Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires by Shomari Wills

Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires Reviews

• 
  Jill Hutchinson

  What an interesting book on the the lives of six African-Americans who through hard work, intelligence, strength and in some cases, luck, became millionaires in the pre- and post-Civil War period. In a time of terrible racial hatred and little or no opportunity for a Black man/woman to have a chance to make a decent living, these men and women overcame all the odds to set an example for the generations to follow. They became involved in property development, banking, and the beauty products development, all of which catered to the African-American population who were usually turned away at the door of white owned businesses.
  
  This is a straightforward telling of the story of each of these amazing people, the majority of whom were born as slaves. It is sad to note that after the deaths of several of them, their families and bad management diminished their fortunes significantly But the point was made......the door had been opened by these pioneers and Black entrepreneurship became a reality because of their efforts.
  
  The book lost a star in my rating for bad editing. Abraham Lincoln's VP was identified as Andrew Jackson rather than Andrew Johnson and during the pre-Civil War period the state of WV is mentioned several times although it did not exist at that time in history. Otherwise, this book is worth reading as it provides a look at an almost unknown piece of Black history.
• 
  Jamal

  Completely Blown away by this well researched Gem. Shomari wills presented the lives of these millionaires in such a cool way. Learned so many amazing things.
• 
  Katie/Doing Dewey

  Summary: The writing was simple, but I loved the stories and the important but forgotten history they revealed.
  
  This is the story of the first black millionaires - six amazing individuals, living barely post-Civil War, who overcame incredible odds to achieve success. They include men who invested in real estate, women who started their own businesses, and women who married into wealth that they then invested wisely. Many of them then went on to give back to abolitionist causes or black communities.
  
  I have to admit that I was a immediately a little put off by how large the font and spacing were in this book. I like a lot of depth in my nonfiction and was worried by how short this looked. The author also noted up front that it was hard to put these stories together because civil records of black Americans at the time were often nonexistent. My fears were largely unfounded. The author did a great job with his research. I particularly appreciated that each chapter had a corresponding section, written out in paragraph form, on the author's sources for that section. I felt we got plenty of information about the lives of each of the six people the author highlighted.
  
  Unfortunately, I do think the author could have added more details to make the story really engaging. It's possible that this was more difficult for an author telling this particular story because of the scarcity of records. However, I suspect that details such as the weather or the appearance of public locations relevant to these stories were available and were left out. As a result, I found the writing somewhat plain and factual. The interest of the stories themselves went a long way to make this engaging, but the writing just didn't live up to my favorite narrative nonfiction.
  
  The stories themselves really were fantastic and the author did do a good job giving the big picture. I liked hearing about the historical context surrounding these stories. It was fascinating, if sobering, to hear more about the economic barriers intentionally placed in the way of black economic success following emancipation. I also thought the author's choice to tell these stories in chronological order, jumping between the six millionaires, was a good one. It made connections between these six people clear and again, helped provide historical context for their lives. Given that I wasn't blown away by the writing, I can't quite give this five stars, but it was an extremely interesting collection of stories I'd definitely recommend.
  This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
• 
  Kameel

  This was an interesting read...the author provided us with a lot of information. In my opinion, the book was sort of all over the place, and at time I found it hard to keep up with which person her was talking about. The premise of the book was about 6 wealthy African-Americans in late 1890-1920's roughly....and the author went back and forth speaking about the different people instead of starting with one person and staying on that person until their journey was completed and on to the next person...instead he jumped around throughout the entire book. Made me a little dizzy! However, there was a ton of good information in this book...some of it I was familiar with and some I wasn't.
• 
  David Wineberg

  Millionaires today are no big deal. Half of Congress is millionaires. Not impressed. But the first six black American millionaires is a terrific story. These unlikely individuals started off with huge disadvantages, from race to skin color to illiteracy to being slaves or the children of slaves. That they rose to wealth in such a hostile environment – civil war, reconstruction, Jim Crow – makes them all the more impressive. And half of them were women.
  
  Unlike todays’ millionaires who can set out to make a fortune and just do it, the first six black millionaires often backed into it. Every story is different, every fortune is different. They leveraged the mobility of America, taking advantage of the California gold rush or the Oklahoma land giveaway. They became lenders to help build local businesses that helped them rent their buildings, or in one case, became the kept woman of a white multimillionaire. Their million in assets is worth tens of millions by today’s standards, making it all the more impressive.
  
  Shomari Wills has to be a fine storyteller to fill in the gaps in these largely unrecorded lives, and he is. They come alive in his pages and their stories move quickly. Rather than profile each one alone, his book is chronological. The chapters run from the 1800s to the 1950s. The characters show up in different decades as we pick up their stories again. There is little or no interaction among the players. They were too busy living their own lives to even know about each other, unlike todays’ crop, which constantly gather and socialize.
  
  And none of them made their fortune in office.
  
  My favorite is Mary Ellen Pleasant, who took off for California to track down her man, and ended up with a fortune in real estate, securities and a prominent place in secretly funding John Brown and the Abolitionists. She totally dedicated her fortune to the cause. She was a class act.
  
  There is a shelf of these books now. They tend to make far more interesting biographies for me than the run of the mill. There’s [[ASIN:1250070562 Prince of Darkness]] – the story of Jeremiah Hamilton, a Wall St. finagler, who shows up in Black Fortunes too, [[ASIN:0990959244 George Washington's Mulatto Man]] and most recently [[ASIN:1786071843 Black Tudors]], all of which I have reviewed. Black Fortunes is yet another, very different and fascinating collection to add to the shelf.
  
  David Wineberg
  
• 
  Jerry Williams

  Great Book, however it is very hard to follow in Audio Version, especially if you don't listen to it in one reading. The stories of the individual's profiles aren't concurrent and will often pick up many chapters later.
• 
  Louise

  Author Shomari Wills profiles 6 black Americans who, despite overt post slavery racism, made fortunes. Each lived with a powder keg of challenges to not only their wealth, but also their lives. Four women and two men are covered.
  
  While all those profiled faced emotional and legal hostility, the two men faced outsized violence for everyday actions, be they business decisions or the simple actions of others.
  
  Mary Ellen Pleasant’s drive and determination took her to the California Gold Rush where she made a fortune lending money. She was able to fund and help plan John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Hannah Elias, who invested the money she received as mistress to a wealthy (married and white) man, stands as testimony to “money doesn’t buy happiness” and how this adage is compounded when race is a factor. The other two women profiled rivaled each other in producing hair products for the black market.
  
  None of the women faced the violence on the scale of that faced by the men. Robert Reed Church had to defend his business through race riots and had to prove himself again and again. OW Gurley lost the whole town he developed to arson in north Tulsa, OK.
  
  Wills gives an update on the 6 people and their legacy.
  
  The author, in his introduction says the bios are short because sources are limited. The subjects left few heirs to tell their stories. They did not write diaries or many letters. I hope more sources can be found somewhere. Perhaps there stories passed down from those that knew them or something about them, since each of those profiled is worthy of a full scale biography. Until more information can be found, this is an good introduction to this topic and these entrepreneurs. The book is appropriate for adults and young adults.
• 
  Diego

  In the spirit of learning history during Black History month: Six life stories of the first African-American slaves that became millionaires, prior to the Civil War and leading into the early 1900s. I was unable to put this down as all experience much hardship during their rise. All stories are very different, but common in the sense of hardship. Very hard to read about our history of this kind; hard to believe people were treated in this uncivilized manner.
  
  Their names are Mary Ellen Pleasant, Robert Reed Church, Ottawa W Gurley, Annie Malone, Hannah Elias, and Madam CJ Walker. Their stories were intertwined with Frederick Douglas and Booker T Washington, but they not the main focus. I feel like this book could have been 600 pages with more surrounding history of events they experienced. Notice 4 of 6 are women. Not all stories are inspiring about how one fought to create a business though some are. One example was Hannah Elias whom was a secret mistress of a white business man whom gave her almost all his worth. It drove her into hiding for fear of retribution from her neighbors; which eventually happened. A common theme is the impact of historic events or emerging business events that played major parts, for example, the whaling business for oil, the gold rush and the Trail of Tears.
  
  Sadly, all of their worth was wasted, lost or stolen from them. Great historic stories of their experiences from slavery into great wealth from those that aren’t in many history books.
• 
  Sarah Beth

  I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins.
  
  This work of non-fiction tells the story of the first black millionaires in America's history. These include six entrepreneurs including Mary Ellen Pleasant, who capitalized on the Gold Rush; Robert Reed Church who made his wealth off of landowning; Hannah Elias, who received most of her wealth from her wealthy white lover; O.W. Gurley who developed a section of Tulsa, Oklahoma into a town for prosperous black professionals; and Annie Turnbo-Malone, and Madame C.J. Walker who both made their fortunes off of black hair care products. This book covers the years between 1830 and 1927 and these individuals are remarkable because they were able to achieve significant wealth despite being part of the last generation of blacks born into slavery.
  
  The individuals covered in this book are remarkable and fascinating. I particularly enjoyed reading about Robert Reed Church, who started his working life as a slave on his white father's riverboat and yet worked his way to wealth and prosperity. I also enjoyed Annie Turnbo-Malone's story of her childhood passion for fixing hair that turned into a life calling of helping black women through making and selling hair products tailored to them at a time when no one else was doing so.
  
  Despite the significance of these individuals' stories, I was disappointed in the writing. Specifically, the book seemed disorganized and lacking in editorial support. For example, Annie is introduced in the book as Annie Turnbo, her maiden name. Abruptly in the next chapter, (which focuses on a different individual), the author refers to her as Annie Malone, without having yet covered her marriage (201). In the next chapter, she jumps back to Annie Turnbo again (203). This is a glaring continuity error that should have been caught by the editor. Additionally, Wills does not come across as a natural storyteller; sometimes the stories lack details or historical background that would have provided context and clear understanding. The chapters jump from focusing on one individual to another with no transition or seeming rationale, giving the book a disjointed feel. I was also somewhat surprised at the inclusion of Hannah Elias in this tale. Although technically a millionaire, it seems a stretch to call her an 'entrepreneur' like the others, since she earned her wealth by being the mistress of a wealthy man.
  
  The six individuals detailed in this book are remarkable and an important piece of our national history and I commend the author for providing us with these formerly untold tales. However, I do wish the execution of this book had been a bit more thorough and well edited.
• 
  Cardyn Brooks

  This review was first posted to BlerdyBingeReader.blogspot.com as a #CardynBrooksReviews #books.
  
  Ever heard of black Californian land baron and politico William Alexander Leidesdorff? No. What about New York financier Jeremiah Hamilton? Another no. Well, their stories are as fascinating as the tumultuous journeys of the six featured trailblazers: Mary Ellen Pleasant, Robert Reed Church, Ottawa W. Gurley, Hannah Elias, Annie Turnbo Malone, and Madame C. J. Walker, whose ostentatious lifestyle may have been a smoke screen. The introduction to Black Fortunes states that “Black millionaires disrupt the stereotypes of black economic impotence.” This book accomplishes the same.
  
  Meticulously researched and annotated, the text drops facts like explosive knowledge bombs in each chapter. The people of the five major tribes of Oklahoma fought with the Confederacy during the [Civil] war… [page 79] Maya Angelou was San Francisco’s first black streetcar conductor in 1944. [page 106 footnote] Shomari Wills uses a comprehensive examination of region, time, and political climate at the national and local levels to set the stage for each featured individual’s saga in context with familiar historical figures such as Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown. The jumps from one biography to another at pivotal moments interrupt the otherwise brisk narrative pacing, but the intrigue and danger entice readers to continue.
  
  One other editorial choice is also jarring: the usage of sanitized terms for the daily atrocities endured by enslaved and oppressed people. “Concubine” and “tryst” are used to describe non-consensual sexual encounters and rape. “Migrants” is substituted for describing newly freed slaves fleeing in terror from racist violence. On page 81, the armed soldiers who force-marched indigenous North Americans on the Trail of Tears are described as having “chaperoned their removal from their homelands.” Reading a documented account from one of its survivors or a visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will make it clear that annihilation was the ultimate goal of that particular atrocity. Only a few passages suffer from this odd filtering, and the scope and historical interlocking facts of Black Fortunes move across the U.S., social strata, and racial barriers with the drama of an adventure novel.
  
• 
  Benita

  What an interesting look at a part of African American history that is not often told. Here we find the tales of 6 African American who found a way to beat the odds and amass wealth and influence. Whether it be through real estate, investing or creating new products and following dreams, the ending unfortunately is a familiar one. Great read and fascinating peek in the past that has paved the way for the lifestyles that we live and enjoy today!
• 
  Madlyn

  It is always difficult to learn the truth about the struggles and atrocities blacks had to endured simply by the color of their skin.
• 
  Ari

  IQ "Early in our country's history, African Americans who achieved wealth were often attacked, demonized, or swindled out of their money by those who knew the Jim Crow court system would offer no redress to a black person. The black elite in their first decades of existence survived assassination attempts, lynchings, frivolous lawsuits, and criminal cases all meant to destroy or delegitimize their wealth. Madam C.J. Walker was memorialized as the first black millionaire to because she was the first to achieve wealth-she was far from the first-but because she was one of the first African Americans to flaunt and claim her wealth openly and fearlessly. The earliest black millionaires were conditioned not to be so brazen." (xii)
  
  I was truly blown away by the quote above because I had never really questioned the well known history fact we all learn during Black History Month about Madam C.J. Walker's importance as the first Black millionaire. Now I know that wasn't the case (along with why she is credited as such anyway) and that her business model was basically copied from Annie Malone. It's also a good reminder that wealthy Black people are for more inclined to work to uplift others, the book sprinkles in countless acts of charity they demonstrated, particularly in regards to racial inequality. Granted it might have been for self serving reasons but still, at least they recognized tackling racism in America would help the plight of all Black Americans. Furthermore this book illustrates not only the obvious reasons as to why it was so difficult for Black people to become millionaires at the time but also why it was so difficult to hold on to their wealth and the ramifications of that failure (which of course was largely due to the external forces of prejudice). For all the low moments (of which there are plenty) there are also lots of fun tidbits and high stakes drama which keeps it from making you too weary. I also laughed out loud when I read about a group of wealthy Black businessmen who bought housing and kicked white tenants out of their Harlem apartments for being white and made sure to note that those apartments were only for 'reputable' colored families. It's ruthless and unapologetic and I loved that chapter.
  
  But I need to echo some other reviews I've seen here about poor editing. I'm not a professional historian or editor by any means (just a lover of words and history) but there were times that certain facts were stated that struck me as not right. I also wish the book had been in chronological order. I love when authors successfully show their book subjects intersecting with one another (as long as it's historically accurate) but that approach didn't seem best suited for this book. I especially felt like Gurley's chapters were the weakest and that he emerged out of nowhere.
  
  BLACK FORTUNES is a juicy and satisfactory read about six resilient Black millionaires. It leaves you with a better understanding of early 20th century Black life, particularly for the elite. The millionaires are a dynamic group and at times their stories were downright exhilarating, not to mention inspiring. It's easy to finish this book in one day due to length and writing which is a positive thing since these are stories that need to be told and shared and that's easier to do when it's a quick read. And aside from the important historical knowledge, the book does an excellent job of exploring the significance of these millionaires on America and Black people in particular.
  
  "Many of the industries these men and women pioneered are still relevant today. Real estate, which played a role in the development of the fortunes of almost all the dynamic personalities in this book, is still an outsize component of African American wealth. Since Reconstruction, black people have, on average as a group, invested a larger percentage of their net worth in real estate than any other group. There may be many economic and social reasons for this,but perhaps one in particular is that for African Americans, owning one's land, after toiling tirelessly over it as enslaved farmers and then sharecroppers, is an affirmation of liberation. That being said, the 2008 financial crisis dealt a blow to this economic tradition, as African Americans were disproportionately affected by both the fraudulent lending practices that helped create the crisis and the foreclosures that resulted" (265).
• 
  June

  Good biographies to ascribe to be like
• 
  Marion Hill

  Black History Month has passed, and I had a plan to read three non-fiction books about black history during the month of February. I finished Maurice White’s wonderful biography, My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire quickly and then I read Before The Mayflower by Lerone Bennett, Jr. Bennett’s groundbreaking book chewed up the rest of the month in reading because of its dense nature. The epic scope of Before The Mayflower demanded to be read slowly and thought about after each chapter. Now, it comes to my third book (a few days after February has ended), Black Fortunes by Shomari Wills.
  
  Black Fortunes tells the story of the First Six Black Millionaires during the period of Reconstruction and going into the 1920s. Mary Ellen Pleasant began in the 1820s as a free black girl from New England and ends up becoming one of the wealthiest black women during the California Gold Rush of the late 1840s-early 1850s. Pleasant was a commodity trader, moneylender, and helped financed the infamous raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia led by abolitionist John Brown. Robert Reed Church, born as a slave, from a tryst between white steamboat captain and his black mistress, becomes one of the largest landowners in Memphis and helps create the famous Beale Street. Annie Malone was abandoned by her parents during slavery and raised by her older sister. She invents several black haircare products and turns it into a thriving business.
  
  O.W. Gurley grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, but moved to Tulsa and built the Greenwood neighborhood that became known as “Black Wall Street”. Hannah Elias was the black mistress of white New York millionaire, John R. Platt. Elias used the money she received to help black real estate development in the famed neighborhood known as Harlem. The most famous of the first black millionaires was Madam C.J. Walker. She has been celebrated as the first black millionaire in American history. Walker followed in the footsteps of Annie Malone and created her own black hair care products business that would rival the success of her mentor.
  
  Wills writes a page-turning book that interweaves the stories of these millionaires and the tremendous challenges they faced during the Jim Crow era to achieve the American dream. Also, the book reveals how interconnected these six would become and their place in moving the African American community towards equality.
  
  The Karen Hunter Radio Show mentioned Black Fortunes recently, and I was glad she gave some time on the airwaves for the book. The stories about these first six black millionaires are stories I will not forget and has piqued my curiosity about the Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa. Highly recommended.
• 
  Porsha

  I enjoyed learning about the first BLACK millionaires after slavery. As an African American woman, it is important to know these facts of history. The book outlined exactly how each person was able to become successful as well as all obstacles that they had to face. I gave the book 4 stars because I did not like the order in which the book was written. A person is introduced in one chapter and then a few chapters later, the same person is being highlighted again. I would have preferred to get 2-3 consecutive chapters on each person than every other few chapters. All in all, a great and important read.
• 
  Miriam

  The more I listened to this book, the more I wanted to know about the businesses and financial successes of these men and women. It was quite an achievement to earn and retain their millions. While I'd heard of Madame C.J. Walker, the others were new to me.
  
  A wonderful addition to reading for Black History Month and 19th century American cultural and economic history.
  
  Look for a different review in AudioFile Magazine
  http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
• 
  Lulu

  This should be required reading! Mary Ellen Pleasant, Robert Reed Church, Ottawa W Gurley, Annie Malone, Hannah Elias, and Madam CJ Walker; these 6 amazing individuals are among the first black millionaires in the US. The author did an exceptional job of acknowledging these historical figures. His research was astounding and with all the facts presented here, he still manages to keep you fully engaged. GO READ IT!
• 
  Lois

  This is really engaging and easily readable and enjoyable for those who don't normally enjoy non-fiction.
  The characters are treated with full stories told about them and their surroundings. It's a really interesting and informative look at this period in US history.
  I thoroughly enjoyed this. The audiobook narrator was a joy.
• 
  LeeTravelGoddess

  OK. GET INTO IT!!!
  
  See here’s the thing… i don’t want to hear nothing about bootstraps and such cause the THIEVERY that transpired in this historical read *chiiiiiiiiiiiileeee* save it, mmmkay.
  
  Add it to ya libraries peeps; it’s a tops!!! 💚💚💚 and I was too tickled about Madam CJ… shoot him Sis, Bahahahahhahahahahaha!!!
• 
  Taneka

  This book is a great introduction of the original Black Millionaires. We hear a great deal about Blacks with wealth now, but imagine coming into your wealth off the heals of slavery.
  
  Mary Ellen Pleasant, Hannah Elias, Jeremiah Hamilton, O.W. Gurley, Robert Reed Church, Annie Malone, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., Thomas Bell, Blanche Bruce, Madame C.J. Walker are among some of the most influential, wealthy Black individuals mentioned in this book. I've never heard of some of them, but I am indeed fascinated by their lives and their accomplishments in the face of such adversity at the time. I think I will pick up
  Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire next. I really want to learn more about these people.
• 
  Alacyia

  This book was very well written. I'd come into it expecting it to be very dry (if you've read public enemy #1 or devil in the white city you may know what I mean). The way he told the stories of each prominent person featured was easy to follow and kept you interested.
  This book brought home what many black people already know, white American did everything possible to prevent black america from prospering. These millionaires faced so much adversity so one can only imagine what the common black many had to endure. This book makes me proud and angry but also gives me hope that we can get back to this level of determination to pick each other up and establish our own. Own what? Whatever we want.
• 
  Syvehlla

  4.5 stars. Very informative book on the unknown and hidden accomplishments of wealthy black people years ago. This is a part of black history we don't typically hear about. Most of us are only taught about slavery, so it was very refreshing to read a book on accomplishments of African Americans so long ago, several of who were former slaves or whose parents were former slaves. I would recommend this book, as it, again, was very educational regarding black history not often taught in schools.
  My only complaint was I wish it was written in a more chronological order. But I also understand why some parts of it weren't, so some of the characters could come together in later chapters.
• 
  Tesia

  I loved how he told the rich history of the people in the book. I had no idea about other black millionaires besides Madam C.j. Walker early on. I was surely enlightened.
• 
  Kathy

  Amazing at how much these 6 people accomplished with so little and so many obstacles! Not a big fan of the writing style.
• 
  booksbythecup

  “Merchants boasted that a black dollar circulated through the black community twenty-six times before it left.  As Jim Crow laws were passed throughout the country, the economic effects experienced in Greenwood were replicated, as black communities became economically independent and black merchants and businesses marketed to a captive and loyal market.” —Black Fortunes, Shomari Wills
  
  Steeped in the story of the first six African Americans who escaped slavery and became millionaires in Black Fortunes, I have been educated about several people I knew little about.
  
  Am I the only one who felt some kind of way about Annie Malone and Madam CJ Walker?  Walker was employed by Malone, Malone a pioneer in the black hair industry.
  I found it very disheartening that Walker listened to her husband to steal Malone's ideas and products since they weren't trademarked or patented to start her own hair company.
  
  Especially during a time when black people had been torn down by a society that didn't value them because of their skin color, and on top of that, black woman too? I was pondering what the black hair industry might have looked like if the two women would have worked together.
  
  I want to read more about Black Wall Street and Greenwood.