Jourdon Anderson (1825 - 1905)

Jordan Anderson or Jourdon Anderson (December 1825 – April 15, 1907) was an African-American former slave noted for a letter he wrote, known as, "Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master". It was addressed to his former master, Colonel P. H. Anderson, in response to the Colonel's request that Jordan return to the plantation to help restore the farm after the disarray of the war. It has been described as a rare example of documented "slave humor" of the period, and its deadpan style has been compared to the satire of Mark Twain.