Barber of Natchez

by Edwin Adams Davis, William Ransom Hogan

In The Barber of Natchez, Edwin Adams Davis and William Ransom Hogan tell the remarkable story of William Johnson, a slave who rose to freedom, business success, and high community standing in the heart of the South―all before 1850. Emancipated as a young boy in 1820, Johnson became a barber’s apprentice and later opened several profitable barber shops of his own. As his wealth grew, he expanded into real estate and acquired large tracts of nearby farm and timber land. The authors explore in detail Johnson’s family, work, and social life, including his friendships with people of both races. They also examine his wanton murder and the resulting trial of the man accused of shooting him. More than the story of one individual, the narrative also offers compelling insight into the southern code of honor, the apprentice system, and the ownership of slaves by free blacks. Based on Johnson’s two-thousand-page diary, letters, and business records, this extraordinary biography reveals the complicated life of a freedman in Mississippi and a new perspective on antebellum Natchez.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

290 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last month, on a one-night visit to Natchez, Mississippi, after checking in to the B&B, we walked Main Street on our way to the Under-the-Hill area for a beer and then dinner. After crossing over to State Street, we passed the William Johnson House. I was drawn to its look, like a Philadelphia row house, and snapped a photo, not stopping to see if the House was still open for the day. (I was hungry.) The next morning while getting ready to leave the B&B, I found this book on the parlor coffee-table and it clinched the visit I thought I wouldn't take: we were going to the House before we left town. I had it in my head to buy William Johnson's Natchez: The Ante-Bellum Diary of a Free Negro at the gift shop; but the polite, friendly young man working there changed my mind after recommending this over the other: he said the diary was repetitive and this book held the 'highlights'.

The story of "the barber of Natchez", William Johnson -- ex-slave, proud free man of color, successful and respected businessman, landowner, landlord (his tenants were white men, though immigrants), chronicler in his 16-years-long personal diary of life in an antebellum Deep South city -- is absolutely fascinating and I'm surprised it isn't more well-known. The discovery of his diaries and other personal papers (all found in the family attic) were a boon to historians, even horseracing historians.

As a black man, he couldn't vote or participate in any way in the political process (which he would've enjoyed), but he was expected to contribute monetarily to certain causes and he did. When he stopped attending the theater (he didn't enjoy having to sit in the gallery with the misbehaving riffraff), he turned to reading, cementing the feeling I had that I could've been his friend; though, of course, as a white woman, I couldn't have. His owning of slaves is problematic to me, of course, yet at the account of the end of his life, I did feel as if I'd lost a friend. I felt sadness and anger, too: despite the expertise of his attorney, the existing laws (blacks not being allowed to testify against whites) could not afford his family the justice they deserved.

[Dave Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers an intriguing perspective on the life a of free black man in Antebellum Natchez. The authors examine William Johnson's diary in order to piece together the life and perspectives that this exceptional black man had. I find that his story is one that is overlooked and under-appreciated, and one that can add depth to our understanding of the Antebellum South and Southern culture.

[Kym Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference book that touches on the employable trades of African Americans during slavery.

[Mark Lawry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a U.S. National Parks junky I had to visit this new Natchez National Historic Park that was going to open in June 2021. We stopped by in March. There was no established National Park visitor center yet. They were still sharing a space with the town welcome/information center. As usual, I asked the park ranger what she believed was the best book on the shelf that would tell me why I stopped here. Again, another great investment from a Park's bookstore. It probably should have been read before that visit back in March.

This book was written from the original 2,000-page diary of William Johnson, along with other boxes of other family documents. Part of me wishes I was a faster reader, and I could actually read these original sources. Evidently Johnson's diary is said to be a hugely nationally significant book in its own right. No, I have faith Davis and Hogan did the best they could to put forth this good and honest cliff notes version. Fortunately, the same ranger who recommended this book also pointed me in the direction of the 4 major sites I needed to see in town. At least now I know why she made those recommendations, and why the town was added to the National Parks.

[Liam Philbin]

William Johnson is just a guy fr- his neighbor was kinda insane for killing him ngl.

It was sad getting to know him personally and then having him cut down by a bitter, crazed neighbor. Which is CRAZY because Johnson literally was so nice to his neighbor about the whole border dispute.

[Georgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Judge...one of my favorite customers...lent me this to read. More American history that I hadn't gotten a side of until this book. It was published in 1973, the year I was born. Fascinating.

[Kaleb Grimes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool perspective on pre-war America. I wish it leaned heavier on the diary entries.

[Susan Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about the life of a Free Negro in the 1800's. It helped continue my education of the life of people in the past. Sometimes it was boring, but all in all a very good read.

[Vanjr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story about a free Negro male in ante-bellum Natchez. It ends on a difficult note, but certainly a book to be read and understood today by anyone with any ties to the state of Mississippi or the South

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The William Johnson house is now a museum in Natchez, MS, and I went there in April 2012. An interesting read. The politics of race at this time and place were so strange.

[JoAnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, little known story.