By the time of the Civil War, it had become one of the wealthiest in the country, thanks in part to its location on a major waterway and role in the growing cotton industry. Some of the most elite planters in the country lived in Natchez. Nearly half of them were Northern born. And nearly half of the native Mississippians in the district had either a spouse or parents who were of non-Southern heritage. The Northern planters sent their children to Northern schools and "marketed their crops through New York factors." (See Masters of the Big House, Scarborough, p. 30. Incidentally, I took his Civil War class at Southern Miss and still have the bumper sticker he gave to all students at the end of the semester stating, "I Survived Scarborough's Civil War.")
“Nowhere else was there such a concentration of Northern-oriented planters," says Scarborough.
As crisis began to descend upon the country, these Natchezians primarily opposed secession in favor of compromise. War, they feared, would interrupt their wealth.
And at the center of this wealth was slavery.
William Tiler Johnson-the Early Years
While it is not known whether William Johnson, Sr. was one of the Natchez elites with Northern connections,
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| William T. Johnson The Barber of Natchez |
Click (HERE) to read more about Mississippi's laws regarding antebellum free blacks, including regulations for manumission.
After the Johnson family was freed, Amy became a retailer. Her daughter, Adelia at the age of 15, married a free black man from Philadelphia named James Miller who was a respected businessman in Natchez. He owned a barbershop, and it was under his tutelage that young William learned the trade. In 1828 at the age of 19, Johnson bought his own barbershop, which was located in Port Gibson about 50 miles north of Natchez. When Adelia and James moved to New Orleans, William bought James' business and returned to the bluff city.
The Barber of Natchez
By 1834, Johnson owned three barbershops. A shave cost 12.5¢ and a haircut 25¢. He also operated a bathhouse and charged 50¢ for a hot or cold bath. The following year, he raised the price of a hot bath to 75¢. He opened a toy shop in one of the
rooms in a barbershop and loaned money from which he earned income from the interest he charged. Another source of income came from city real estate rentals.
Johnson speculated in land and bought 750 acres of farm and timber land and 120 more acres that he called “Hard Scrabble.” To help him maintain his properties, William hired white overseers. And there was much to do. On his farm, he raised corn, potatoes, onions, peas, cabbages, pumpkins, watermelons, turnips, and fruit. He sold cordwood and timber cut from his land. He also raised sheep, hogs, and cattle.
Johnson speculated in land and bought 750 acres of farm and timber land and 120 more acres that he called “Hard Scrabble.” To help him maintain his properties, William hired white overseers. And there was much to do. On his farm, he raised corn, potatoes, onions, peas, cabbages, pumpkins, watermelons, turnips, and fruit. He sold cordwood and timber cut from his land. He also raised sheep, hogs, and cattle.
Like his brother-in-law, William Johnson was a successful and respected businessman. And while he wasn't wealthy enough to earn him a spot in the aristocracy of the Natchez elite, he was certainly financially stable enough to provide for his large family. He and his wife, Ann Battles, had 10 children, the last one born a month before Johnson's untimely death. Ann was an illiterate former slave and friend of his sister. They married on April 20th, 1835.
Whether it was from his desire to emulate the Natchez
aristocrats, his own personal drive, or a combination, Johnson made attempts to elevate
himself and his family. He sent his children to private tutors and schools. He encouraged them to read from the dozens of magazines and newspapers to which he subscribed. Johnson also had a piano, music box, and violins in his home. The children took music lessons. At least one
of them studied art. He wanted the best for his family and himself. And this was reflected in his dress, which was meticulous. An expensive watch and rings accentuated his wardrobe. As the song goes, he was a sharp dressed man.
William Johnson the Sportsman and Gambler
Johnson was an incredibly competitive man, and he never missed a chance to turn an activity into a game. He even raced toy boats on a lake in Natchez. In 1839, he wrote that he and Robert McCary (free
black) played 16 games of marbles where McCary won 10 of them, “I have not been
so tyred for some time As I am now from playing those Marbles this Evening and
He won a good many more Games than I did.
He Can beat me Easy.” This admission must have pained the competitive man. As for outdoor sports, he competed in horse jumping and racing. But hunting was his favorite.
Gambling at these sports often went hand in hand with Johnson. He gambled at roulette and faro. He bet on shooting matches. He gambled on horse races. He even bet on a cockroach race. He bought lottery tickets and always had numerous packs
of cards, dominoes, and checkers available.
He bet on everything, and he was absolutely horrible at it! Once, he had to borrow $10 from his wife to pay a gambling debt. This is interesting to note because here was a free black woman in antebellum Mississippi with her own money. By the way, it is unknown just how much strain William's gambling placed on their marriage, if any.
In addition to sporting activities, Johnson enjoyed going to the theater and circuses. He also traveled to New Orleans to visit his sister as well as such far-away places as Philadelphia and New York.
William Johnson the Slaveowner
According to the NPS, 12% of Mississippi's free blacks owned slaves in 1850. This percentage was closer to 30% in New Orleans. Indeed, some free blacks bought their family members out of slavery. But that was not the case with William Johnson because his only family members, his mother and sister, had already been freed. And they became slaveowners, too! To Johnson, owning property led to honor and distinction, and this drove his insatiable desire to become more affluent. At the time of his death, he owned 16 slaves, 7 of whom he inherited from his mother.
He wrote about buying and selling slaves in the same manner as he did when noting any other transaction. To him, he accepted slavery as he did anything else around him. Yet, they were more than mere names in a ledger book. He noted their idiosyncrasies, personalities, and character.
Johnson's slaves worked his farm and served in his barbershop. He hired them out to other planters, and he would sometimes hire slaves from others when he needed more assistance on his farm. And slaves built his house on State Street, which still stands today.
William Johnson felt it necessary that his slaves behave themselves in order that he maximize his profits from his slave investments. Yet, the sympathies he felt towards them took on paternalistic characteristics. He fed them well and allowed them to attend
church meetings and entertainment. Johnson paid for respectable funeral services and
prayed the slaves would be “better off in another world.” He never broke up families. And the whippings he administered were for
misconduct or carelessness in handling property, never for laziness.
Yes, a free black man whipped his slaves.
In June 1848, he wrote, “I flogged Sarah, Dicy, and the
little Mule all to day.”
He punished Lucinda because he gave her
permission to attend church but instead she “went off in some private Room, the
Little Strumpet.” Several years later, he whipped her again for hitting her husband in the street.
The Forks of the Road in Natchez was the largest slave market in Mississippi and was named for its location at the intersection of Liberty and Washington Roads. Washington Road was renamed D’Evereux Drive, which changes to St. Catherine Street at the Liberty Road intersection. You can read more about the Forks of the Road by clicking (HERE).
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| Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
Johnson brought Steven home, and the misbehavior continued. On March 19th, 1838, he ran off four times in three hours. As a result, Johnson “gave him a pretty sefveere thrashing with the Cow hide-then he was perfectly Calm and Quite and could then do his work. Tis singular how much good it does some people to get whipped.”
August 10, 1840: "Steven got Drunk to day and walked of[f] and I, after he had been Brot Home, Hand Cuffed him and Floged Him. In the first place I Knocked him Down at the Building — he then ran away, but was soon Brought Back again and when he came back he was so drunk that he Could not walk, talk or do any [thing] Else — I gave Him Late in the afternoon a tolerable severe whiping and Left him, so the First thing I know the Rascal had ranaway"
And then on January 1st, 1844, he was finally able to sell him for $600. Despite all of the trouble Steven caused him, William Johnson still felt compassion towards his slave. “I gave Steven a pair [of] Suspenders and a pr of Socks and 2 Cigars, Shook hands with him and see [him] go On Bourd for the Last time. I felt hurt but Liquor is the Cause of his troubles," he wrote. "I would not have parted with Him if he had Only have Let Liquor alone but he Cannot do it I believe.”
William Johnson, A Free Black Man in White Society
William Johnson was an active member of the Natchez community and a good neighbor. He joined bucket brigades to help put out fires and made contributions to fund
raising drives. His home on State Street was in a white
section of Natchez
and surrounded by prominent businessmen and plantation owners with whom he formed amicable relationships. He entered into business partnerships with whites. In his business
dealings, whites treated him as one of their own and at times respected him more than their own kind. Natchez aristocrats invited him into their homes, his visits mainly
connected with his barbering business, and treated him much like any other
tradesman with businesslike politeness. He raced his horses against
white friends. Whites sent him
tokens of esteem. White
neighbors looked after his property when he was gone. And since William Johnson belonged to the slaveholding class, whites treated him as any
other white slave owner. For instance, the slave of a white man stole Johnson’s horse, which he was able to get back. The white owner promised he would pay any damages for the
horse and ended up selling the slave as a result of the incident.
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| 1850 census |
Free blacks could sue and be sued in court. Davis and Hogan, Johnson's biographers, found no evidence of
any court discriminating against him because of his skin
color. Johnson himself noted few cases of white injustice against blacks in
general.
Yet with all of the freedom William Johnson enjoyed as a black man in antebellum Mississippi, he could not vote,
participate in civic meetings, or belong to a militia company. It must have been frustrating to him to have done everything he could to be such an honorable citizen, one who contributed to his community, and still fail to be fully
included into white society. As can be expected, hints of bitterness began to seep onto the pages of his journal as time progressed. Justifiably so.
William Johnson's Untimely and Tragic Death
In the late 1840's, William Johnson became involved in a boundary dispute with another free black man named Baylor Winn. Winn had purchased land adjacent to Johnson's and began harvesting Johnson's timber with no regard to the boundary line. Johnson sued him, and a surveyor was called in by
court order. As a result, Winn settled the case out of court by compensating Johnson. But that did not apparently resolve the issue.
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| Mississippi Free Trader June 18th, 1851 |
On June 16th, 1851, William Johnson, his son, one of his slaves, and a black apprentice rode out to take care of routine chores on his farm. Upon their return, an assailant ambushed the group and shot Johnson. The barber succumbed to his wounds early the next day at the age of 42 Before he died, Johnson named Baylor Winn as his murderer, which prompted Winn's arrest. The ensuing sensational trial involved some of the state's brightest lawyers. Assisting the prosecution was Will T. Martin, future general in the Confederate army and Johnson's attorney who was involved in the boundary dispute case. Despite his best efforts and a passionate three-hour speech, Martin was unable to convict Winn due to one issue: blacks could not testify in court against whites. You see, Baylor Winn claimed he was not a free black man after all but part white and part Native American. Two witnesses from Virginia where he was from swore to his heritage, though they both named different tribes that Winn was descended from. Meanwhile, the Johnson family sent a representative to Virginia who was able to procure documentation signed by officials, including the governor of the state, that showed that the origins of the Winn family could be traced back to 1802 in Virginia as free blacks. Yet, this evidence was inadmissible in court. So the only eyewitnesses to the crime were now unable to testify since they were black, and the court now viewed Winn as white. The prosecution was at a loss, and Baylor Winn, the murderer, went free.
William Johnson was buried in the white section of the Natchez City Cemetery.
Tragedy continued to plague the Johnson family. Like his father before him, Byron was murdered by a black man. He lost his life in New Orleans in 1872. Another one of William's children committed suicide. Yet, there were triumphs as well. Grandson, W.R. Johnston, a graduate of Wilberforce College
and Howard University, became a leading physician in Natchez. The last name is spelled differently because one of William's children, Anna, changed it to include the "t."
The Diary
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| Photo by Michelle Woodham Find a Grave |
The Diary
William Johnson's diary covered the years from 1835 until his tragic murder in 1851. He was a voracious chronicler. He wrote even when events of the day failed to provide him an adequate topic. For example, the lone entry for June 21, 1841, reads: "Nothing new this morning that is worth the attention of a smart man."
His barbershop served as a clearinghouse of Natchez news and events. And Johnson documented it all, from his own business transactions, to politics, to fashion, births, deaths, weddings, concerts, crime, quarrels, sports. Johnson wrote about it all. And he wrote about blacks and whites alike. His diary is an incredibly significant work as it not only provides a glimpse into life in antebellum Natchez, but it also details the life of a Southern free black man and slave holder.
His barbershop served as a clearinghouse of Natchez news and events. And Johnson documented it all, from his own business transactions, to politics, to fashion, births, deaths, weddings, concerts, crime, quarrels, sports. Johnson wrote about it all. And he wrote about blacks and whites alike. His diary is an incredibly significant work as it not only provides a glimpse into life in antebellum Natchez, but it also details the life of a Southern free black man and slave holder.
Dr. W.R. Johnston's widow, Sally, made it possible to publish William Johnson's diary. She lived in the barber's 3-story house on State Street in downtown Natchez until her death. The diary was kept in the attic where it was forgotten until it was rediscovered and sold to LSU in 1935. The university then published it in 1951, 100 years after the barber's tragic death. William Johnson's diary and papers are still held at LSU, and I was ecstatic to learn that they have been digitized! You can access the collection by clicking (HERE).
You can also purchase a copy of his 800-page diary by clicking (HERE)
....and his biography by Davis and Hogan by clicking (HERE).
These served as sources for this article.
The house stayed in the family until they sold it to the Ellicott Hill Preservation Society in 1976. It was then donated to the city who in turn donated to the National Park Service in 1990. After an extensive restoration process, the NPS opened the house as a museum in 2005. It is free to visit, and I highly recommend it.
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| Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
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| William and Ann Johnson's bedroom Bed, dresser, and washstand are originals Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
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| Parlor Bookcase and books are originals. This is probably where he recorded the events in his diary. Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
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| Yes, their hall was pink! Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
I will conclude with one of my favorite quotes from the barber's diary. His sister's death in 1848 sent him into a melancholic state that he struggled to overcome. As he was emerging from the darkness, he wrote, "On the future lies my only hope of happiness. In the future I may at least, in part atone
for the past by a strict adhesan to duty, by endeavoring to become more
amiable, And by striving thus to Emulate the good I may at last enjoy at least
a semillance of that Joy and contentment which they Say only the good can
enjoy, But can I hope to attain that degree [of] excellence and goodness that
will insure happiness I can but try, and
if I fail-try again.”
-William T. Johnson
Until next formation...rest.
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