User:Twitchy Colonel/sandbox

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Gabriel "Gabe" Johnson

Gabriel “Gabe” Johnson was born into enslavement in Spotsylvania County Virginia on November 24, 1824, the reputed son of slaves Ben and Matilda Johnson. Gib, as his manumission papers listed him was the 5th of 6 children. He had 3 older sisters (Charlotte age 16, Dareas 14 and Sucky age 6 in 1827) and 1 younger sister Nancy, who was a mere six weeks old in 1827. He also had 1 older brother, Moses, who was 10 years old in 1827. Gabe was among a group of 133 slaves who were manumitted in the will of John Ward Sr. of Pittsylvania County, Virginia between January and March of 1827. On March 12, 1827 when Gabes freedom was legally recorded in Pittsylvania, Virginia, was described as “two years old in November last, about two feet eight inches high, has a new or fresh scar on the forehead, of rather light complexion.”

Ohio State Colored Convention of 1873
On August 22, 1873 Gabe Johnson and John Robinson of Lawrence County, along with nearly 100 colored gentlemen from various parts of Ohio attended the State Colored Convention at Chillicothe, Ohio. According to newspapers of the day, “The colored convention is purely, as it is avowedly, a political affair and was held for the purpose of discussing the status of the colored people of Ohio, and deciding what, in view thereof, shall be their political action. It is well to observe that there are many colored men in Ohio who do not sympathize with the movement, and who think the calling of the convention was premature or unnecessary.”

The intent of the convention was to address the deprivation of African American Civil Rights. William H Jones, of Hamilton County who was chosen as the temporary Chairman said, “It was said of old, “Knock and it shall be opened to you.’ We are met here to knock; and we believe some door will be open as a result.” His words were met with collective applause. Gabe along with 4 other men, including G.S. Jones of Gallia County, were appointed as a Committee on Permanent Organization. After 15 minutes, they returned with the permanent convention officers, of which John Robinson, of Lawrence County, was one.

Reply of Gabe N. Johnson of Ironton, Ohio. To The U. G. R. R. Circular. November 1894
Among those who contributed most towards helping slaves on to Canada before the war, it is very probable there were no more active workers in the cause than the Stewart family who lived, and some of whom now live, in Greenfield Township, Gallia County, 0H, in a settlement known by local designation as "Poke Patch on Dirty Face Creek.

(1) Station keepers: John S. Stewart and Eliza his wife were two most conspicuous characters and ardent workers in what was known as the Underground Railroad of the ante bellum days. For this reason I feel that a short biography of them would be interesting to the readers. John S. Stewart was born July 4, 1819, at Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio. He died on his farm at Poke Patch, Greenfield Township, Oct. 7, 1892. He was married in 1844 to Eliza Ann Harris, who now survives him, by his brother. Rev. William Stewart. Mrs. John S. Stewart was born in Bedford County, Va., June 13, 1828, of free parents. She gave the writer the following information concerning the part her family and the people of her community took in the Underground Railroad.

There were five Stewart brothers, viz.; T, N,, James W., Isaac, John S., and Jacob. Jacob Stewart, who has been residing in Cincinnati for the last three years, is the only one of the five now alive. The Stewart brothers lived the greater part of their lives at Poke Patch, or the Stewart Settlement (as frequently called). The Stewarts were all active workers. Their parents came from Virginia, and were born free.

Mrs  John S. Stewart, still living at Polk Patch, where she has resided since her marriage in 1844 to John S. Stewart, says the first runaway slave of which she has any recollection passed through the Stewart settlement in the spring of 1844, soon after her marriage. His name was Wilson and he came from Virginia. He stopped at her house for a day and at night her husband together with the other Stewart brothers piloted him to "Berlin Cross Roads, in Jackson County, Ohio— a place where a large number of free colored people had settled many years before. From Berlin Cross Roads he was taken on North.

II. In the winter of 1844 William Scott came to the Stewart settlement. He came from either Kentucky or Virginia. He found his way to Poke Patch alone. Her husband and Isaac Stewart pressed forward with him under the cover of the dense forest, and landed him in Franklin Township, Jackson County, 0.

The principal operators of the Underground Railroad in the Poke Patch settlement, generally piloted the fugitive slaves to the house of Mr. Noah Nooks, a colored man at Berlin Cross Roads, or to Franklin, Jackson County, or to the village of Jackson in Jackson County. At any one of these places they could find strong anti-slavery men to take the fugitive on north to some other station.

Mr. Noah Nooks of Berlin Cross Roads, has been dead a number of years. He contributed largely of his time and substance in aiding the unfortunates of his race to reach Canada where they would be secure in their freedom.

The Poke Patch people also took a number of runaways to Morgan Township, Gallia County, and put them there into the hands of friends tried and true. John Chavis, Caliph James, Howell James and William P. Ellison, all free colored men and all of whom are dead, lived in Morgan Township, and were prominently connected with the Underground. Railroad and made their houses the Morgan Township station for fugitives. Jacob Stewart was the leading spirit in the Poke Patch community in railroading slaves through northward, Mr. John Matthews, colored, who lived at Olive Furnace about five miles from Poke Patch was also an efficient worker. All those runaways who followed the Iead of the road which stretched from the River to Olive Furnace were taken in hand by Mr. Matthews, and carried over to the station at Poke Patch and other stations named. Most of those handled by Matthews escaped from Kentucky. William Chavis of Washington Township, Lawrence County, was an enthusiastic Underground Railroader in that section. He co-operated with the Stewarts and other active workers in Poke Patch and on Dirty "Face Creek.

During the period between 1840 and 1860 "Rev. William Stewart preached in the colored settlement at "Burlington and Macedonia, in Lawrence County, on the Ohio River. He made himself useful in bringing a large number of fugitives over the hills through the woods to Poke Patch, where they were sent forward to Morgan Township, Berlin Cross Roads and other places. Those slaves were mostly from Kentucky and what is now known as West Virginia.

John S. Stewart, being a man of more than ordinary ability for those times and for his chances, taught singing school and day school on Macedonia Hill in 1848. He here had an opportunity to assist many slaves from Kentucky to escape through Lawrence County, to the Gallia and Jackson County lines, thence to the way stations further north.

"Benjamin Holly, one of the pioneers of the Poke Patch settlement, was also active in his assistance to his down-trodden brothers in their efforts to gain their freedom. Joseph Cousins, who lived at Rio Grande, Gallia County, helped the Poke Patch and the Berlin Cross Roads communities to send forward runaways. His house at Rio Grande was always open for the reception of fugitives.

Gilliam Hocks, a colored man living near Vinton, Ohio, was also patriotic in his assistance to runaway slaves.

In all there were about two hundred escaped slaves who came from Va. and Ky. through the Lawrence County by way of Hanging Rock, Ironton, Burlington and Proctorville to the Poke Patch and Dirty Face Creek settlements in Gallia County.

From 1844 to 1860 John S Stewart kept about one hundred of the runaways, giving them food and shelter, and along with his brothers, took further north to friends in the interior of Ohio. About one Hundred passed through Poke Patch and were cared for by other citizens of the settlement. The one colored man who was most active in bringing runaways to the colored settlement at Poke Patch was James Dicher (Jim Ditcher) of Ironton. James Dicher (Jim Ditcher) brought over seventy-five to the Poke Patch settlement and was closely followed in many instances by the officers in search of the fugitives. He was a tall thin man with an Indian complexion, and was commonly called the "red fox" of the Underground Railroad. He resorted to many, tricks and ruses to throw the "nigger" catchers and human blood hounds off the scent of their human prey. He had two or three routes through Lawrence County to the Gallia County line. The one he took most frequently was along the line of the Iron R. R. to its terminus at Centre about fifteen miles from Poke Patch, thence over the hills through the woods to the Greenfield Township settlement at Poke Patch. Many times he would take them to Berlin Cross Roads and other places. The last runaway slaves that came through Stewart settlement were brought by Dicher (Jim Ditcher) in 1859 or 60. They were a sister and brother by the name of Julia and Tom. They came from Big Bottom, Va., now West Va. They stopped at John S Stewart's house and rested themselves. James C. Stewart accompanied Dicher (Jim Ditcher) and his charges to what was called the Washington switch of the Portsmouth branch of the Hocking Valley R.R. There they were met by two white men who had been in hot pursuit. The boy and girl were taken from Dicher (Jim Ditcher) and Stewart's and carried back^^to their master in Va. These were the last slaves that went through Poke Patch settlement before the war and the only ones out of more than two hundred who passed through that were captured and taken back into slavery. Nearly all of the horses and other conveyances used in carrying escaped slaves through Lawrence County to the Gallia County or Jackson County lines were supplied by Mr. John Campbell, the well known iron master / of the Hanging Rock Iron Region. He was known in those days / to be the black man's friend, and one of the staunchest and most fearless of the Abolitionists.

Early in the Forties there came to Poke Patchy Peter Coker and his wife Betsy from Tennessee. They had five boys namely, John, James, Elisha, Tolliver and Robert, who were very active in the Underground Railroad.

Tolliver Coker, being a single man, and of a fearless disposition, was the most valuable aider and abetter the runaway slave had. All of the Coker family contributed materially towards building up a strong Underground Railroad for the escape of their race from slavery.

There were three routes the fugitive could take in escaping from Kentucky and the western part of Virginia or to what is known now as West Virginia-through Lawrence County. He could go direct to Berlin Crossroads from the Ohio River, or to Oak Hill, Jackson Co., or to the colored settlement in Greenfield Township-known as Poke Patch on Dirty Face Creek, in Gallia County.

Poke Patch is two and a half miles west of Davis station on the C. H. & D. R. R [Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad]

Death and Obituary
On July 18, 1899 in Ironton, Gabe Johnson met the sweet chariot sent to carry him home. Born into slavery, he spent his life in service to others. His obituary was a tribute to a man who had committed his life to freeing others from “the Peculiar Institution” of slavery and ensuring the equal rights of all.

The esteemed and prominent colored man died at his home on 8th street, last Monday morning, and this Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock, the remains will be interred at Woodland. Mr. Johnson was born in Virginia, November 24, 1824. He was born a slave but when a small boy was manumitted and came to this county. He lived at Burlington years before Ironton was thought of, then went to Hanging Rock where he conducted a barber shop.

In the mean time, he steam boated a good deal, finally settling at Ironton, in the early days of the town, and has lived here ever since. Most of the time he operated a barber shop, but for sixteen years he was janitor of the Court House. When at Burlington, he married Miss Rita Robinson, who died seven years ago.

The deceased was a conspicuous part of the history of Ironton. He was the leading colored man, and was always on the side of sobriety, religion, and education. He was a good citizen, well thought of by everybody, and his death will bring many old friends a sense of regret and sorrow.

In the connection we publish an interesting document taken from the records of Licenses, Permits & etc in the Probate Court of this county. It is the manumission record of the deceased, who is therein called Gib Johnson.

Virginia, Pittsylvania, to wit:

At the instance of John Ward and Lynch Dilliard Executors of the last will and testament of John Ward senior, deceased, duly proven and recorded in the court of said County, Gib Johnson, a boy of color, emancipated by the said will was this day numbered and Registered in the Clerks office of the said court pursuant to the provisions of the Act of Assembly in that case made and provided.

That said Gib Johnson is of rather light complexion, two years old in November last, about two feet eight inches high, has a fresh scar on his forehead, is the reputed son of Ben and Matilda Johnson.

Given under my hand as Clerk of the said Court, this 12th day of March 1827.

Will Tunstall.