The Barber of Natchez, Paperback

The diary, letters, and business records of an ex-slave reveal his personal thoughts concerning the social, political, and economic conditions of the antebellum South.

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.

About the Author:

Edwin A. Davis was the head of the Louisiana State University Department of Archives. He graduated from Kansas State Teachers College and received his advanced degrees at the State University of Iowa and LSU.

William Ransom Hogan (1908-1971), a graduate of Trinity University, received his advanced degrees from the Univeristy of Texas. He was formerly head of the Department of Archives at LSU and served during World War II as a captain in military intelligence. He was a professor at Tulane University from 1947 until his death and served for many years as chairman of the history department. In 1946 Hogan published his influential The Texas Republic: A Social and Economic History, an authoritative account of early Texas history and a standard source of information on the republic.