Via Wikipedia
Orphaned in 1823 at age six, Elizabeth Gloucester was taken care of by a Philadelphia preacher alongside his TEN other children.
She worked as a domestic servant - and ever observant, learned the ins and outs of financial affairs.
She moved to New York and had eight children - though two died very young.
To provide for her growing family, she used her financial knowledge to open two successful second-hand stores and a furniture store. That was the first lesson - never turn down a lucrative business opportunity!
With this success, she opened a boarding house - and eventually ran 15 of them! Never forgetting her roots, she used her growing wealth to host anti-slavery and women’s organizations, and fundraised for a Black children’s orphanage.
She also donated to famed radical abolitionist John Brown, hosted Frederick Douglass, and supported freedmen’s associations.
Her crowning achievement was purchasing and running Remsen boarding house, which housed wealthy clients - who didn’t always appreciate being hosted by a Black woman. She dismissed the discrimination - as long as she was being paid, she didn’t mind!
And in that, there’s another lesson. Sometimes it’s worth it to just ignore the haters - who cares about a racist’s opinion anyway? - and collect your check!
At her death, she was called the richest Black woman of her time and was worth over $50,000 - the equivalent of millions today!