Joseph de Graft Hayford

De Graft Hayford was a supporter of the Methodist church planter Thomas Birch Freeman and when Freeman was forced to resign from his post in 1857, de Graft Hayford also left the church; he later returned and became a preacher for the denomination.^[5]

He has been described as "one of the greatest politicians of his day, and the most active member of the Fanti Confederacy of 1867".^[6] When the Confederacy was declared illegal, he was one of the four leaders to be arrested on a charge of conspiracy, the others being James Hutton Brew, James F. Amissah and George Kunto Blankson.^[7]

Of the Anona clan of Cape Coast, he was the husband of Mary Awuraba Brew^[8] (daughter of the prominent Gold Coast trader Samuel Collins Brew and Adjuah Esson) and his children were: Rev. Josiah Hayford, Isaac Hayford, Ibinijah Hayford, Rev. Dr Ernest James Hayford,^[9] Rev. Mark Christian Hayford,^[5] Rev. Mark Christian Hayford, Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford,^[10][11] Hester Hayford, Helen Mary Hayford and Sydney Spencer Hayford.

J. E. married Adelaide Casely-Hayford^[12][13] and the poet Gladys Casely-Hayford was Joseph's granddaughter.

His descendants continued to be leaders in law, politics and arts, and in 2008, the Casely-Hayfords were named as the most influential black family in the UK.^[14]