Julia Chinn ( – July 1833) was an American plantation manager and enslaved woman of "mixed-race" (an "
octoroon
In the colonial societies of the Americas and Australia, a quadroon or quarteron was a person with one quarter African/ Aboriginal and three quarters European ancestry.
Similar classifications were octoroon for one-eighth black (Latin root ''octo ...
" of seven-eighths European and one-eighth African ancestry), who was the
common-law wife
Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, marriage, informal marriage, or marriage by habit and repute, is a legal framework where a couple may be considered married without having formally registered their relation as a civil ...
of the ninth
vice president of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
,
Richard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson (October 17, 1780 – November 19, 1850) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the ninth vice president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren ...
.
Early life
Chinn was born in
Scott County,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
to a woman enslaved by the Johnson family. Her exact date of birth is unknown, according to historian
Amrita Myers, yet Johnson family lore places it in the year 1790. However, Myers also records that "ex-slaves of the Johnsons say that Julia was only fifteen or sixteen when her first daughter was born". This would make her birth year 1796 or 1797.
It is recognized that she was raised and educated at the home of her enslaver,
Richard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson (October 17, 1780 – November 19, 1850) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the ninth vice president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren ...
, by his mother, Jemima Suggett Johnson.
According to historian
Christina Snyder, local oral tradition maintained that her mother's name was Henrietta, who was held in
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
by the Johnson family.
Little is known about Chinn's life in the household, but by 1811, she and Johnson were in a sexual relationship.
Chinn's personal views about the relationship have not survived in the historical record. It was not uncommon at the time for enslavers to coerce enslaved women into sexual relationships.
In 2021, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' stated that, "as an enslaved woman, Chinn could not consent to a relationship".
Their first daughter, Adaline Chinn Johnson, was born in 1812, and a few years later, their second daughter, Imogene Chinn Johnson, was born.
Under law at the time, interracial marriage was banned and Johnson was under no obligation to acknowledge responsibility for his and Chinn's children. Nevertheless, he insisted that his daughters take his surname.
He also insisted that they be educated at the
Choctaw Academy Choctaw Academy was a historic Indian boarding school at Blue Spring in Scott County, Kentucky for Choctaw students. It existed from 1818 to 1842. History
Baptists started an academy for Choctaws in 1818 near Georgetown, Kentucky, but it quickly fai ...
that he established.
In 1815, Johnson's father died and he legally inherited Chinn, whom he outwardly treated as his wife, something atypical for the period, .
Blue Spring Farm
Johnson represented Kentucky in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, which meant many absences from his home and the businesses on his property. While he was away Chinn was in charge, not just of the household, but of the entire plantation.
She managed all the business affairs and the workers on the property were to obey hera highly unusual act since she was an enslaved womanon Johnson's orders.
Letters from Johnson show that he instructed his white employees to obey Chinn in writing.
It is clear that while Johnson was the owner of Blue Springs plantation, it was Chinn who was in charge of its administration.
This included overseeing the enslaved laborers, supervising the house and garden, the tavern on their farm, the mills, as well as planning entertainment and hospitality, which was part of her husband's political life. She also was responsible for ensuring the education of their children.
She reportedly played the piano very well.
Chinn was responsible for the budgets and credit lines of the estate and essentially worked as Johnson's estate manager, as well as his wife.
She was recognized as an authorized user of his accounts, establishing lines of credit to pay for goods in his name.
She was responsible for the cash that Johnson withdrew before leaving for Washington for his political career each year. This money was used to pay the white salaried workers in the estate, including teachers at the Chocktaw Academy.
As an enslaved woman, this cash relationship in particular, connected her to the world of commerce in ways that were unusual for someone of her gender and background at the time.
In her role as plantation manager, Chinn was able to improve the lives of her extended family as well: her brother Daniel and his sons worked in the house.
Nevertheless, their safety could not be guaranteed and, in 1821, Johnson mortgaged Daniel and his wife, to raise money to pay debts.
Not everyone on the plantation welcomed Chinn's supervision: one historian reports that when she was in charge many of the male enslaved field hands skipped work or refused their tasks and that when she asked male neighbors to punish the rebellious men, none would agree to.
Choctaw Academy
In 1825, Johnson opened a school for Native American boys, on his Blue Springs plantation.
Chinn handled the management of the school and payment of its teachers whilst Johnson was away. She also acted as its nurse. The Native American students paid for their tuition. Apparently, they resented that Chinn would report on any misbehavior by them to Johnson and the schoolteachers.
Later life
In 1833, there was a cholera outbreak at the
Choctaw
The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...
Academy, part of a regional
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
epidemic. Chinn nursed many of the boys and eventually contracted the disease that would be the cause of her death. She died in July 1833.
The location of her grave is unknown.
At the time of Chinn's death, their daughtersas the children of an enslaved womanwere technically her husband's slaves. Although he never liberated Chinn, he did free their surviving daughter, however.
Legacy
Throughout her lifetime, Chinn fulfilled the traditional role for the wife of a politician. When the
Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...
visited the plantation, Chinn helped organize entertainment in his honor, both at the plantation and throughout the county. This entailed a high degree of organization, both of the property she was responsible for, as well as the management of relations with the white political society in the community.
Johnson's Senate career ended in 1828 when he was not re-elected to his Kentucky seat. He was eliminated from consideration as a candidate for vice president during the
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
campaign for president, with whom Johnson had hoped to run. Apparently, his relationship with Chinn contributed to this because fears existed about its potential to be damaging by association to the reputation of the president hopeful. While interracial sex was common, interracial relationships were expected to be hiddensomething Johnson did not do.
After Chinn's death, Johnson ran for the vice-presidency alongside the eighth president,
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...
and he was elected. However, during the campaign numerous cartoons and broadsides were published that disparaged Johnson because of his relationships with Chinn and their two daughters.
In one cartoon, dated to 1836, Johnson is featured with both daughters one of whom holds a picture of Chinn and one of the captions reads: "When I read the scurrilous attacks in the Newspapers on the Mother of my Children, pardon me, my friends if I give way to feelings!!! My dear Girls, bring me your Mother's picture, that I may show it to my friends here."
In the cartoon, the color of the skin of Chinn and her daughters was darkened deliberately. Chinn reportedly had only one black relative, a great-grandparent, and it is likely her skin was much paler than depicted in the cartoon.
Likewise, 'otherness' was suggested in the cartoon by depicting her as wearing a turban.
Historiography
No records remain that were written by Chinn or her two daughters. Historian Amrita Myers believes that Johnson's brothers destroyed much of his archive after his death for two reasons: first, so that they might disinherit his daughters, whom he had named as beneficiaries in his will; second, because they were ashamed of his relationship with Chinn.
In 2020, discussion was raised in
Johnson County, Iowa
Johnson County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,854, making it the fourth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa. Johnson County is included ...
, as to whether the county should be renamed, removing its association with Richard Mentor Johnson. Reasons given for removal included Johnson's killing of numerous Native Americans during battles, including
Tecumseh
Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...
, and his enslavement of many people, including Chinn.
Literature
Chinn and her husband, Richard Mentor Johnson, are the subject of the novel, ''Great Crossing'', by
Judalon de Bornay.
References
External links
PBS Media: Julia Chinn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinn, Julia
19th-century American slaves
People from Scott County, Kentucky
Year of birth unknown
1833 deaths
First Ladies and Gentlemen of Kentucky
Deaths from cholera