book and her emancipation. The source supports return by mid-October but not an exact day of arrival.

12. Writing to George Washington from Providence

    1775-10-26 · Providence, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

    While living in Providence during the British occupation of Boston, Wheatley sent George Washington her poem praising his command of the Continental Army. Coordinate represents central Providence; the letter's specific writing location is unknown.

13. Return to Boston

    1776-01-01 · Boston, Massachusetts

    After the British occupation of Boston, Wheatley returned from Providence to Boston, where she would later marry John Peters. The cited reference supports only late-1776 precision; coordinate represents central Boston.

14. Marriage to John Peters

    1778-11-26 · Second Congregational Church site, North Square, Boston, Massachusetts

    Wheatley married John Peters at Boston's Second Congregational Church after the couple had lived together for months. The original Second Congregational Church building no longer survives; coordinate marks its North Square site.

15. Death in Boston

    1784-12-05 · Boston, Massachusetts

    

    Wheatley died in Boston after years of poverty and continued literary work. Her exact final boarding-house location is uncertain. Coordinate represents central Boston because the exact site of her final lodging is not securely established.