From Bahamas to the American Dream
Listen as Mrs. Carol Ann Davis Henely Bird and in the mid-late 1900s (not 1800s) proudly shares the story of her grandfather – E.W.F Stirrup Sr., a self-made Black millionaire and a pillar of the Black Grove community in the mid to late 1800s.
For more stories, visit our blog “Black Voices“.
Transcript
Grandpa Ebenezer Woodbury Franklin Stirrup Senior is the true tale of the American Dream. As an immigrant with little or no formal education and the wherewithal to work long hours, he became one of the wealthiest men in Coconut Grove. E.W.F. Stirrup Senior was born in 1873 on Harbor Island in The Bahamas, out of wedlock, to Harriet Sweeting and European Henry William Franklin Stirrup. He and his mother were ostracized by her family. When he was 10 years old she passed and he was left with the Stirrup family, primarily as a worker, which he left at the age of 15 to go to Key West. In 1894, he married his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte Jane Sawyer, and they moved to Cutler, Florida where he worked in the pineapple fields. He was often paved in land since it was plentiful due to the Homestead Act. This was the beginning of his vast land holdings.
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In 1897, he built his home on Evangelist Street in Coconut Grove, known now as the Stirrup House. From this base, he continued to work for others during the day and for himself at night, clearing land and building houses for Bahamians to live in. Everything grandpa did was driven by what he valued the most, family, community, and education, all of which he lacked as a young boy. He made sure all of his children attended college. He created other businesses that he felt were needed by the community. He made sure Bahamian families had homes to live in with yards and gardens. He built more than 100 houses for rent or sale, and he never foreclosed on anyone. Abe, as he was fondly called, was always available to assist people with their problems.
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At his death in 1957, despite never being granted US citizenship and The Great Depression of the 1930s when he lost a lot of valuable land and $70,000 in cash in the Biscayne Bank, he was a millionaire who still owned 317 parcels of land. He is an amazing legacy as his success is all the more incredible when it is remembered that his accomplishments took place in an overwhelmingly segregated and discriminatory environment. He came to South Florida from the Bahamas with nothing and died a millionaire.
A Self-Made Millionaire
While the concept a self-made millionaire is already impressive by today’s standards, it is even more so for a Black man to have achieved during segregation.
E.W.F. Stirrup was a Black, self-made millionaire who resided in Coconut Grove in the first half of the 20th century. Listen to Dr. Dorothy Fields share the impact Stirrup had on his community, creating homes that other Bahamian families could call their own.
For more stories, visit our blog post “Black Voices“.
Transcript
What impact did this Bahamian immigrant have?
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Well, he was an entrepreneur, and Stirrup used his earnings to buy property from white pioneer John Rhode. During his lifetime, Stirrup constructed more than 100 homes, providing an opportunity for newly arriving Bahamians to own their own homes. As he transitioned from an immigrant laborer to a millionaire, Coconut Grove property owner, Stirrup, expressed pride in being his own boss. Remember that. It’s going to come up in just a minute again. In addition to vast land holdings, he owned several businesses.
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Now, several sources state that Stirrup owned a dry goods store in partnership with William Burdine, a white Miami retailer and founder of the old Burdine’s department store chain. In later years, Macy’s bought that. This is an article that I wrote for The Herald several years ago. I wrote it as a part of a family reunion that was being celebrated, and it is unfortunately the obituary of one of his grandchildren, Dr. Dazelle Dean Simpson, daughter of Kate Stirrup Dean.
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Simpson is third-generation Stirrup, a retired medical doctor, in her interview, recalled her maternal grandfather, Grandpa Stirrup. She thought of him as her hero and role model. With his encouragement, she earned a medical degree and specialized in pediatrics. And she said, I quote, “And just like Grandpa, I helped a lot of people and was my own boss.” May she rest in peace.
