Zora Neale Hurston: Life & Legacy Early Life and Education Born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, Zora Neale Hurston was a pivotal figure in American literature and anthropology. Her family relocated to Eatonville, Florida, in 1894, a town that would profoundly influence her writing, becoming the setting for many of her stories. Following her mother’s death in 1904, Hurston faced various challenges but continued her ed…