"John Ezzidio" (1810-October 1872)

Was a freed slave from Nigeria who became a successful businessman and politician in Sierra Leone.Rescued from a slave ship headed for Brazil,he was apprenticed to a French shopkeeper and taught himself to read and write.John eventually rose to the position of may of Freetown and later became a member of the colonial governor's Legislative Council.John a nupe from is now Niger State,was kipnapped by slaves when he was young and brought to and area populated by the Yoruba.In 1827,he was sold to white slave traders,who put him on board a ship bound for Brazil.The was ship was intercepted by the Royal Navy,and John and the other 54 slaves who were were still alive were landed in Freetown,Sierra Leone in October 1827.John became the apprentice of a French shopkeeper named Beyaust named his apprentice "Isadore." The name was written down as "Ezzido," and eventually morphed into "Ezzidio." After the death of the Frenchman,He was hired by an English firm.John managed a European-owned shop and then used the money he saved to start his own trading firm.In 1841,John purchased property for $100.He visited England the next year,making import deals with companies based there;by importing directly,he eliminated the need for middle men.Goods that were sent to his George Street property,at a total value of between $300 & $400 per year,included clothing such as suits and boots,foodstuffs such as ham,cookies,tea,and fortified wines (port and sherry).In 1844,William Fergusson,Governor of Sierra Leone,appointed him to position of alderman,and in 1845 John became Mayor of Freetown.In 1862,Governor Samuel Wensley Blackhall spilt the Governor's Council into two parts,an Executive and a Legislative Council;the latter allowed representation from,among others,the colony's merchants.The Mercantile Association,in a vote consisting of twenty-four Africans,fourteen Europeans,and one Caribbean merchant,elected John to represent them on this body.While on the council,he was noted for his fairness and unobtrusiveness.John described himself as an "oracle"of the people;some people,meanwhile,nicknamed him "dancing bear"due to his energy.John joined the Wesleyan Church in 1835.He became a lay preacher in 1842 and also ran a Sunday school.John is recorded to have made the largest donation at an 1864 church celebration.In 1864,at his request,a white superintendent was sent to supervise the Wesleyan mission.This superintendent,Benjamin Trebaskis,was a Nonconformist,strongly sectarian,and opposed to the interdenominational cooperation John and others in the church had previously supported.Benjamin feuded with John over church policy until the latter's death in October 1872.