Abraham Lincoln check to William Johnson   Save
Abraham Lincoln Papers
Description: Dated January 7, 1861, this is a check written by President-elect Abraham Lincoln for $20 for the Springfield Marine and Fire Insurance Company to William Johnson, an African American servant and barber who served as Lincoln's personal valet and whom Lincoln took with him to Washington, DC. An accompanying note indicates that Lincoln then had to find another job for Johnson, who at the time would have been the only African American servant in the White House. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: VFM1740_01
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865; African American men; African Americans--Employment; Presidents--United States
Places: Abraham Lincoln Papers