When she died in 1879, Cynthia Hesdra – a black ex-slave – was worth an estimated $2 million in today’s dollars, making her one of the wealthiest people in Rockland at the time. Her story of being among the few black women to accumulate such a fortune in the 1800s has gone largely unrecognized, as her husband, Edward, was in many ways given credit for her achievements. Read More