Born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia, in 1783, Eliza Taylor came to New Brunswick at the age of four. She lived in Gagetown with the family of James Peters, serving them for fifteen years before escaping her servitude. Eventually, she met and married James Taylor of French Village, and together they became founding settlers of the Loch Lomond–Willow Grove Black settlement. The land had been granted to Black Loyalists and refugees following the War of 1812.
Eliza became a well-known figure in Saint John, famously selling goods on street corners in bold, flowing gowns and extravagant hats—earning her the nickname “The Belle of Loch Lomond.”
A sharp businesswoman, she sold everything from brooms and berries to clothesline poles and chickens, gaining a reputation for her charm and tough bargaining.
Though she lived to the remarkable age of 105, her later years were marked by illness and poverty. She died at the Saint John Alms House in 1888, penniless but not forgotten.
Eliza Taylor remains a powerful symbol of resilience, independence, and entrepreneurship. She is also one of the earliest known Black New Brunswickers to be photographed, with portraits taken by Simonson and James Notman in 1872.
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