William T. Johnson and family papers. Legal and financial documents. Folder 01-21, 1860-1866. - William T. Johnson and family papers. Legal and financial documents. Folder 01-21, 1860-1866.

William T. Johnson (1809?-1851) and his sister, Adelia, were the children of Amy Johnson, a enslaved woman freed in 1814 by William Johnson, a planter of Adams County, Mississippi. William T. and Adelia were freed in 1820 and 1818, respectively. In 1820, Adelia married James Miller, a free African American from Philadelphia. Miller was a barber and a respected businessman in Natchez, Mississippi, and he trained his brother-in-law, William T. Johnson to become a barber. In 1830, William T. Johnson moved from Port Gibson to Natchez to pursue the trade, having purchased Miller's unexpired lease. Five years later, William married a former enslaved woman, Ann Battles (1815?-1866). In 1822, she and her mother, Harriet Battles, had been freed by Gabriel Tichenor of Natchez. William T. and Ann Johnson had ten children: William (born 1836), Richard (born 1837), Byron (1839-1872), Anna (1841-1922), Katharine (1842-1901), Phillip (born 1844), Eugenia (born 1845), Alice (born about 1846), Josephine (born 1849), and Clarence (born 1851). Between 1835 and 1850, Johnson acquired three barber shops, a bath house in Natchez, and a plantation; he also maintained business connections in New Orleans.</br></br>In the late 1840s, Johnson became involved in a dispute with Baylor Winn and Benjamin Wade regarding a property line on his plantation. In May 1851, after the circuit court ordered a survey, the dispute was settled out of court. However, on June 16, 1851, Johnson was fatally wounded in an ambush, and before his death on the morning of June 17, he named Winn as his assassin. At the time of his death he owned more than 2,000 acres of land in Adams County.</br></br>Byron Johnson (1839-1872) was a barber and was born a free person of color in Natchez, Mississippi to William Johnson (1809?-1851) and Ann Battles Johnson (1815?-1866), both free people of color and former enslaved people. He was one of ten children: William (born 1836), Richard (born 1837), Anna (1841-1922), Katharine (1842-1901), Phillip (born 1844), Eugenia (born 1845), Alice (born about 1846), Josephine (born 1849), and Clarence (born 1851). Following the death of his father and mother, Byron Johnson became the head of the household. Byron Johnson was shot by another colored man in 1872 and died. After Byron’s death in 1872, Anna became the head of the Johnson household, managing the family’s financial and business matters.</br></br>Richard M. Johnson (born 1837) was born a free person of color in Natchez, Mississippi to William Johnson (1809?-1851) and Ann Battles Johnson (1815?-1866), both free people of color and former enslaved people. Richard managed Peachland Plantatin in Adams County, Mississippi and lived there with his wife and children.</br></br>Anna L. Johnson (1841-1922) was born a free person of color in Natchez, Mississippi to William Johnson (1809?-1851) and Ann Battles Johnson (1815?-1866), both free people of color and former enslaved persons. Anna had nine brothers and sisters: William (born 1836), Richard (born 1837), Byron (1839-1872), Katharine (1842-1901), Phillip (born 1844), Eugenia (born 1845), Alice (born about 1846), Josephine (born 1849), and Clarence (born 1851).</br></br>Anna's father, William Johnson, was a slaveholder and the owner of three barber shops, a bath house, and a plantation. In the late 1840s, William Johnson became involved in a dispute with Baylor Winn and Benjamin Wade regarding a property line on his plantation. In May 1851, after the circuit court ordered a survey, the dispute was settled out of court. However, on June 16, 1851, Johnson was fatally wounded in an ambush, and before his death on the morning of June 17, he named Winn as his assassin. Following William's death, and the death of Anna Battles Johnson in 1866, Anna's brother Byron Johnson (1839-1872) became the head of the household.</br></br>After Byron's death in 1872, Anna became the head of the Johnson household, managing the family's financial and business matters. Anna taught in the Natchez primary schools, as did her sisters: Alice, Josephine, and Katharine. During the period of 1912 through 1920, Anna lived at the family plantation, Peachland Plantation. Anna died in 1922 at about age 81.