A History of Carlton-Carew Family and Foundation
The Carlton-Carew EP Foundation, Inc. was founded in May 2006 in honor of Thomas Daniel and Rebecca Deborah Carlton-Carew; Sekoyeo Hector and Queen Elizabeth Carlton-Carew. They are descendants of slaves in the former British colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Thomas Daniel Carlton- Carew was born in 1874 in the village of Wellington in the British Colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone. At age 10, “Dan,” as he was fondly known, donated his time and talent to the construction and later upkeep of The Gibraltar Church in Freetown. He was the first West African to be German-trained as a Marine Engineer. Together with his wife, Rebecca, who was from a prominent Wilberforce village business family, (Coffee Cole of “Sumbuya” Farms), traveled, worked and lived in three West African British colonies—Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the Gold Coast (now Ghana). They lived in and contributed to the tradition of sharing knowledge, rendering service and interacting with others, a tradition they transferred to their children, who often accompanied them in their travels.
Dan and Rebecca finally returned home to retire in Freetown where they had purchased a wealth of land for agricultural purposes. Dan and his wife were known for their financial contributions to charitable projects. Philanthropy was part of their existence. Today you can still find a road and a lane named after them in Freetown.
The last to survive of their six children, Sekoyeo Hector Carlton-Carew, a retired Customs Officer and retired Volunteer Naval Lieutenant, had continued to live a transnational existence. He divided his time between the United States, where three of his children and their families live, and Sierra Leone, where he had continued to make his mark as Justice of the Peace and Commissioner for Oaths, and Trustee of the Freetown YMCA. He was Chairman of the Council of Social Services, Chairman of Retired Civil Servants Association and life president, and past member of various other voluntary organizations. His wife, Queen Elizabeth Carlton-Carew, came from a similar transnational background and shared his passion for knowledge, volunteerism, and philanthropy. She was Secretary General of the Sierra Leone United Nations Association, President of the Sierra Leone Youth Sports Association and other voluntary organizations. Both Sekoyeo and Queen were known for willingly donating their time, talent and treasure.
Drawing from generations of pride in their Trans-Continental heritage, a long history of fruitful interactions with national and international groups, and a commitment to philanthropy, their daughter Cynthia Oremi Jarrett-Thorpe – formerly Carlton-Carew, founded the Foundation, joined by friends of the Carlton-Carew Foundation to articulate and promote these values.
On July 15, 2019 Queen Elizabeth passed away, and within months, on November 12, Sekoyeo Hector Carlton Carew the first Chairman of the Foundation passed away.
