Elijah Johnson

Elijah Johnson (ca. 1789 ref A – March 23, 1849) was an African American who was one of the first colonial agents of the American Colonization Society in what would later become Liberia. He was probably born in New Jersey, received some limited schooling in New Jersey and New York, served as a soldier in the War of 1812 and studied for the Methodist ministry. He had two children out of wedlock, Lewis Johnson (1810 – 1838) and Charles Johnson (born 1812). He latter married and had one daughter Elizabeth (born 1818) with his wife Mary Johnson.cite book
last = Rauh Bethel
first = Elizabeth
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The Roots of African-American Identity: Memory and History in Antebellum
publisher = Macmillan Publishers
date = 1999
location =
pages = 223
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 0312218362]

In 1820, Johnson emigrated on the ship "Elizabeth" to West Africa and landed on Sherbro Island in what is today Sierra Leone. The settlers had difficulty surviving, with many including his wife Mary dying from Malaria and yellow fever. In 1821, the surviving settlers moved to Providence Island near what is today Monrovia. There, Johnson married Rachel Wright (born ca. 1798), with whom he had several additional children, including Hilary Johnson, who would become the eleventh President of Liberia in 1884.cite web
last = Christine's Genealogy Website
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Census of the Colony of Liberia - September 1843
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://ccharity.com/liberia/monroviacensus5.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-22 ]

Johnson became the colonial agent of the American Colonization Society after the death of the white first colonial agent Eli Ayers and his black successor Frederick James. He served in this role from June 4, 1822 until August 8, 1822 and again from April 2, 1823 until August 14, 1823 and was replaced by Jehudi Ashmun. He was then appointed Commissary of Stores but was also active in politics. In 1847, he was one of the signers of the Liberian Declaration of Independence. Johnson died in 1849 in White Plains, a missionary station in the interior of Liberia. [cite book
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The African Repository, Volume 25
publisher = American Colonization Society
date = 1849
location =
pages = 246-248
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=PW0iKLhPjXkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:0dgJNnk5_aaG4zVgCr&lr=#PRA1-PA246,M1
doi =
id =
isbn = ]

Notes

:ref A According to the ship records [cite web | last = Christine's Genealogy Website | title = Ship Elizabeth's company, arrived at Sierra Leone March 9, 1820 | url = http://ccharity.com/liberia/shipelizabeth1820.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-22 ] and the 1843 census of Liberia ] . Other sources cite as a birth date ca 1780. ]

References