George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver, 1910

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." - George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver had a difficult start in life. Born around 1864, he was the child of Mary and Giles, an enslaved couple owned by Moses and Susan Carver. Giles died shortly before George's birth, likely from an accident while hauling wood. Then, only weeks after birth, slave traders kidnapped George, his sister, and their mother. Rescued would not be an apt term; recovered is more appropriate. The group sent out to find George and his mother exchanged a "very fine race horse" for the young boy. His mother and sister, however, were lost to the traders. Less than two months old, and George was already an orphan.