Henry Johnson (~1844–December 5, 1890) was a Tennessean who was once enslaved by Andrew Johnson. Johnson purchased Henry in 1857 for US$1,050 (equivalent to $34,335 in 2023), when Henry was approximately 13 years old.[1] Unlike Sam, Dolly, Liz, Florence and William, Johnson does not appear to be enumerated on the 1860 slave schedule as property of Andrew Johnson.[2][3] Johnson emancipated all of his personal slaves on August 8, 1863.[1]
In 1864 and 1865, when Andrew Johnson was military governor of Tennessee, he "claimed pay toward wages, rations, and clothing for three servants: Henry, Florence, and Elizabeth (Liz)."[4] Henry worked at the White House during the Johnson administration.[5] He may be conflated in some historical accounts with Henry Brown, who was likely an older man and who died of cholera in Washington, D.C. in 1866.[6][7]
In later life Henry Johnson worked at the United States Post Office in Knoxville, where he died at approximately age 46.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c NPS Staff. "Slaves of Andrew Johnson". Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Andrew Johnson - Role: Slave Owner/Principal - Count: 5", Eighth United States Census, Slave Schedules, 1860 – via FamilySearch
- ^ Bowen, David Warren (1989). Andrew Johnson and the Negro. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. pp. TK. ISBN 978-0-87049-584-7. LCCN 88009668. OCLC 17764213.
- ^ Fling, Sarah (2021). "The Formerly Enslaved Households of President Andrew Johnson". WHHA (en-US). Retrieved 2023-07-06.
- ^ Holland, Jesse J. (2016). The Invisibles: The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House. Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press. pp. 193–201. ISBN 978-1-4930-0846-9. LCCN 2015034010. OCLC 926105956.
- ^ "Washington: By Telegraph to the Tribune". New York Tribune. 1866-10-29. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-06-26 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ Bergeron, Paul H. (2001). "Robert Johnson: The President's Troubled and Troubling Son". Journal of East Tennessee History. 73. Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee Historical Society: 1–22. ISSN 1058-2126. OCLC 760067571.
