Abraham Losford, a fugitive slave from Kentucky who became Howell’s first Black citizen in 1849, was honored on the floor of the U.S. Legislature by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin on Monday as Black History Month comes to a close.
Losford was among the 10 Michiganders from the 7th Congressional District honored by Slotkin as trailblazers, both past and present. Those others included:
• Marvin “Magic” Johnson of Lansing
• Alexander Johnson of Owosso
• Hiram Archer of Olivet
• Dr. Eva Evans of Lansing
• Clifton Wharton, Jr. of East Lansing
• Larry Carter of Lansing
• Barbara Lewis of South Lyon
• Carrie Owens of Owosso
• Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown of East Lansing.
“Their stories span the geographical breadth of the district, as well as the depth of our nation’s history, from Civil War heroes and escaped slaves, to modern singers and scholars,” Slotkin said from the House floor Monday Night. “All of them should be celebrated, and all of them called Michigan home.”
Black residents came to Howell from a straight line of migration from two Kentucky counties: Grant and Boone.
Losford, a barber who was well-documented as Howell’s first Black citizen in 1854, was also a fugitive slave, which made him a desirable target for bounty hunters. Losford was so confident in the safety of the Howell community that he made dangerous, Indiana Jones-type trips back to Kentucky to bring his family and friends north.
The tribute reads:
House of Representatives
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HOWELL’S FIRST BLACK RESIDENT, ABRAHAM LOSFORD
HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN OF MICHIGAN
February 27, 2023
Ms. SLOTKIN: Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of Abraham Losford, the first Black resident of Howell, Michigan–a brave man who escaped slavery and used the trade he learned while captive to build a life of freedom for his family and for generations to come.
It was 1849 when Abraham Losford fled north with nothing but his clippers from Kentucky where he had been enslaved and served as a plantation barber. He was captured, escaped again, and after Emancipation, returned to free his children, Benjamin and Sally. The plan was to travel to Lansing, Michigan, via the Old Plank Road and open a barber shop, but when Losford stopped in Howell to change stagecoaches, he was convinced to stay in the small town. The people of Howell promised to keep him safe if he would stay and open up a barber shop, which they sorely needed.
It was a deal both sides would forever uphold.
Losford and his barber business both thrived in Howell, and he became a successful, respected businessman in the predominantly white community–no small feat for a former slave in the years following the end of the Civil War.
Newspaper ads from the time boast of his salon offering `Shaving, Shampooing and Hairdressing” for both men and women, and it was noted in the local press that when Losford fell ill, a band of 60 kids and adults joined together to bring him gifts and money in a show of support and affection for the beloved town barber.
Abraham passed the trade to his son, who went on to open a barber shop of his own in the Town of Edmore, Michigan. Today, Benjamin’s story–and that of his father–are immortalized in the children’s book “Benjamin Losford and his Handy, Dandy Clippers.”
It is the story of how skill equals freedom, and a potent reminder that we must all make the most of the tools we have been fortunate enough to receive.
Abraham Losford died in 1897 and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery in downtown Howell. His obituary states that quote, “His presence, as well as his open, manly character, was a living reminder of the sin of slavery. Many winters will come and go before the name of ‘Old Uncle Abe’ is forgotten in the community.”
Mr. Speaker, I ask that his name and his accomplishments live forever in our hearts and minds, as well as here, in the permanent record of the People’s House.
