Gabriel “Gabe” Johnson was born a slave in Spottslyvania County, Virginia on November 24, 1824. Johnson was a barber by trade and was freed in 1827. At the age of 24, he cam to Ironton, Ohio.
Gabe, like many freed men, became a part of the Underground Railroad. In Gabe’s case, he was a conductor and lead runaways to safety. Gabe often worked with James Ditcher. Gabe, also, worked in the Underground Railroad in Cincinnati from 1854 to 1855.
