John Carruthers Stanly facts for kids

John Carruthers Stanly (1774-1845) was a very successful businessman and plantation owner in North Carolina. He became one of the wealthiest free Black people in the United States during his lifetime. Even though he was born into slavery, Stanly used his intelligence and family connections to become a powerful entrepreneur and landowner. He was a key member of an important mixed-race family in New Bern, North Carolina. His family included his granddaughter, Sara G. Stanley, who was one of the first African-American women to attend Oberlin College, and his great-nephew, John Patterson Green, known as the "Father of Labor Day".

Early Life and Freedom

John C. Stanly's father was John Wright Stanly, a wealthy privateer. His mother was an Igbo woman who was brought to America from West Africa. Because his mother was enslaved, John C. Stanly was also born into slavery. However, his father recognized him as his son.

After his father passed away, Stanly inherited some money. He was later owned by Alexander Stewart and his wife Lydia. Stanly gained his freedom in 1795 when he was 21 years old. This was 13 years earlier than some people thought. He wanted his freedom to be legally clear, so he asked the North Carolina General Assembly many times to confirm that he and his sons were "emancipated and set freed." This would give them "all the rights and privileges of free persons of mixed blood."

Stanly often used the court system to solve problems. He was known for standing up for his rights and protecting his family's property. He also had a reputation for being fair. He formed close relationships with important white community members, including his half-brother, John Stanly Jr. They had a long-lasting personal and business relationship.

Building a Business Empire

One of the few business chances for freed slaves was to become a barber. Before he was freed, Stanly was trained as a barber. He was described as "intelligent, quick-minded, and hardworking." After he became free and received a small inheritance, Stanly opened his own barber shop. It served wealthy white business people and politicians who knew his family. People called him "Barber Jack."

His barber shop was very successful, but giving haircuts wasn't the main way he became rich. Stanly started making his wealth by "discounting bank notes." This means he loaned money to white people who didn't want to get loans from a bank.

New Bern was an important trading city. Ships brought goods from the Caribbean and manufactured items from other places. Because of its location and his unique background, Stanly was able to do well even when the economy was tough.

Land and Property Investments

Stanly's barber shop did so well that he hired two enslaved apprentices, Brister and Boston, to run it. This allowed him to spend his time buying land. Around 1798, he started buying properties in town and in the countryside. His first land purchase was small, but over the years, he paid much more for properties, sometimes thousands of dollars. He often bought land that was taken by the county because of unpaid taxes. By his early thirties, he was known as a smart businessman with "significant property holdings." He bought property, and if he could make a profit, he would sell it.

Stanly used his money to buy freedom for his family members, including his wife and five children. He also rented out houses and earned money from selling cotton. Like his white neighbors, he bought enslaved people at sales. By 1820, records show that Stanly owned 127 enslaved people. These individuals worked in his barber shop and on his two plantations. He also made money by loaning out the labor of his enslaved people and by making and selling turpentine.

Stanly spent a lot of time and money freeing family members, like his brother-in-law John Merrick. He also took many underage enslaved people under his care, giving them jobs and places to live. However, it is important to know that Stanly became wealthy and respected largely because he owned and used enslaved laborers.

By the 1850s, Stanly owned property worth about $21,200. This amount would have placed him among the wealthiest white men in the South and the nation. His good relationships with white people in Craven County helped him succeed. Even after new rules were made about enslaved and free Black people in the 1820s, Stanly's wealth and family connections helped protect him from many of these changes.

Family Life

One of the first people Stanly bought out of slavery was his wife, Kitty Green. She was from another important mixed-race family in New Bern. John and Kitty legally married on March 26, 1805. They had nine children together, including Charles Stewart Stanly, John Florence Stanly, Kitty (Catherine) Green Stanly, Eunice Carruthers Stanly, and Alexander Stewart Stanly. Their son, John Stuart (Stewart) Stanley, became an educator.

John and Kitty were among the founding families of the First Presbyterian Church in New Bern in 1817. Kitty is named as one of the people who gave money to build the church, which is still active today. They owned two pews in the church and attended every Sunday. Stanly used his and Kitty's family connections to share property deeds, showing he was the head of a large family network that included important white people, enslaved people, and free Black people in Craven County.

In the 1820s, Stanly's wife Kitty became very ill for many years. He freed two of her caretakers, Nancy and Money, after Kitty passed away. He wrote that Kitty was "unable to render to herself any assistance" and depended on their "kindness."

During his wife's illness, Stanly also helped his half-brother, John Stanly Jr., who faced financial problems. John Stanly Jr. was the president of the Bank of New Bern and made some mistakes that put the bank in trouble. John C. Stanly signed a "security bond" for his half-brother for a large amount of money, offering a big part of his own property as collateral. This put Stanly's lifetime achievements at risk. The bank eventually closed, and Stanly lost many of his contributions, forcing him to sell some of his properties, including enslaved people. The national economic downturn of the 1830s added to his financial losses. However, even in his sixties, he continued to provide money to free enslaved people, while still maintaining slavery on his own properties.

Later Years and Legacy

By the time Stanly was in his seventies, he only owned a few pieces of land where he ran a small plantation with seven enslaved people. However, when he passed away in 1846, his reputation was still very high. Many of his white neighbors considered him to be just like them.