Problems at Home
When Sarah moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, things were far from easy. At ten years old, Sarah took a job as a domestic servant, which had her picking cotton in the fields as well as helping inside the house. To make matters worse, her home life provided no escape from the difficulties at work. Louvinia’s husband, Jesse, was cruel and abusive towards Sarah.
Sarah Breedlove at the age of 14. Photo by Everett Collection / Shutterstock
Although she was “free,” Sarah’s conditions weren’t very different from what her family had experienced on the plantation in Louisiana. Even at a young age, Sarah knew that she wanted something better for herself, but, at the time, the only way to escape her situation was to get married. So at the young age of 14, Sarah married a man named Moses Williams.