Elleanor Eldridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elleanor Eldridge
Portrait of Elleanor Eldridge from the frontispiece of the Memoirs of Elleanor Eldridge
Born	March 1784/1785 Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died	c. 1845
Occupation	Entrepreneur, writer
Language	English
Nationality	American
Genre	memoir
Notable works	Memoirs of Elleanor Eldridge

Elleanor Eldridge (born March 1784 or 1785 – died around 1845) was an amazing African-American and Native American woman. She was a successful business owner, also known as an entrepreneur. She also wrote a book about her life, called a memoir.

Elleanor Eldridge came from Rhode Island. She is most famous for her book, Memoirs of Elleanor Eldridge. This book was first published in 1838. It was written with help from Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall. The book was so popular that new versions came out in 1840 and 1842. This 128-page book helped Elleanor earn money. She used the money to buy back property that had been taken from her unfairly.

Elleanor's Early Life

Elleanor Eldridge was born in Warwick, Rhode Island. This happened in March 1784.

Her Family's Story

Elleanor's grandmother, Mary Fuller, was a Native American woman. She belonged to a small group called the Fuller family. This group was likely part of the Narragansett people. The Narragansett tribe once owned large areas of land.

Mary Fuller used some of her land to buy her husband, Thomas Prophet. Before they married, he had been a slave. Elleanor's grandfather was taken from the Congo River area. He was tricked onto a ship and brought to Rhode Island. There, he was sold as a slave.

Mary Fuller lived a very long life. She saw many changes for her tribe. She died at 102 years old in 1780. She was buried in Warwick. Mary's daughter, Hannah, married Robin Eldridge. They were Elleanor's parents.

Elleanor's Business Adventures

Elleanor Eldridge worked very hard. She was also very careful with her money. Because of this, she was able to buy a piece of land. It was on Spring Street in Providence. She built a house there. Over time, she made the house bigger several times. It became a very valuable property for her.

Building Her Wealth

Her house cost about $2000 to build. She had a loan of $240 on it. She paid 10% interest on this loan every year. Elleanor then had a chance to buy another property. It was right next to her house. This new land made it much easier to get to her home.

She bought the second property for $2000. She paid $500 in cash. For the rest, she took out a loan of $1500. This loan was secured by all of her property.

Losing and Regaining Property

Elleanor became sick and needed to rest. She rented out her property and left town to get better. While she was away, the man who loaned her the $240 passed away. His property went to his brother.

This brother took Elleanor's property. He sold it through the sheriff. He then bought it himself for the exact amount of the loan. Elleanor returned home to find she had lost everything. Her property had cost her about $4000.

Elleanor was a strong woman. She would not let this unfair situation stand. She immediately began working to get justice. Many good people in Providence helped her. General Ray Greene, who was the Attorney General, also assisted her.

To help raise money, her book Memoirs of Elleanor Eldridge was written. Several versions of the book were sold. Another book, called Elleanor's Second Book, was published in 1847. These efforts worked! Elleanor Eldridge got her property back. She had to pay a lot for it, but she succeeded. She lived to be an old woman and passed away around 1845.