William T. Johnson and family papers. Volume 31, diary, 1864-1874. - William T. Johnson and family papers. Volume 31, diary, 1864-1874.

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Title
William T. Johnson and family papers. Volume 31, diary, 1864-1874.
Biographical Information
Katharine Geraldine Johnson (1842-1901), who went by "Kate," worked as a schoolteacher 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 slaves. She had nine brothers and sisters: William (born 1836), Richard (born 1837), Byron (1839-1872), Anna (1841-1922), Phillip (born 1844), Eugenia (born 1845), Alice (born about 1846), Josephine (born 1849), and Clarence (born 1851). Kate's father, William Johnson, was the owner of three barber shops, a bath house, and a plantation; and a slaveholder. 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 her mother Ann Battles in 1866, Kate's brother, Byron Johnson (1839-1872), became the head of the household. After Byron's death in 1872, Kate's sister Anna became the head of the Johnson household, managing the family's financial and business matters. Kate taught in the Natchez primary schools, as did her sisters: Alice, Josephine, and Anna.
Date Created
1864 - 1874
Location
Description
The diary of Kate Johnson, born a free person of color, contains entries dating from May 10, 1864 to June 21, 1874. The diary primarily details her reflections on life in the Johnson family household during the years of Civil War and Reconstruction.</br></br>In her first entry, Kate reflects upon the Johnson family's troubles since the murder of her father and recalls the happier times of childhood. Some entries discuss her brother William Johnson Jr.'s struggle with mental illness and his eventual commitment to an asylum in 1866. Other entries discuss the Civil War, her health, the daily activities of her siblings, her work in the Natchez Public School System, and the death of her mother, Ann Battles Johnson, in 1866.</br></br>The diary also contains some of Kate's poetry and reflections on the comparatively carefree days of her childhood.
Type of Resource
text
Size
1 volume.
Language
English
Source
Louisiana State University Libraries, Special Collections, Hill Memorial Library, Baton Rouge, La., http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special
Digital Collection
Revealing an Unknown Past: Free People of Color in Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi Valley
Repository Collection
William T. Johnson and family memorial papers, Mss. 529, 561, 597, 770, 926, 1093, LSU Libraries.
Shelf Location
Mss. 529, Volume 31
Contact Information
To inquire about ordering copies of these images, email lsudiglib@lsu.edu See instructions for ordering reprints of this image here: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/services/duplication.html . Include the "Item URL" in your request.
Rights
Physical rights are retained by the LSU Special Collections. Copyright has expired and the item is therefore in the public domain. Permission to reproduce this image must be requested through the repository that holds the original.
Preferred Citation
William T. Johnson and Family Memorial Papers,Mss. 529, 561, 597, 770,926, 1093,Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSULibraries, Baton Rouge.
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