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Contribution #306 of 365
Rebecca Turner
Farmer, Laundry Entrepreneur and New York Property Owner
1810–1874
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born into slavery in New York, Rebecca Turner gained freedom and built an independent livelihood through farming and laundry work. She acquired property and used multiple forms of paid labor to support her household during a period when Black women faced severe legal and economic restrictions. Turner's life documents the conversion of domestic and agricultural skill into income, landholding and family security.