Macormack Charles Farrell Easmon,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, popularly known as M. C. F. Easmon or "Charlie" (11 April 1890 – 2 May 1972), was a

Sierra Leone Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people ( kri, Krio people) are an ethnic group of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole people are lineal descendant, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Sierra Leone Liberated African, Liberated Af ...

born in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

in the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

(modern-day

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

), where his father

John Farrell Easmon John Farrell Easmon, MRCS, LM, LKQCP, MD, CMO (30 June 1856 – 9 June 1900), was a prominent Sierra Leonean Sierra Leone Creole people, Creole doctor in the British Gold Coast who served as Chief Medical Officer during the 1890s. Easmon ...

, a prominent Creole medical doctor, was working at the time."MCF Easmon"
SierraLeoneHeritage.org. He belonged to the notable

Easmon family The Easmon family or the ''Easmon Medical Dynasty'' is a Sierra Leone Creole medical dynasty of African-American descent originally based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Easmon family has ancestral roots in the United State ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

, Sierra Leone Creole, a Creole family of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

descent.

Background and early life

Macormack Charles Farrell Easmon was born on 11 April 1890 in Accra, Gold Coast, to

, a

Sierra Leonean Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

and Irish people, Irish descent and his wife, Kathleen Annette Easmon (''née'' Smith), a

Jamaican Maroon Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves from slavery on the Colony of Jamaica and established communities of free black people in the island's mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern parishes. Africans who were ensl ...

, Fante, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

descent. Macormack Easmon descended from prominent

families and had numerous ancestors who distinguished themselves in the civil service and medical field. Easmon was named "McCormack" or "MacCormac" after his great-grandfather MacCormac family of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, John MacCormac, who was the uncle of

William MacCormac Sir William MacCormac, 1st Baronet, (17 January 18364 December 1901) was a notable British surgeon during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. MacCormac was a strong advocate of the antiseptic surgical methods proposed by Joseph List ...

. John Farrell Easmon (1856–1900) was a prominent Sierra Leonean medical doctor with a distinguished medical career, who was the first West African to serve as

Chief Medical Officer Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...

of a British West African territory. The Easmon family are

s who descend from the original settlers of the

Freetown Colony Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

, the

Nova Scotian Settlers The Nova Scotian Settlers, or Sierra Leone Settlers (also known as the Nova Scotians or more commonly as the Settlers) were African-Americans who founded the settlement of Freetown, Sierra Leone and the Colony of Sierra Leone, on March 11, 1792 ...

. Macormack Easmon's paternal uncle was

Albert Whiggs Easmon Albert Whiggs Easmon (1865 – 21 May 1921) was a Sierra Leonean Creole medical doctor and the half-brother of Dr John Farrell Easmon. Easmon was among the first group of Sierra Leoneans to qualify as a medical doctor after getting a degree fr ...

, a prominent gynaecologist in Freetown. Through his maternal lineage, J. F. Easmon was descended from the MacCormac family and was a nephew of Sir

. William Smith Jr. was the son of Judge William Smith, a

Yorkshireman Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

who settled on the Gold Coast and was a judge in the Mixed Commissionary Court in Freetown. Anne Spilsbury was the daughter of Joseph Green Spilsbury and Hannah Carew. J. G. Spilsbury's father was George Green Spilsbury, a distant relative of Bernard Spilsbury, and Elizabeth Fowler, a

woman. Hannah Carew was the daughter of Thomas and Betsy Carew, both Liberated Africans.

Education

Easmon was educated for six months at the CMS Grammar School in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

and later at Colet Court School, the preparatory school for St Paul's Preparatory School in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He went on to attend

Epsom College Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a boys' school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orpha ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. After graduating in 1907, Macormack Easmon was awarded a scholarship to study medicine at the Medical School of St. Mary's Hospital in London. After a distinguished academic career, Easmon qualified in medicine and surgery in 1912, and in the following year passed the examination of the

London School of Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The inst ...

Personal life

In 1920, Easmon married Enid Winifred Shorunukeh-Sawyerr, daughter of a prominent Creole family. They had one child,

Charles Syrett Farrell Easmon Dr Charles Syrett Farrell Easmon, CBE, Royal College of Physicians, MRCP, FRCPath, FMedSci, (born 20 August 1946), is a British microbiologist and medical professor who has made significant contributions to medical education in Britain. He is a d ...

, who became a professor in medical studies in the United Kingdom.

Relatives

*Through his mother, Easmon was the nephew of Adelaide Casely-Hayford. *Easmon was a first cousin of

Raymond Sarif Easmon Raymond Sarif Easmon (15 January 1913''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, p. 357. – 2 May 1997) was a prominent Sierra Leonean doctor known for his acclaimed literary work and political agitation. Background and early life Ra ...

. *Easmon was the uncle of

Charles Odamtten Easmon Charles Odamtten Easmon or C. O. Easmon, popularly known as Charlie Easmon, (22 September 1913 – 19 May 1994) was a medical doctor and academic who became the first Ghanaian to formally qualify as a surgeon specialist and the first Dean of t ...

, the first Ghanaian surgeon.

Retirement and legacy

As a member of the Sierra Leone Society, he spearheaded the founding of the Sierra Leone Museum in 1958 and became its first curator. Easmon was also instrumental in the Monuments and Relics Commission alongside other Sierra Leoneans such as Ernest Jenner Wright and Wilmot A. Dillsworth, a Freetown city town clerk. Easmon worked relentlessly to acquire worthy exhibits for the museum and to set up attractive displays. He also hosted a popular radio programme called ''Sierra Leone in Retrospect''. In 1954, Easmon was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE).

References

The Krio Descendants Yunion.

External links

"Film clip of Dr M.C.F. Easmon discussing the founding of Freetown".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easmon, Macormack Charles Farrell 1890 births 1972 deaths Sierra Leone Creole people Macormack Charles Farrell Expatriates of Sierra Leone in Gold Coast (British colony) Sierra Leonean expatriates in the United Kingdom People educated at Epsom College MacCormac family of County Armagh, Northern Ireland