Hannah Elias
Hannah Elias was once considered the richest Black woman in America. According to account, many were shocked to learn she was African-American, as Blacks sitting on that amount of cash was just inconceivable at the time.
Elias was said to be born in a poor neighborhood in Philadelphia to a black mixed race couple with nine children.
A mistress of a New York City millionaire, Elias was said to have used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem.
In all, her properties and goods were valued at approximately $1 million.
