What do the Haitian Revolution, the War of 1812, and Denmark Vesey’s planned revolt have in common? Abraham Ashe—an enslaved man turned free person of color in Charleston whose life touched every corner of Black Atlantic history.In this episode, researcher and storyteller Joel Johnson uncovers the extraordinary story of his 5th great-grandfather, Abraham Ashe. Visiting Charleston and months spent digging through archives of all types, Joel reconstructs Ashe’s journey using powerful primary sources—slave bills of sale, historic newspaper ads, Freedman’s Bank records, and more.Ashe's life—rooted in Haiti, shaped by war, and tangled in Charleston’s complex racial hierarchy—reveals a unique transatlantic world where free people of color intermingled with the enslaved, owned property, and navigated a deeply divided society. Based on Johnson’s gripping piece for his online journal Struggle and Progress, this episode offers a rare and personal window into the layered lives of Black families before and after Emancipation.
Joel R. Johnson is a storyteller and family historian who has spent over 20 years uncovering the lives of his African American ancestors and their place in American history. Trained as an amateur genealogist and mentored by elder historians in his family, Joel has traced his roots through Maryland, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia—reclaiming the stories of both enslaved and free people of color in the antebellum South.Through his online journal Struggle and Progress, Joel brings these stories to life, blending archival research, fieldwork, and genetic genealogy to navigate the complexities of ancestry, race, and legacy—including the difficult truth that some of his own ancestors were also enslavers. His work offers powerful case studies and hard-earned insights for anyone grappling with the “brick wall” of slavery in their genealogy.Explore his research at www.struggleandprogress.com.
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