Born in 1809 in Piscataway, Prince George's County, Maryland, Mother Mary Ann Hardey was raised on a plantation in Opelousas, Louisiana. At the age of twelve she would attend a school opened in 1821 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart, and in 1825 she would take the habit herself. Choosing the name Aloysia, Mother Hardey would go on to become Mistress General at the age of seventeen, superior at twenty-four, the equivalent of superior vicar at thirty-four, then first American Assistant General. Her work would take her to Cuba in order to found a school. She passed away in June of 1886, after a long life of service.

Source:

Osiek, Carolyn, RSCJ. “Mary Ann Aloysia Hardey, RSCJ (1809-1886).” Society of the Sacred Heart, January 1, 2003. https://rscj.org/mary-ann-aloysia-hardey-rscj-1809-1886.

You can read Mother Hardey's pamphlet through JSTOR:

Mother Hardey: A Religious of the Sacred Heart and First American-Born Superior