Macormack Charles Farrell Easmon,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, popularly known as M. C. F. Easmon or "Charlie" (11 April 1890 – 2 May 1972), was a

Sierra Leone Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people () are an ethnic group of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole people are lineal descendant, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Sierra Leone Liberated African, Liberated African slaves who ...

born in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

in the Gold Coast (modern-day

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

), where his father

John Farrell Easmon John Farrell Easmon, MRCS, LM, LKQCP, MD, CMO (30 June 1856 – 9 June 1900), was a prominent Sierra Leonean Creole medical doctor in the British Gold Coast who served as Chief Medical Officer during the 1890s. Easmon was the only West A ...

, a prominent Creole medical doctor, was working at the time."MCF Easmon"
SierraLeoneHeritage.org. He belonged to the notable

Easmon family The Easmon family or the ''Easmon Medical Dynasty'' is a Sierra Leone Creole medical dynasty of African-American descent originally based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Easmon family has ancestral roots in the United States, and in particular Sav ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

, a Creole family of

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

descent.

Background and early life

Macormack Charles Farrell Easmon was born on 11 April 1890 in Accra, Gold Coast, to

, a

Sierra Leonean The demographics of Sierra Leone are made up of an indigenous population from 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the south are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra L ...

and Irish descent and his wife, Kathleen Annette Easmon (''née'' Smith), a

Jamaican Maroon Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves from slavery in the Colony of Jamaica and established communities of free black people in the island's mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern parishes. Africans who were ensla ...

, Fante, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

descent. Macormack Easmon descended from prominent

families and had numerous ancestors who distinguished themselves in the civil service and medical field. Easmon was named "McCormack" or "MacCormac" after his great-grandfather

John MacCormac John MacCormac, (24 March 1791, Lurgan 20 March 1865) was an Irish timber merchant who pioneered the timber trade in the Colony of Sierra Leone. John MacCormac was also the founder of the first Free Will Baptist church in Sierra Leone and ser ...

, who was the uncle of

William MacCormac Sir William MacCormac, 1st Baronet, (17 January 18364 December 1901) was a notable United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British surgery, surgeon during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. MacCormac was a strong advocate of t ...

. John Farrell Easmon (1856–1900) was a prominent Sierra Leonean medical doctor with a distinguished medical career, who was the first West African to serve as Chief Medical Officer of a British West African territory. The Easmon family are

s who descend from the original settlers of the

Freetown Colony Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

, the

Nova Scotian Settlers The Nova Scotian Settlers, or Sierra Leone Settlers (also known as the Nova Scotians or more commonly as the Settlers), were Black Britons or Black Canadians who founded the settlement of Freetown, Sierra Leone and the Colony of Sierra Leone, ...

. Macormack Easmon's paternal uncle was Albert Whiggs Easmon, a prominent gynaecologist in Freetown. Through his maternal lineage, J. F. Easmon was descended from the MacCormac family and was a nephew of Sir

. William Smith Jr. was the son of Judge William Smith, a

Yorkshireman Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the city of York. The so ...

who settled on the Gold Coast and was a judge in the Mixed Commissionary Court in Freetown. Anne Spilsbury was the daughter of Joseph Green Spilsbury and Hannah Carew. J. G. Spilsbury's father was George Green Spilsbury, a distant relative of

Bernard Spilsbury Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury (16 May 1877 – 17 December 1947) was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Crippen, the Seddon case, the Major Armstrong poisoning, the "Brides in the Bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, the Crumb ...

, and Elizabeth Fowler, a

woman. Hannah Carew was the daughter of Thomas and

Betsy Carew Betsy is an English feminine given name, often a nickname for Elizabeth. People * Betsy, stage name of Welsh singer Elizabeth Humfrey * Betsy (born 2013), Russian singer and blogger * Betsy Ancker-Johnson (1927–2020), American plasma physicist ...

, both Liberated Africans.

Education

Easmon was educated for six months at the CMS Grammar School in

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

and later at Colet Court School, the preparatory school for St Paul's Preparatory School in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He went on to attend

Epsom College Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a benevolent institution which provided a boarding school education for sons of poor or deceased members ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. After graduating in 1907, Macormack Easmon was awarded a scholarship to study medicine at the Medical School of St. Mary's Hospital in London. After a distinguished academic career, Easmon qualified in medicine and surgery in 1912, and in the following year passed the examination of the

London School of Tropical Medicine London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

Personal life

In 1920, Easmon married Enid Winifred Shorunukeh-Sawyerr, daughter of a prominent Creole family. They had one child,

Charles Syrett Farrell Easmon Charles Syrett Farrell Easmon (20 August 1946 – 21 March 2025), was a British microbiologist and medical professor who made significant contributions to medical education in Britain. He was a descendant of the distinguished Easmon family. Edu ...

, who became a professor in medical studies in the United Kingdom.

Relatives

*Through his mother, Easmon was the nephew of

Adelaide Casely-Hayford Adelaide Casely-Hayford (née Smith; 2 June 1868 – 24 January 1960), was a Sierra Leone Creole advocate, activist of cultural nationalism, teacher, fiction writer, and feminist. Her commitment to public service led her to improving the condit ...

. *Easmon was a first cousin of

Raymond Sarif Easmon Raymond Sarif Easmon (15 January 1913''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, p. 357. – 2 May 1997) was a prominent Sierra Leonean doctor known for his acclaimed literary work and political agitation. Background and early life R ...

. *Easmon was the uncle of

Charles Odamtten Easmon Charles Odamtten Easmon or C. O. Easmon, popularly known as Charlie Easmon, (22 September 1913 – 19 May 1994) was a medical doctor and academic who became the first Ghanaian to formally qualify as a surgeon specialist and the first Dean of t ...

, the first Ghanaian surgeon.

Retirement and legacy

As a member of the Sierra Leone Society, he spearheaded the founding of the Sierra Leone Museum in 1958 and became its first curator. Easmon was also instrumental in the Monuments and Relics Commission alongside other Sierra Leoneans such as Ernest Jenner Wright and Wilmot A. Dillsworth, a Freetown city town clerk. Easmon worked relentlessly to acquire worthy exhibits for the museum and to set up attractive displays. He also hosted a popular radio programme called ''Sierra Leone in Retrospect''. In 1954, Easmon was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE).

References

The Krio Descendants Yunion.

External links

"Film clip of Dr M.C.F. Easmon discussing the founding of Freetown".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easmon, Macormack Charles Farrell 1890 births 1972 deaths Sierra Leone Creole people Macormack Charles Farrell Sierra Leonean expatriates in Gold Coast (British colony) Sierra Leonean expatriates in the United Kingdom People educated at Epsom College MacCormac family (County Armagh)