 Thomas Canry Caulker was born into a powerful hereditary chiefdom in the Sherbro region.His father Richard Canreba Caulker (also written as "Canrah Bah" or "Canrey Bey" Caulker, see the younger Caulker's gravestone) was from a family that had become major slave traders during the commercialisation of the trade with the West Indies and North America during the 18th century.Descended from Anglo-Irish colonial official Thomas Corker and the Sherbro princess Seniora Doll, the mixed-race family had become one of the wealthiest in the region.