A History of Carlton-Carew Family and Foundation
The Carlton-Carew 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), 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.
Today, the only surviving of their six children, Sekoyeo Hector Carlton-Carew, a retired Customs Officer and retired Volunteer Naval Lieutenant, continues to live this transnational existence. He divides his time between the United States, where five of his children and their families live, and Sierra Leone, where he continues 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 remains as life president, and past member of various other voluntary organizations. His wife, Queen Elizabeth Carlton-Carew, comes from a similar transnational background and shares his passion for knowledge, volunteerism, and philanthropy. She was Secretary General of the Sierra Leone United Nations Association, President of the Sierra Leone Youth Association and other voluntary organizations. Both Sekoyeo and Queen are known for willingly donating their time, talent and treasure.
Drawing from generations of pride in their African heritage, a long history of fruitful interactions with other ethnic, national and international groups, and a commitment to giving, members of the Carlton-Carew family and their friends decided to launch an organization to articulate and promote these values.
