Born in December 1860, a slave in Jacksonville, Florida, the
daughter of a Plantation owner named John Smiley and an Indian Girl
Carrie at about the age of 16, accepted the offer to relocate to
Sag Harbor in NY, where she became the personal seamstress to the wife of the Captain, who lived on Hampton Road near Eastville Avenue. Became friends with Mary Jane Hempstead
and her nieces, The Green Sisters Mary, Christina Susan, Sadie & Priscilla. She taught them dressmaking skills and they acquired clients in the village
In 1878, her sweetheart, T. Thomas Fortune arrived from Jacksonville and claimed her as her bride and they were married on February 22, 1878 in the District of Columbia.
They decided to live in NY and settled in Brooklyn.
Elizabeth Bowser, granddaughter of Carrie and daughter of Jessie, Carrie's daughter quoted “When her grandmother married and moved to Brooklyn, she kept in touch with Ms. Green and Soon began returning to Sag Harbor in the summertime to visit. The visits became
more regular and eventually the couple started renting a house from a white man on what is now Hempstead Street, the heart of Eastville”.
A generation later, their daughter, Jessie would buy a house on nearby Liberty Street from Mary Green’s family
Carrie and her husband, Timothy were among the first African-American families to “summer” in Sag Harbor, in the loosely defined neighborhood known as Eastville.
They moved to Red Bank, NJ in 1901, where their home was the scene of many gatherings of literary men and women including a visit by Booker T Washington.
During her life, Carrie was one of the founders of the Urban League, an originator of theBig Sister movement. She was active in YWCA work, with the Home for Aged ColoredPeople and was founder of the Lenten Sewing Circle. She was a member of Northeastern Federation
of Colored Women's Clubs (NFCWC) for over 50 years and was connectedwith St. Augustine Episcopal Church of Brooklyn, NY for over 45 years.
She was a cultured and well educated woman who took a great interest in the problems of her race. Carrie had a large and extensive library of many rare books and prints It was in 1907 through the efforts of Mrs. Fortune, the St Thomas' chapel of Red Bank was reorganized after it had become abandoned by the congregation. It was upon her suggestion to Rev. Robert MacKellar then rector of Trinity Episcopal Church of Asbury Park that the
church of St Thomas be turned over for the use of Episcopalians of the colored race. On June 9, 1907 the first opening services were held at which Father August Jensen, of St. Augustine's Church of Asbury Park preached and Father Robert MacKellar played
the organ and Mrs. Fortune attended
Carrie was a Sunday School teacher and a teacher of voice and the piano and also sang in the choir for many years. She founded the St Thomas Guild which is still active in the church
Carrie always maintained an interest in Red Bank and its people
Two weeks before her untimely death she communicated with Mrs. Emily Knowles of Pearl Street, mother of LeRoy A Lane to schedule a visit to her former area of residence in Red Bank
Prior to that visit, she paid a visit to her daughter who also lived in NY, she returned
to her home in Brooklyn where she succumbed due to a fatal heart attack at the age
of 79 on January 15th 1940
The funeral was held at St Augustine church in Brooklyn and cremation
took place the next day
She is buried in Evergreens Cemetery in the Pathside Section, Grave 6248 in Brooklyn, NY
Evergreens Cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2007.
Carrie and Timothy had 5 children
Dora B Fortune , February 17, 1879-1881
John Washington Fortune, June 1880-June 4, 1881
Jessie Fortune (Bowser), May 16, 1883-July 7, 1957
Married: Aubrey Howard Bowser, July 7, 1912
Stewart Fortune, August 16, 1884-May 27, 1888
Frederick White FortuneJune 21, 1891-January 5, 1965
Married: Anna Beatrice Thomas, August 20, 1917 in Asbury Park, NJ
She had 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren that included triplets born in 1953 to her granddaughter, Jean the daughter of Fred her son
daughter of a Plantation owner named John Smiley and an Indian Girl
Carrie at about the age of 16, accepted the offer to relocate to
Sag Harbor in NY, where she became the personal seamstress to the wife of the Captain, who lived on Hampton Road near Eastville Avenue. Became friends with Mary Jane Hempstead
and her nieces, The Green Sisters Mary, Christina Susan, Sadie & Priscilla. She taught them dressmaking skills and they acquired clients in the village
In 1878, her sweetheart, T. Thomas Fortune arrived from Jacksonville and claimed her as her bride and they were married on February 22, 1878 in the District of Columbia.
They decided to live in NY and settled in Brooklyn.
Elizabeth Bowser, granddaughter of Carrie and daughter of Jessie, Carrie's daughter quoted “When her grandmother married and moved to Brooklyn, she kept in touch with Ms. Green and Soon began returning to Sag Harbor in the summertime to visit. The visits became
more regular and eventually the couple started renting a house from a white man on what is now Hempstead Street, the heart of Eastville”.
A generation later, their daughter, Jessie would buy a house on nearby Liberty Street from Mary Green’s family
Carrie and her husband, Timothy were among the first African-American families to “summer” in Sag Harbor, in the loosely defined neighborhood known as Eastville.
They moved to Red Bank, NJ in 1901, where their home was the scene of many gatherings of literary men and women including a visit by Booker T Washington.
During her life, Carrie was one of the founders of the Urban League, an originator of theBig Sister movement. She was active in YWCA work, with the Home for Aged ColoredPeople and was founder of the Lenten Sewing Circle. She was a member of Northeastern Federation
of Colored Women's Clubs (NFCWC) for over 50 years and was connectedwith St. Augustine Episcopal Church of Brooklyn, NY for over 45 years.
She was a cultured and well educated woman who took a great interest in the problems of her race. Carrie had a large and extensive library of many rare books and prints It was in 1907 through the efforts of Mrs. Fortune, the St Thomas' chapel of Red Bank was reorganized after it had become abandoned by the congregation. It was upon her suggestion to Rev. Robert MacKellar then rector of Trinity Episcopal Church of Asbury Park that the
church of St Thomas be turned over for the use of Episcopalians of the colored race. On June 9, 1907 the first opening services were held at which Father August Jensen, of St. Augustine's Church of Asbury Park preached and Father Robert MacKellar played
the organ and Mrs. Fortune attended
Carrie was a Sunday School teacher and a teacher of voice and the piano and also sang in the choir for many years. She founded the St Thomas Guild which is still active in the church
Carrie always maintained an interest in Red Bank and its people
Two weeks before her untimely death she communicated with Mrs. Emily Knowles of Pearl Street, mother of LeRoy A Lane to schedule a visit to her former area of residence in Red Bank
Prior to that visit, she paid a visit to her daughter who also lived in NY, she returned
to her home in Brooklyn where she succumbed due to a fatal heart attack at the age
of 79 on January 15th 1940
The funeral was held at St Augustine church in Brooklyn and cremation
took place the next day
She is buried in Evergreens Cemetery in the Pathside Section, Grave 6248 in Brooklyn, NY
Evergreens Cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2007.
Carrie and Timothy had 5 children
Dora B Fortune , February 17, 1879-1881
John Washington Fortune, June 1880-June 4, 1881
Jessie Fortune (Bowser), May 16, 1883-July 7, 1957
Married: Aubrey Howard Bowser, July 7, 1912
Stewart Fortune, August 16, 1884-May 27, 1888
Frederick White FortuneJune 21, 1891-January 5, 1965
Married: Anna Beatrice Thomas, August 20, 1917 in Asbury Park, NJ
She had 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren that included triplets born in 1953 to her granddaughter, Jean the daughter of Fred her son
Born in December 1860, a slave in Jacksonville, Florida, the
daughter of a Plantation owner named John Smiley and an Indian Girl
Carrie at about the age of 16, accepted the offer to relocate to
Sag Harbor in NY, where she became the personal seamstress to the wife of the Captain, who lived on Hampton Road near Eastville Avenue. Became friends with Mary Jane Hempstead
and her nieces, The Green Sisters Mary, Christina Susan, Sadie & Priscilla. She taught them dressmaking skills and they acquired clients in the village
In 1878, her sweetheart, T. Thomas Fortune arrived from Jacksonville and claimed her as her bride and they were married on February 22, 1878 in the District of Columbia.
They decided to live in NY and settled in Brooklyn.
Elizabeth Bowser, granddaughter of Carrie and daughter of Jessie, Carrie's daughter quoted “When her grandmother married and moved to Brooklyn, she kept in touch with Ms. Green and Soon began returning to Sag Harbor in the summertime to visit. The visits became
more regular and eventually the couple started renting a house from a white man on what is now Hempstead Street, the heart of Eastville”.
A generation later, their daughter, Jessie would buy a house on nearby Liberty Street from Mary Green’s family
Carrie and her husband, Timothy were among the first African-American families to “summer” in Sag Harbor, in the loosely defined neighborhood known as Eastville.
They moved to Red Bank, NJ in 1901, where their home was the scene of many gatherings of literary men and women including a visit by Booker T Washington.
During her life, Carrie was one of the founders of the Urban League, an originator of theBig Sister movement. She was active in YWCA work, with the Home for Aged ColoredPeople and was founder of the Lenten Sewing Circle. She was a member of Northeastern Federation
of Colored Women's Clubs (NFCWC) for over 50 years and was connectedwith St. Augustine Episcopal Church of Brooklyn, NY for over 45 years.
She was a cultured and well educated woman who took a great interest in the problems of her race. Carrie had a large and extensive library of many rare books and prints It was in 1907 through the efforts of Mrs. Fortune, the St Thomas' chapel of Red Bank was reorganized after it had become abandoned by the congregation. It was upon her suggestion to Rev. Robert MacKellar then rector of Trinity Episcopal Church of Asbury Park that the
church of St Thomas be turned over for the use of Episcopalians of the colored race. On June 9, 1907 the first opening services were held at which Father August Jensen, of St. Augustine's Church of Asbury Park preached and Father Robert MacKellar played
the organ and Mrs. Fortune attended
Carrie was a Sunday School teacher and a teacher of voice and the piano and also sang in the choir for many years. She founded the St Thomas Guild which is still active in the church
Carrie always maintained an interest in Red Bank and its people
Two weeks before her untimely death she communicated with Mrs. Emily Knowles of Pearl Street, mother of LeRoy A Lane to schedule a visit to her former area of residence in Red Bank
Prior to that visit, she paid a visit to her daughter who also lived in NY, she returned
to her home in Brooklyn where she succumbed due to a fatal heart attack at the age
of 79 on January 15th 1940
The funeral was held at St Augustine church in Brooklyn and cremation
took place the next day
She is buried in Evergreens Cemetery in the Pathside Section, Grave 6248 in Brooklyn, NY
Evergreens Cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2007.
Carrie and Timothy had 5 children
Dora B Fortune , February 17, 1879-1881
John Washington Fortune, June 1880-June 4, 1881
Jessie Fortune (Bowser), May 16, 1883-July 7, 1957
Married: Aubrey Howard Bowser, July 7, 1912
Stewart Fortune, August 16, 1884-May 27, 1888
Frederick White FortuneJune 21, 1891-January 5, 1965
Married: Anna Beatrice Thomas, August 20, 1917 in Asbury Park, NJ
She had 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren that included triplets born in 1953 to her granddaughter, Jean the daughter of Fred her son
daughter of a Plantation owner named John Smiley and an Indian Girl
Carrie at about the age of 16, accepted the offer to relocate to
Sag Harbor in NY, where she became the personal seamstress to the wife of the Captain, who lived on Hampton Road near Eastville Avenue. Became friends with Mary Jane Hempstead
and her nieces, The Green Sisters Mary, Christina Susan, Sadie & Priscilla. She taught them dressmaking skills and they acquired clients in the village
In 1878, her sweetheart, T. Thomas Fortune arrived from Jacksonville and claimed her as her bride and they were married on February 22, 1878 in the District of Columbia.
They decided to live in NY and settled in Brooklyn.
Elizabeth Bowser, granddaughter of Carrie and daughter of Jessie, Carrie's daughter quoted “When her grandmother married and moved to Brooklyn, she kept in touch with Ms. Green and Soon began returning to Sag Harbor in the summertime to visit. The visits became
more regular and eventually the couple started renting a house from a white man on what is now Hempstead Street, the heart of Eastville”.
A generation later, their daughter, Jessie would buy a house on nearby Liberty Street from Mary Green’s family
Carrie and her husband, Timothy were among the first African-American families to “summer” in Sag Harbor, in the loosely defined neighborhood known as Eastville.
They moved to Red Bank, NJ in 1901, where their home was the scene of many gatherings of literary men and women including a visit by Booker T Washington.
During her life, Carrie was one of the founders of the Urban League, an originator of theBig Sister movement. She was active in YWCA work, with the Home for Aged ColoredPeople and was founder of the Lenten Sewing Circle. She was a member of Northeastern Federation
of Colored Women's Clubs (NFCWC) for over 50 years and was connectedwith St. Augustine Episcopal Church of Brooklyn, NY for over 45 years.
She was a cultured and well educated woman who took a great interest in the problems of her race. Carrie had a large and extensive library of many rare books and prints It was in 1907 through the efforts of Mrs. Fortune, the St Thomas' chapel of Red Bank was reorganized after it had become abandoned by the congregation. It was upon her suggestion to Rev. Robert MacKellar then rector of Trinity Episcopal Church of Asbury Park that the
church of St Thomas be turned over for the use of Episcopalians of the colored race. On June 9, 1907 the first opening services were held at which Father August Jensen, of St. Augustine's Church of Asbury Park preached and Father Robert MacKellar played
the organ and Mrs. Fortune attended
Carrie was a Sunday School teacher and a teacher of voice and the piano and also sang in the choir for many years. She founded the St Thomas Guild which is still active in the church
Carrie always maintained an interest in Red Bank and its people
Two weeks before her untimely death she communicated with Mrs. Emily Knowles of Pearl Street, mother of LeRoy A Lane to schedule a visit to her former area of residence in Red Bank
Prior to that visit, she paid a visit to her daughter who also lived in NY, she returned
to her home in Brooklyn where she succumbed due to a fatal heart attack at the age
of 79 on January 15th 1940
The funeral was held at St Augustine church in Brooklyn and cremation
took place the next day
She is buried in Evergreens Cemetery in the Pathside Section, Grave 6248 in Brooklyn, NY
Evergreens Cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2007.
Carrie and Timothy had 5 children
Dora B Fortune , February 17, 1879-1881
John Washington Fortune, June 1880-June 4, 1881
Jessie Fortune (Bowser), May 16, 1883-July 7, 1957
Married: Aubrey Howard Bowser, July 7, 1912
Stewart Fortune, August 16, 1884-May 27, 1888
Frederick White FortuneJune 21, 1891-January 5, 1965
Married: Anna Beatrice Thomas, August 20, 1917 in Asbury Park, NJ
She had 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren that included triplets born in 1953 to her granddaughter, Jean the daughter of Fred her son
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