J. H. Johnson – Against All Odds

J. H. Johnson (DeSoto County)

State House: 1872-1875

Minister and educator from Ohio. Mentioned in an 1853 letter from David Jenkins to Frederick Douglass. Member of the Black Brigade of Cincinnati. Appointed as trustee of the State Normal School at Holly Springs, 1875. According to newspaper articles, he had sons named Frederick and Charles.

Because of relocations, his common surname, and only initials for his given name, I have been unable to identify J. H. Johnson on any census with certainty.

“He was one of the war horses in anti-slavery times in Ohio, and an incessant laborer for twenty-two years in the holy cause. Scores of men who escaped from slavery now bless his name for the assistance he gave them in their flight for freedom, and the proudest recollection of his life is his labors in the anti-slavery cause.”
(New National Era, March 27, 1873)

Links:
Colored convention at Columbus, OH, 1850
Colored convention at Columbus, OH, 1851
Colored convention at Xenia, OH, 1865

Signature of J. H. Johnson from an 1875 letter to Governor Ames

Frederick Douglass' Paper, Oct 28, 1853 — Frederick Douglass’ Paper, Oct 28, 1853

Weekly Mississippi Pilot, February 20, 1875 — Weekly Mississippi Pilot, Feb 20, 1875

Weekly Mississippi Pilot, March 13, 1875

Hernando Press & Times, March 30, 1876 — Hernando Press & Times, Mar 30, 1876

Hernando Press & Times, October 5, 1876 — Hernando Press & Times, Oct 5, 1876

This page was last updated on April 24, 2026.