A Deplorable Homicide Occurred by two Teenage Johnson Cousins

Here We Go

When I first ran across this article, I wondered if I might be related to some of the Johnsons mentioned in this article. One of my Dad's brothers was named Virgil and he had another one named Jasper. I didn't know who Joseph Johnson was but it wasn't long before I figured out that they were speaking about Josiah Johnson, my 2nd Great Grandpa.

I have gone back and forth with myself. Should I write about what I know about my Johnson line?  Do I really want the whole world to know about how bad and crazy, or would that be bat $hit crazy some of them were? Well I have decided to do it. Just remember, there are some good Johnsons that come from my Johnson line.

A Deplorable Homicide Occurred

A deplorable homicide occurred Graydon Springs in this county last Friday. Ed Anthis, a young man 20 years of age, was killed by Virgil Johnson, a boy of 17. Johnson is a son of Joseph Johnson and was raised in the neighborhood. Virgil and his cousin, Loman Johnson, a boy of 15, and a son of Jas. Johnson are under arrest and have given bond for their appearance before Squire Johnson next Tuesday, at which time their preliminary examination will be held. As the cases are in court we forbear comment further than to say that public opinion is somewhat divided as to whether the killing was justifiable or not.

The article above was originally published in The Index (Hermitage Missouri) 5 Oct 1893 Thur Page 3

My Dad used to tell me that his Grandpa, Virgil Eagleton Johnson was a very mean man. There were a lot of people that were afraid of him.

As it turns out, the boy Virgil Johnson that is referenced in this article was my Great Grandpa.  He was not quite 17 when he killed Ed Anthis. I think Loman, who was Virgil's first cousin was there for moral support.

I have decided to write about Virgil E Johnson at least, although there were others that came after him who did the same thing if not worse. I have their trial records and their prison records.

There are other articles that were published regarding this murder that I will include them at a later time. I will also write about and include GG Virgil E Johnson's trial records as time allows. They were all handwritten since it was so long ago and are difficult to read.

Johnson News

Johnson Brothers Visit

The article below was found in The Walnut Grove Tribune (Walnut Grove, Missouri) printed May 05, 1915, Wednesday page 5.
It tells of how Josiah Johnson (my second great grandfather) came from Oklahoma to visit his brother Jap (Jasper) Johnson and other friends and relatives.  Joe (Josiah) and Jap were both sons of Williamson Johnson and Elizabeth (Betsy) Perryman Johnson, my third great grandparents.

Jump genealogy : an American family from colonial times

Jump Genealogy

The title of this post is also the title of a genealogy book written about my Jump line.  It also mentions other Jump lines that we may or may not be related to.

I have a copy of this book and have included a copy of the Table of Contents of the book here. 

I used this book to help me prove my lineage to John Jump who served in the Revolutionary War. 

If anyone believes they are descended from the Jump line and if you have any questions, I would be happy to look the information up for you.  Obtaining a copy of this book is not easy.  I was able to get a copy from a member of the Polk County Genealogical Society in Bolivar, Missouri.  I am very grateful to Carolyn for helping me out!

Thank you to Janet Pease and others who worked so hard researching the Jump Surname.

Please feel free to send me an email or contact me through this blog.

Cora Lee Meek & Lawrence Earl Johnson

Cora & Larry-Hell Raisers For Sure

 

Cora and Larry were my Grandparents and my Father's parents.  

They started off their lives together raising hell.  When they got married (for the first time), on June 29, 1925, they lied.  They lied about their ages.  Grandma Cora said she was 19, but she was really only 15.  Grandpa Larry said he was 22, but he was really only 19.  

They were married by the Justice of the Peace in Altus, Jackson County, Oklahoma.

Grandpa stated his occupation as being a Farmer.  Grandma stated her occupation as being a Farmer's daughter.  I guess after she was married, her occupation became a Farmer's wife.  It turns out that Grandma had many occupations after she got married.  Farmer's wife, baby maker, guard of the still where they made their white lighting/moonshine, etc.

The husband's parents were named as V. E. Johnson (Virgil Eagleton Johnson) who lived in Eakly, OK.  The wife's parents were named as Mrs. Martha Miller who lived in Binger, OK.

Please see their marriage record below where they told their tale....

Grandma and Grandpa had six children together.  Their first child died shortly after she was born.  Their second child was Jasper Edgar born 1927, Virgil James was born in 1929.  

Below is a photo of Grandma Cora with either Jasper or Virgil.

Cora Lee Meek

Grandma and Grandpa separated after Virgil was born.  I am not sure if they got divorced and remarried or not.  In any event, they were still seeing one another.  They got back together again when they discovered that Charles Paul was on the way.  Charles was born in 1931.  Ellen Jane was born in 1933, Lawrence Gerald was born in 1935.

Back row, Cora, Virgil, Front row, left to right, Lawrence, aka little Larry, aka John, Ellen, Charles

In the photo above, Jasper is missing.  He may been away somewhere.  My Dad, John has his hands all balled up like he was going to fight.  Being the youngest, he had to fight his brothers, and the Johnson boys were raised to be tough.  My Dad's hands are already almost as big as Charlie's hands.  I think this photo was taken after they came to California from Oklahoma.  Hell Raisers for sure in this photo.  I'm not too sure if any of them had any Holy Roller in them; maybe a tad toward the end of their lives.

Lawrence Earl Johnson is on the right and his brother, Harve Orville Johnson is on the left

I don't have very many photos of my Grandpa Johnson.  The photo above is one of the few that I have.  Again, a couple of Hell Raisers and then some! Not a drop of Holy Roller in these two!

My grandparents eventually divorced.  Cora went on to get married again to Don Sinclair.  Larry never remarried. 

I have many stories about the Johnson family.  Some of them went on great adventure.  Some of their adventures weren't so great.  I am debating whether to tell you about some of their adventures.  Lots of juicy stories, that's for sure!

Elizabeth Perryman Johnson

Elizabeth Francis Perryman was born to Jacob Perryman (sometimes spelled Perriman) and Margaret Knight on January 4, 1809 in Tennessee.

Elizabeth married Williamson Johnson on January 4, 1830 in Tennessee.  In 1835, they moved to Polk County, Missouri.  They were living in Graydon Springs, Polk County, Mo at the end of their lives.

At the age of 23, Elizabeth professed her faith and joined the Baptist Church.  So, I guess my 3rd Great Grandma would be considered a bit of a Holy Roller.

She was a healthy, strong woman.  How do I know?  Well, she had fourteen kids!  She had seven boys and seven girls.  She ended up having sixty-two grandchildren, eighty great-grandchildren, and at the time of her death, she had eight great-great-grandchildren.  She lived to be 96 years, 9 months, and 17 days old.

She was a hard worker, always helping people.  She had to be a hard worker and survivor with all of those kids to take care of!  I can only imagine how much work that must have been.

McMasters Cemetery

Williamson and Elizabeth are buried in McMasters cemetery (shown in the photo above) which is now abandoned.  The cemetery is in a grove of trees 1/4 mile north into a pasture from the end of Polk and Greene county line roads.  Access requires farm owner's permission.

The family has moved the headstones for Elizabeth and Williamson to the Turkey Creek cemetery in Walnut Grove, Polk County, Missouri in order to preserve their memories.

In my 3rd Great Grandmother Elizabeth F Perryman Johnson's obituary shown above, she is described as being a good mother, a good neighbor, as being very industrious, as always being willing to help the needy, and always wanting to do the work as long as she was able.  She sounds like she was a wonderful human being.  I am proud to have her DNA.

Johnson 1st Cousins

Manny and Trish

 

Manny and Trish (Patricia) Simao are my first cousins from the Johnson side.  They are the children of Ellen Jane Johnson (my Dad's sister) and Manual Simao. 

Manny is about the same age as me and Trish is about the same age as my sister Tudy was.  

Trish and Manny Simao

In the photo above I would guess that Manny is about four and Trish is about two years old.  They are half Portuguese from their Father's side.  Little Manny has the most gorgeous green colored eyes and when he was a young adult he resembled Tom Cruz a lot.  Trish looks like a little doll in this photo to me.  She has red hair and beautiful chocolate brown colored eyes.

When we were growing up, Tudy, Manny, Trish and I were all close to one another and had some great times together.  I am still very close to Trish.  I don't see Manny very much but hear about him.

I love my cousins and will be seeing Trish soon.  Looking forward to it!

Most Common Names in the United States

Dang, I'm a Lucky Girl!

According to Ancestry dot com, Smith is the most common name in the United States.  If one has a Smith in the family, they can expect to sort through 81 million records on ancestry. 

I do have a Smith in the family.  My Mother was Rosie Mae Smith.  As a matter of fact, I have many Smiths in the family.  One could say that I have hit the jackpot on Smiths.  My Smiths were a very prolific bunch to top it all off.  One of their favorite pass times was making more Smiths.  Every time, I turn around, I'm running into a new Smith cousin.  Lucky for me, we have DNA to help us sort through the Smith woodpile now.
https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/smith-a-short-history-of-americas-most-popular-surname/?o_xid=78115&o_lid=78115&o_sch=External+Paid+Media


Not too far behind the Smiths are the Johnsons.  According to the 2010 census records (reflected in the link below), the Smiths are at 2.4 million with the Johnsons at 1.9 million. 
 
Do I have a Johnson in the family?  Well, yes.  Yes, I do!  My Daddy was a Johnson.  Lawrence Gerald Johnson.  There are many, many Johnsons in my family tree.  There are about as many of them on ancestry to sort through as there are Smiths.  I'm lucky again to have DNA to help me sort through all the Johnsons.

I recently met a cousin with the surname of Jones on ancestry that is related to both sides of my family.  Smiths (Mother), and Johnsons (Father).  This ought to be interesting to find out if any of the Smiths married a Johnson to produce a Jones.  😅

Jones is running in fifth place on the 2010 census with Garcia close behind them.

I find it to be very interesting the way the most popular surnames are slowly changing in our country. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1NIqMRAF_SEOWoyMDJ2ZlZiQXM/view

Thanks Mama and Daddy for giving me such a challenging genealogy to research.  Out of all of the people in the world with different surnames, a Smith and Johnson found one another and fell madly in love.  When I really think about it though, I think I would rather have the challenging ( and probably more interesting than many others) genealogy, than to not be here at all. 

Rosie Mae Smith, Baby Helen Jane Johnson, and Lawrence Gerald Johnson

Thanks Mama Smith and Daddy Johnson again, for meeting, falling madly in love with one another and producing a little Johnson-Smith creature! Me! 😊

Sissy Swallowed a Plum Seed

Almost Went Plum Crazy Before Almost Dying!

 

I know I have mentioned my grandparent's house of two rooms before and how much time my sister and I spent there.  Well, we were there once again along with our parents in the evening.  Grandma and Grandpa had a black and white Philco television set.  Since we didn't have one, we would watch television at Gandma and Grandpa's house.

Their television looked very much like the one in the photo above.

We were watching "Sing Along With Mitch".  It must have been summer time because Tudy and I were eating plums from Grandma and Grandpa's tree. 

Grandma was always warning us about not eating the center of any fruit seed.  She told us that it would make us go crazy and, or possibly kill us.  Well of course Grandma knew everything!  I didn't doubt for a minute that if I ever ate the center of a fruit seed, I would go crazy and die.

I was really enjoying my plum, and I was pretty much done with it but I was trying to get the last little bit off the seed.  Before I knew it, I had swallowed the entire plum seed! I jumped up and starting running in circles yelling and crying that I had just swallowed a plum seed.  My baby sister Tudy, was right behind me, yelling and crying, "Sissy swallowed a plum seed".  We were both running around in circles in the front room yelling and crying like a dog chasing its tail.

I just knew I was going to go crazy and then I was going to die!  Our Mom was trying to catch us and calm us down.  Our Dad was laughing, Grandpa was lying on his bed, all laid back as usual watching the commotion.  Finally, they got a hold of me and Grandma said I would be okay since the seed was whole and I didn't eat the poisoned part of it.  I was about seven and Tudy was about five.

Our parents called us Pete and Re-Pete because Tudy would do and say everything I did.

From left to right
Me, Tudy (my baby sister), Gerald Lee Clay, Roseann Clay, Rosie Mae Smith Johnson (My Mother) holding Monte Ray Clay and Stella Holland Smith (My Grandma)

This great adventure took place in the room pictured in the photo above where I am with my baby sister, my Mom, my Grandma, and some of my Clay cousins.  My sister and I were a little bit older in the photo above than we were when we had the "Plum Crazy Adventure".

It was always something and never a dull moment with all the kids around.  Good times!

Virgil Eagleton Johnson

Virgil was my Great Grandpa on my Daddy's side.  He was born in Walnut Grove, Greene County, Missouri in 1876.  There are rumors that he was a mean SOB.  Actually, I have evidence to support those rumors, but I am choosing not to publish it at this time.

I read a description of him as being lanky and loose jointed when he was seventeen years old. 

Another description of him was given when my Great Grandmother Lula Jump and her twin sister Lila Lee ran off and got married.  My second Great Grandpa Sylvester Jump went after them to bring them back home.  Apparently, Grandpa Sylvester got a hold of Lila Lee, but Lula's husband (Virgil Johnson) was a big man and refused to let her go.

Virgil Eagleton Johnson and one of his grandchildren

In the photo above, it is difficult to determine how big he was.  This is the only photo I have of him.  I'm sure there are others floating around.  If someone has any other photos of Virgil E Johnson, please contact me. 

I believe my Father may have been built up like his Grandpa Johnson.  My Father was the tallest out of all of his brothers and he was lanky and loose jointed.

Virgil couldn't have been all bad though.  When his daughter Amanda died, he raised his grandchildren.

More to come on good ole Great Grandpa Virgil Johnson at a later time....I can guarantee you that the Johnson stories are not dull!

It Was Hot So We Cooled Em Off

We Cooled the Ladies Off!

The population of Poplar, CA in the 1950s and 1960s was about 800-1,000 people at the most and I think that included the population of  Cotton-Center and outlying areas.

My family lived in a two room house, (my Dad later added another room).  We lived between the Short family and the Glory family on Imperial Rd.

It was a warm, uh, lets make that a hot as hell summer day in the Central Valley of California.  My sister, Tudy and I were home with our Mom and we were playing outside.  I was about six and Tudy was about four years old.

We were playing on the side of the yard next to the Glory's because they had a couple of big old shade trees.  It was at least a little cooler under those trees.

Mrs. Glory and some of her women friends were sitting under the shade trees visiting and talking about how hot it was.  They kept carrying on about the heat and fanning themselves with paper fans and homemade fans made from pieces of paper.  Some of them were fanning themselves with their dress-tails.  Now Mrs. Glory and her lady friends were not a petite bunch.  These ladies loved their fried chicken and starches! 

Tudy and I had been playing in the water earlier so I knew that running through the sprinkler helped to cool one off in the heat.  As I listened to the ladies complain about the heat nonstop, I came up with a brilliant idea!

I enlisted the aid of my little sister and told Tudy to go into the kitchen and get Mama's bottle of dish-washing liquid.  Tudy went and fetched the bottle and I proceeded to fill it up with water.

I told Tudy that we were going to cool the ladies off.  We hid behind the tree and I started squirting them with the water.  The ladies started jumping all around hoopin' and hollerin!  They were causing quite a commotion!  They made so much noise that Mama came out of the house and caught Tudy and me red handed cooling the ladies off.

Mama said, "Helen Jane, what are you doing"?  I was trying to explain to Mama that we were just trying to cool the ladies off.  She took the bottle away from me, and made us go into the house.  Of course she threatened us with "Wait until your Daddy gets home"!

Mama apologized to Mrs. Glory and her friends for our bad behavior.  She kept threatening us with Daddy for the rest of the day.  We got our little butts beat when Daddy got home.

I later caught our parents laughing about us cooling Mrs. Glory and her friends off.  I don't recall Mrs. Glory ever getting out in the yard like that again and complaining about the heat. 

I was just trying to help the ladies, and Tudy thought it was a good idea too.  I was in total agreement with them that it was really, really, hot.

James Alfred Moses Meek

James Alfred Moses Meek
was born July 4, 1882 in Atascosa, Texas to Martha Favors Meek and Francis Marion Meek.  He was my Great Grandpa from my Dad's side.

James married Martha Leona Baze on October 11, 1902, in Durant, Oklahoma, when he was 20 years old.  They had one son and five daughters together.  See below, marriage photo of James and Martha.  When I first saw this photo, I saw my Father's (Lawrence Johnson, aka John) eyes,  My Dad looked very much like his Grandfather Meek with the same coloring.  Unfortunately, My Dad, John never got to meet his Grandpa because he passed away before he was born.

Their son, Martin Henry "Wesley" was born on January 7, 1904.  Their daughter daughter Avis was born in 1905 and passed away in 1906. Their daughter, Anna Mae "Annie" was born on October 17, 1905.  Their daughter Cora Lee (my Grandmother) was born on June 13, 1910.  Their daughter Martha Emily "Janie" was born on April 22, 1914.  Their daughter Lucille "Lucy" was born on July 2, 1918.  All of the children were born in Greer County, Oklahoma.

As you can see, James and his family lived in Greer County, Oklahoma for many years.  I found a couple of newspaper articles to indicate that he was active in his community and that the family received visitors from out of town.

Sometime after Sept 1918 when James submitted his registration for the military and the end of 1919, the family moved to Lawton, Oklahoma.

Please see copy of military registration below and another photo of him sitting down.  It provides a physical description of him.  He was of medium height and weight with brown eyes and black hair.

My Faver/Favor/Favors Line

The Faver Family
The surname Faver has undergone many changes in spelling.   The most common spelling in France seems to have been Favre or Faure, which are used interchangeably.  

Dionne, in his "Origins des Familles," says that the family name was adopted because of residence in Faure or Favre, a commune of Ardennes.  Many particularly ancient surnames developed in a similar manner, since it was almost inevitable that an individual or family, particularly of the property owning class, would be known by the area in which he or they lived.  And the surname Faure or Favre (now Faver) belongs in this category.  It is as well, one of the most ancient of French surnames.  

The Faver Clan's contributions to our country have been numerous, spanning more than two hundred fifty years since our Faver ancestors left France to come to a new land filled with challenges, hardships, and opportunities.  Our heritage has been one of which its descendants can be proud, and one which needs to be recorded for future generations.
The above is from the book "Favor and Kindred 1748-1990" written by Alma Yarbrough Carroll



John Faver

participated in the "Battle of Kettle Creek."  The battle either took place on John's property or was very near it. John Favor was my 5th Great Grandfather on my Father's side. He was born in Virginia in 1748 and married Mary Bolton in Virginia.  He came to Wilkes County, Georgia from South Carolina, with a wife and a 2 year old son.  He most likely traveled the Colonial Roads from Virginia to South Carolina to Georgia.  According to early maps and records, John settled in the Derbyshire District of Wilkes County about 8 miles west of Washington, Georgia. 

John was a patriot in the Revolutionary War. 
"Although the fighting of British and Patriots at Kettle Creek, February, 1779, was hardly more than a desperate hand-to-hand skirmish, its importance in determining the outcome of the American Revolution has been long overlooked.  It was in this Skirmish that Georgia was saved from complete capitulation to the British.  Savannah had been taken and Augusta, also.  Original Wilkes was the only part of Georgia which stood free.  The victory at Kettle Creek turned the tide in favor of the Patriots, rescuing Georgia and the South from British domination." -- (The Importance of the Battle of Kettle Creek by Janet H. Standard)Page 193, Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia, compiled by Mrs. Howrd H. McCall, 1942, states "John Faver of Virginia served at the Battle of Kettle Creek and was granted land for his service in 1784.  He married in Virginia, Mary Bolton."
In the Soldiers at Kettle Creek -- Wilkes Dracoons listing compiled by Robert M. Willingham, Fr., John Faver, Christopher Irvine, Capt., and Laurence Bankston are included.  Kettle Creek Heroes, listed by Miss Eliza Frances Andrews and her sister, Met Andrews (Mrs. T. M.) Green, for the "Washington Forum" include John Faver.  (pages 48,50)The map pictured below was found in the estate papers of John Faver, Jr.  The map shows Kettle Creek land granted to John Faver, Sr. in Wilkes Coounty, Georgia in 1785.  This is where John Faver Sr.'s plantation was located

  I will write more later on John Faver and other Faver family members.  Many of them are well documented and there is a lot of history. 

Hartwell Johnson and DNA

As one might imagine with a name like Johnson, unless one has all documents in order for every person in the line, a family like this might be very difficult to trace with any accuracy.

We (meaning I and some other Johnson researchers) have been able to accurately trace back to Hartwell Johnson.  Hartwell did leave a trail....he left a trail of eleven kids, then they left a ton of kids, and it went on and on and on.....

Hartwell Johnson was my 4th Great Grandfather.  He was born in Virginia about 1782.  There was some speculation that he was born in Surry, Virginia and was the son of Hartwell Johnson Sr. who resided there, but there is no concrete proof of that.

There was a Hartwell Johnson found on the tax records along with Coleman Johnson and William Johnson. 

 https://johnsoni2a.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/hartwell-johnson.pdf

Hartwell was recorded under several different names....Hardey, Hardaway, Hardin.  The people recording the taxes seemed to have a very difficult time spelling his name.

Since Hartwell was listed with a Coleman and William had been listed alone for a few years, it is somewhat easy to surmise that William might possibly be the father of Hartwell and Coleman. However, I have not been able to prove that yet. 

Hartwell's military records indicate that he was from Halifax, VA.

Hartwell married Liddie Shaw in North Carolina on January 6, 1807 according to his Military documentation.

About 1835, Hartwell moved his family to Missouri.  This was a Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Polk County Missouri prepared for the Centennial Celebration on the Fourth of July, 1876 by A.C. Lemmon....about 3 years after Hartwell had passed away.
LOONEY TOWNSHIP Looney Township, named in honor of Benj. Looney, who settled there in
1833 and died in 1875, is bounded on the south by Marion on the east by
Mooney, west, Jackson, and on the south by the Greene county line, is 8 miles
square and contains 64 square miles; population in 1860- 1750, estimated at
present at 2,000; the soil upon the prairies and uplands has a red clay
foundation and produces well; the valleys and bottoms are quite rich. Wheat is
extensively grown. The principal streams are Dry and Little Sacs, Slagle and
Asher creeks; the growth of timber on these streams is white and shell-bak
hickory, black and white walnut, hackberry, linn, pawpaw, elm, red-bud, maple,
sycamore, ash and many species of oak. This township was about the first
settled part of the county. Among the earliest may be mentioned John Mooney
who settled near the present town of Brighton, Richard Saye, Samuel Asher,
John and David Ross; Aaron, Gideon and Nelson Ruyle, J. N. Sloan, John and
Benj. Looney, Jacob, Thomas and Smith Lemmon, Joseph Tuck, Pittman and Thomas
Woolard, W. W. McNight, James Faulkner, Charner DeGraffenreid, Nathaniel
Herndon, Daniel and Martin Harpool, Wm. Maxey, William Daly, Hartwell Johnson,
Wm. Winton, Hugh Boyd, Robert E. Acock, Abram and John Slagle and Abram Sears.
This township is well timbered and has many fine springs located in
Pleasant Prairie in a rich and healthful portion of the county. A more
extended description is given in another part of this sketch.
Brighton, on the Bolivar and Springfield road. twelve miles from the
former place, is a small town but has a considerable trade, and contains one
dry goods store, one drug store, post office, blacksmith shop, and one stream
saw mill.
West Bend, on Little Sac, has one dry goods store and one water mill.
Slagle Creek has one store and post office.
The second entry of land made in the county was located in this township
in the year 1837.
There were several settlers here before the Indians retired. They
required rent of the whites and soon became quite troublesome, and made
threats which alarmed the settlers. The danger became so alarming that the
whites assembled together and selected one of the number, J. N. Sloan to visit
and petition the Governor for relief. He immediately mounted his horse and
rode to St. Louis, consulted with His Excellency, and returned with gratifying
assurances of protection. After this the Indians became more quiet, and
remained friendly until their removal. These early pioneers were remarkable
for generosity and hospitality, and were always ready and willing to lend
assistance to a neighbor when he needed it. When a newcomers house was to be
built, or, his land to be cleared, or a friends corn to be husked, his
neighbors for miles around gathered to assist him and soon made quick work of
it.
Mrs. Marth Smith, near Brighton, widow of the late J. H. M. Smith, is
said to have woven the first piece of cloth in the county in 1830.

MILITARY Of the veterans of 1812, but few are now living in our midst. They have
nearly all passed away. Of the living, we are able to name the following, all
of whom have attained to advanced ages, to-wit: John Burns, Evan Stewart, John
Jump, Allen Bridges, Rev. Jas. Kennon, Phillip Watkins, Mattias Chilton and
Samuel Sherwood--numbering in all 8 pensioners. One of them, Hartwell Johnson died near Morrisville a few years since, in the 91st year of his age. For
several years previous to his death his strength, memory and sight were greatly impaired. Alexander Blair and David Hunter died in 1874, which Henry
Potts lived to witness the dawn of the Centennial year.





In order to trace our Johnson line more accurately and in an effort to trace it further back, my first cousin, John Johnson donated his Y-dna to the Johnson surname project.  John matched up with a small group of other Johnsons that also had paper trails that led to Virginia.  It is very possible that we all descend from Henry Johnson who was born in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia about 1664-70.  We are hoping other Johnson men participate in the project and end up in our group with documentation that will help to tie up loose ends.

I Met a New Cousin at Findagrave.com

The world sure does work in mysterious ways.  Call it serendipity, or is it help from beyond the grave?  Sometimes, I am convinced that I am getting a helping hand that is not of this world.

When I was researching my Jump line, I was looking on the web for information on Sylvester Jump.  I was led to findagrave.com.

It was there that I found the contact information for my fairly newfound cousin, Tammie.  I sent her an email not holding out much hope that she would get back to me.

Tammie responded within a couple of hours and has been quite helpful with the Oklahoma part of the Jump line.  She and I have become pretty good friends considering I live in California, and she is in Oklahoma.  We are Facebook friends and have talked on the telephone, have exchanged family information, and photos.

Tammie provided some of the more pertinent information that I needed to complete my DAR application.  I joined under our 4th great grandfather William Jump who was the son of John Jump.  5th Great Grandfather John Jump was the patriot, but I was the first person to apply and to be accepted under William.  It was a lot of work, but once I proved everything, it was very satisfying. 

There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that your Ancestors helped to win the freedom of this Country. 

Our Ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War had to have some Hell Raiser in them, don't you think?

On the 4th of July, please remember our Patriots who have fought for the freedom of our country and raise a glass to them!

http://www.findagrave.com/

Surnames

        

My family has been in this country for a long time.  Many of my lines have been here since the early to mid 1700s.  I have been able to trace some to the mid 1600s.  I have decided that the best way for me to group the numerous surnames is to put them under each of my Grandparent's surname. 
That will show whether it is my maternal side or paternal side of the family.

                       

                                                        Me- Helen J Johnson

Lawrence G Johnson                                                       Rosie M Smith

Lawrence E Johnson          Cora L Meek                Fred B Smith      Stella E M Holland

My Dad's Side

Johnson Surname Group

Areas Family Lived in

Johnson

Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma, California

Beard/Baird

Virginia

Fleming

Kentucky

Griffin

Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Jump

Maryland, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma

Knight

Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri

Logan Pascal, Paschal, Paschall

Virginia, Missouri North Carolina, etc.

Perryman

Maryland, North Carolina, Missouri

Robertson

Scotland, Virginia, Missouri, Tennessee

Sharp

Virginia, Tennessee

Simpson

Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee

Wilson

Illinois, Oklahoma

My Dad's Side
Meek Surname Group Areas Family Lived Meek Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma Appling England, Virginia, Georgia Baze Virginia, Missiouri, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma Bolton Virginia, Georgia Dennis New Jersey, North Carolina Dunlap South Carolina, Arkansas Faver/Favor/Favors Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas Fortner South Carolina Paschall England, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee Sears Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee
My Mom's Side
Smith Surname Group Areas Family Lived  Smith Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, California Arnold Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas Adams Virginia, Texas Brewer England, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina Frisby Ireland, Tennessee Lanier England, Virginia McGill Georgia
My Mom's Side
Holland Surname Group Areas Family Lived Holland Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, California Brewer England, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky Capshaw Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina Chambers England, Virginia, North Carolina, Crawford Kentucky King England, Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas Kirkland South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missiouri, Arkansas Maloney North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky Stone England, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas Tubb/Tubbs England, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee Wright Maryland, Indiana