She was born in Anacostia, the third of six children, and grew up in the Southeast quadrant of the District of Columbia, referred to as "Southeast," where she married John Blakey Taylor Sr., a bricklayer, in 1918.
:*Kingman and Heritage Islands — Mayor Williams also proposed transferring Kingman Island and nearby Heritage Island in the Anacostia River to the AWC for development as parks and for the construction of bird and wildlife education centers.
In 1791, the state of Maryland (in which then controlled the area which would later become the District of Columbia) issued a charter to Benjamin Stoddert, Thomas Law, and John Templeman to build a bridge across the Anacostia River.