Slave Narrative of Johnson Thompson
Johnson Thompson was born in December 1853 on a Texas plantation, the son of W.P. Thompson, a mixed-blood Cherokee Indian. His family experienced multiple ownerships before settling on John Harnage’s plantation. Thompson recalls a childhood of both toil and joy—hunting squirrels and picking cotton. His mother wove cloth and his father made shoes. After the Civil War, the family moved to Indian Territory, where they found work and community. He later married twice and had six children, reflecting on the importance of education and religion in his life.