Q: I’ve heard that Ransom may have come from Africa on a ship through Charleston, or was born in South Carolina, possibly coming from the Middleton Plantation?
A: Neither of those stories appears to be true. Official records show that Ransom was born in Gaston County, North Carolina, in January 1835. His death certificate confirms this, and his 1890 marriage certificate to Maggie Wells lists his parents, Mike Johnson and Julia (or Judie) Hunter, as being from North Carolina. Even so, we’ve exhaustively search Middleton Plantation records and did not find Ransom listed among the documentation. So all the evidence points to him being a native of the state—not arriving from Africa or South Carolina.
Q: Was Ransom Hunter the first freed slave in Gaston County, NC?
A: We have never claimed that Ransom Hunter was the first freed slave in Gaston County.
That idea has been suggested by others outside our organization, but there’s no historical proof he was ever enslaved. It’s more an assumption that all people of color during that period of time in Gaston County were enslaved.
However, born in 1835, his status is unclear—he may have been enslaved, indentured, or born free. Free Black communities existed across North Carolina long before the Civil War. In 1860, about 30,000 Black residents were free, alongside many who were enslaved. Indentured servitude—both Black and white—was also part of life at the time. Ransom’s name doesn’t appear on any slave rolls or manumission papers, so his early life remains a mystery.
Q: What can you share about Ransom’s parents, and where did the Hunter name come from?
A: We don’t know much about Ransom’s parents, Mike Johnson and Julia (or Judie) Hunter, including whether they were enslaved, indentured, or born free, or whether they had any association with local plantations.
There was a Hunter plantation in the area, but there’s no documentation linking Ransom’s family to it. Ransom chose to take his mother’s surname rather than his father’s, which wasn’t unusual at the time. Many people during and after the slavery era had the freedom to select their own family names. We are still trying to find more information about his parents and their origins.
Q: Have you been able to trace Ransom’s DNA to a specific tribe or region, or determine if his ancestors were indigenous to America?
A: At this time, we do not have any DNA connected to Ransom Hunter. Records show that he was born in North Carolina—not Africa—as some family stories suggest.
We are exploring whether Ransom may have had connections to the Caribbean, Africa and even local indigenous communities. The River Bend Township area of Gaston County was historically home to both Cherokee and Catawba peoples. By the 1800s, some Catawba had sold reservation lands and settled among Cherokee communities in North Carolina. Ransom’s second wife, Maggie Wells, was reportedly 100% Cherokee according to family lore, and we are also exploring whether Ransom himself may have had indigenous roots.
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Ransom Hunter Foundation 