Nathan Johnson

Nathan Johnson

was a steadfast delegate to the annual convention of free people of color, held in Philadelphia from 1832 to 1835. He was elected the president of the 1847 National Convention of Colored People in Troy, New York.Nathan Johnson left New Bedford in 1849 to seek fortune in the California Gold Rush. Mary Johnson continued her work as a confectioner in New Bedford. In 1857, she requested permission from the City of New Bedford to move her house back on the lot and erect a front addition. This is the current configuration of the Johnson House.Mary Johnson mortgaged her property to make these changes and paid the debts before she died in 1871. Her will indicated that Nathan would be allowed to live in the house if he returned to New Bedford within two years. Nathan returned to New Bedford by 1873. He died in New Bedford in 1880. Both are buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford.