Amanda Gardiner Johnson was a slave gifted to Lydia Corum as a wedding present when she married Anderson Deckard. In 1853, the Deckards decided to come to Oregon and offered Amanda her freedom if she wanted to remain in Missouri. She elected instead to travel over the Oregon Trail with the family. Free in Oregon, Amanda lived with the Deckards until 1858, when she went to Albany and secured work at the J.H. Foster home. In 1870, she married former slave and blacksmith, Benjamin Johnson. The Johnsons lived, the rest of their lives on the corner of Elm Street and 7th Avenue SW in Albany.

View 1927 death certificate of Amanda Johnson.

Next: Sources and Credits >