William I. Johnson was born into slavery in Albemarle County, Virginia, more than two decades before Emancipation. During the Civil War, he freed himself, walking out of a Confederate camp near Fredericksburg, with enough tobacco on hand to bribe the pickets. After serving in the Union Army, he went on to become a successful building contractor in Richmond, where he lived for many years with his wife, Hannah (Hardaway) Johnson, and children. He died in 1938 as he approached his 98th birthday. (For more on Mr. Johnson, see the blog posts “Overlooked No Longer” and “Freedom Fighters at Rest.”)
William Isaac Johnson Sr.