Origins & Early Life

Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford, (29 September 1866 – 11 August 1930), also known as Ekra-Agyeman, was a prominent Fante Gold Coast journalist, editor, author, lawyer, educator, and politician who supported pan-African nationalism. His 1911 novel Ethiopia Unbound is one of the earliest novels published in English by an African. He wrote mostly as Casely Hayford, using the name Casely as his first name. Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford was born on 29 September 1866 in Cape Coast, in the British Gold Coast colony, now Ghana.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His family, part of the Fante Anona clan and descendants of a dynasty of omanhenes and okyeames, was part of the Fante coastal elite. His father, Joseph de Graft Hayford (1840–1919), was educated and ordained as a minister in the Methodist church, and was a prominent figure in Ghanaian politics. His mother, Mary de Graft Hayford, was from the Brew family, descended from the 18th-century Irish trader Richard Brew and his African "country wife", the Fante princess and daughter of Eno Baisie (Beesie) Kurentsi (known to Europeans as “John Currantee”), the Omanhene (chief) of Anomabu. Brew settled in this area about 1745 and was involved in the Transatlantic...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Beatrix Potter — Contemporary (Born in 1866) (1866): Pioneering author and illustrator celebrated for natural history and children's literature.
• Benedetto Croce — Contemporary (Born in 1866) (1866): Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and political liberal.
• Bernhard Riemann — Contemporary (Died in 1866) (1866): Pioneering mathematician whose work shaped modern analysis, geometry, and number theory.
• Alfred Wegener — Contemporary (Died in 1930) (1930): Pioneering geophysicist known for proposing the theory of continental drift.
• Allan Bloom — Contemporary (Born in 1930) (1930): American philosopher and classicist known for championing Great Books education.
• Arthur Conan Doyle — Contemporary (Died in 1930) (1930): Pioneering author of Sherlock Holmes and speculative fiction master.
• Alfie Boe — Shared historical date (09-29 · Born) (1973): Acclaimed English musical theatre star, celebrated for roles like Jean Valjean.
• Andrea del Sarto — Shared historical date (09-29 · Died) (1530): Florentine painter celebrated for fresco work during the High Renaissance.
• Alex Haley — Shared historical date (08-11 · Born) (1921): Pioneering author of 'Roots,' who brought Black American genealogy to global prominence.
• Andrew Carnegie — Shared historical date (08-11 · Died) (1919): Scottish-American industrialist who pioneered the American steel industry and became a major philanthropist.
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• 1930 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1930
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