Canrah Bah Caulker[1][2] was born into one of the most powerful family dynasties among the Sherbro people, in the territory now known as Moyamba District, Southern Province, Sierra Leone.
Descended from English colonial official Thomas Corker (1670-1799) and Seniora Doll, a Sherbro chief's daughter, the mixed-race family became one of the wealthiest in the region because of such trading.
The young Caulker likely attended Sierra Leone Grammar School, as British colonial authorities encouraged education among the leading families.
He sent his son, Thomas Caulker (1846-1859), as a young boy to England to be educated at a school founded by an evangelical Englishwoman.
This authorized the British navy to intercept on the high seas any suspect slave trading vessels originating from or belonging to, inhabitants of Bompey, or to territories ruled by the other Sherbro signatories.