EBENEZER WOODBURY FRANKLIN STIRRUP SR.

E. W. F. Stirrup, Sr. was born in 1873 on Harbour Island just off the coast of Eleuthera, Bahamas, out of wedlock, to Harriett Sweeting (African decent) and Henry William Franklin Sturrup, the son of her wealthy European employer.  He and his mother were ostracized by her family. 

When he was 10 years old, she passed and he was left with the Sturrup family, primarily as a worker.  He received minimal education during this time.  Determined to advance, he saved his meager earnings and in 1888, as a young teenager (15 years old), he immigrated to Key West to live with an uncle who was a carpenter (as recalled by his daughters). This is where he acquired his excellent skills of woodworking and construction, which became his tool of trade. Young “StIrrup” remained in Key West for 6 years.

In 1894 he married his childhood sweet heart, Charlotte Jane Sawyer and they moved to Cutler, Fl. where he worked in the pineapple fields.  He was often paid in land (since it was plentiful due to the Homestead Act).  This was the beginning of his vast land holdings.

In 1897, he built his home on Evangelist Street in Coconut Grove (The Stirrup House).  From this base he continued to work for others during the day and for himself at night:  clearing land and building

homes for Bahamians to live in.

Everything Stirrup did was driven by what he valued the most:  Family, Community, and Education.  All of which he lacked as a young boy…

1.     He made sure all of his children attended college.

2.     He created other businesses that he felt were needed by the community.

3.     He made sure Bahamian families had homes to live in with yards and gardens.

4.     He built more than 100 houses for rent or sale; and he never foreclosed on anyone.

5.     “Abe” was always available to assist people with their problems.

At his death in 1957, despite:

1.      Never being granted US Citizenship

2.     The Great Depression of the 1930s, when he lost:

a.     a lot of valuable land

b.     $70,000 in cash in the Biscayne Bank

He was the largest land owner in Coconut Grove … a millionaire who still owned 317 parcels of land.

Ebenezer Woodbury Franklin Stirrup Sr. (E.W.F. Stirrup, Sr.) 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.  

His 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.