Discovering the Legacy: Salena Johnson Enslaved Woman
Discovering the Legacy: Salena Johnson Enslaved Woman to Community Builder
When I first noticed Salena Johnson’s headstone, prominently near the middle of Block C in Lincoln Cemetery (Harrisburg), her name was unreadable. Even though I didn’t know who she was, something about Selena’s headstone called to me, and I decided to start treating it with D/2 Biological Solution early on…Once I knew her name, I looked her up on findagrave, and I found someone, Rebecca Dunlap, had added this remarkable photo to her memorial! Selena’s joy is regal, an almost palpable connection to her force as as a woman…In the Harrisburg Telegraph, on the 19th of February, 1919, her obituary reads, “Oldest Colored Woman in City, Born a Slave, Dies.” Her age was 94 years, 7 months and 11 days old, and it reveals far less than that smile on her face?
Her legacy is clearly far greater than that brief summary of survival…she embodies the strength of her community.
After the Civil War ended, Selena came north with her daughter Fanny and settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for a time. By the 1880s, she had moved to Harrisburg, where she lived until her death. Her children Fanny, George, Elnora, and Elizabeth, as well as her grandchildren, were well-known in the city. Mrs. Selena Johnson was active in the Harris and Wesley Union churches. While serving as the Chaplain of the Ladies’ Guild, she organized lavish dinners that featured food from around the world.
Selena’s funeral was held on February 21, 1919, at her late residence, 812 East Street, with Reverend Stephen McNeil, pastor of the Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church, presiding. The services were attended by her daughters and her community. Salena was buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Penbrook, where her headstone remains to this day, a testament to her long and remarkable life.
As an enslaved woman Selena faced all manner of atrocity, depravity, and horror, and still she lived triumphantly, she was raising a family and while building her community.
Selena was and remains a Queen. May her memory continue to inspire and uplift all those who learn of her story.
Chaplain of the Ladies’ Guild
A Trip Around The World
The ladies Guild of the new Harrisburg A.M.E. Zion Church will hold an entertainment entitled “A Trip Around the World,” commencing this evening and continuing during the week. Handsomely decorated booths will represent Japan, China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and America, and these will be presided over by attendants wearing the cloths of that respective country. Luncheon will be served at each booth. The officers of the guild are as follows: President, Mrs B. Dennee Marshall; vice president Mrs. Anna Jones; treasurer, Miss Alice Roy; secretary, Mrs Sarah Corbin; assistant secretary, Miss Emma Turner; chaplain, Mrs. Salena Johnson; ticket agents, Mrs. Dora Calmer, Miss Elizabeth Burrs, Miss B Williams, Miss Amos, Mrs Kate Burrs and Mrs. Patty Orcutt; matron Mrs. Anna E. Hodge.
Obituaries for Selena Elizabeth Jackson Johnson (4 Jul 1824-18 Feb 1919)
Oldest Colored Woman in City, Born a Slave, Dies
The death of Mrs. Salena Johnson, said to be the oldest colored resident in Harrisburg, occurred last night at her home, 812 East Street.
Mrs. Johnson was born a slave in Virginia, July 4, 1824, and was 94 years, 7 months and 11 days old. When she was freed from bondage after the Civil War she came north with her daughter, the late Mrs. A.W. Dennee [Mrs. Fanny Dennee, wife of Alexander Dennee] , living in Carlisle for many years. Removing to Harrisburg, she lived in this city up to the time of her death. She was a member of the Wesley Union A.M.E. Church and was widely known here.
Mrs. Johnson is survived by three children, Mrs. Elizabeth McDonald of Pittsburgh; Mrs. Eleanora Washington of Philadelphia; and George W. Johnson, with whom she made her home; three grandchildren, Mrs. Mary Jackson of Toronto, Canada; Mrs. Frances Johnson, of this city; and George E. Johnson, who is with the Army in France; three great-grandchildren, Dr. A.L. Marshall, Dr. W.E. Marshall, of this city and Dr. F.S. Marshall, who returned from France on Sunday with the 351st Field Artillery; and one great-great-grandchild, Margaret Jane Marshall.
Funeral arrangements will be made on the arrival of her daughters and will be announced later.” Harrisburg Telegraph. February 19, 1919
Sources
Harrisburg Telegraph (1908) ‘A Trip Around the World-The Ladie’s Guild-Harris A.M.E. Church’, 30 March, p. 2. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122609383/a-trip-around-the-world-the-ladies/ (Accessed: 10 April 2023).
Harrisburg Telegraph (1919) ‘Funeral Services of Aged Woman Tomorrow’, 20 February, p. 15. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122602629/funeral-services-of-aged-woman-tomorrow/ (Accessed: 10 April 2023).
The Evening News (1919a) ‘Obituary for SALENA JOHSON’, 19 February, p. 6. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122610736/obituary-for-salena-johson/ (Accessed: 10 April 2023).
The Evening News (1919b) ‘Obituary for SALENA JOHSON part 2’, 19 February, p. 6. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122610860/obituary-for-salena-johson-part-2/ (Accessed: 10 April 2023).
The Evening News (1919c) ‘Obituary for SALENA JOHSON part 2’, 19 February, p. 6. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122610860/obituary-for-salena-johson-part-2/ (Accessed: 10 April 2023).
The Sentinel (1919) ‘Johnson’, 19 February, p. 4. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122611925/johnson/ (Accessed: 10 April 2023).
