Through the late 1830s and 1840s, business was good. Elihu invested extra money in State scrip which he bought at a discount and generated large investment profits for himself when he later sold. In 1847, he sold his dry goods business to his brother, John R. Clark. From 1847 onward, Elihu L. Clark was in the business of lending money. He became an important financier of considerable fortune, supplying capital to local farmers and businesses.