When she was about five years old, Wealthy was purchased by Oliver Cowles of Amherst, Massachusetts. He bought her from Capt. Samuel Parsons of nearby Northampton, who had purchased her from somewhere in the southern United States. She lived and worked in the Cowles home through 1850, but was never paid. From 1855 through 1870, Wealthy lived in two other Cowles households. She died in 1871 in Amherst and although she was called a widow, there is no evidence to suggest that she was married.
Sources Consulted
History of the Black Population of Amherst, Massachusetts, James Avery Smith, 1999, pp. 130-131