Lewis Johnson (abt. 1776 - 1857)

Born about Sep 1776 in Richmond, Louisa County, VA

Ancestors

Husband of Frances Stone (Stone) Johnson — married 14 Mar 1796 in Louisa, Louisa County, VA

Descendants

Died 29 Jan 1857 at about age 80 in Mount Vernon, Jefferson County, IL

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Biography

Lewis was born in Louisa, Virginia^[1] in September of 1776.^[2] He was the son of John Johnson^[3] and Elizabeth "Betsey" Foster Tyler.^[4]

Lewis married the Widow Franky Winn,^[5] "who had some little property, very little."^[6] She was the mother of two children; Polly, who married a Ward; and Cozey, who married a Tinsley; and both of whom lived an died in the South.^[7] He next married Frances "Frankey" (Stone) Johnson on March 14, 1796 in Louisa, Virginia^[8][9][10] and had nine children.^[11][4]

1. Milley Johnson
2. Anna Johnson
3. Lucy Johnson
4. James E. Johnson
5. John T. Johnson
6. Nicholas Johnson
7. Elizabeth Johnson
8. Nancy Johnson
9. Susan Johnson

Lewis and Frances Winn (Stone) Johnson, their children, and Lewis Johnson's widowed mother, Mrs. John Johnson, came to Jefferson Co. Ill. in 1819.^{[1][12][13][14][15][16]} On April 16th, 1819 Lewis Johnson was granted 180 acres of land in section 22, Shiloh township,^[17] where they all lived together. Besides being a farmer, Lewis was a Methodist Episcopal preacher. His two sons James E. and John T. were also preachers, who lived and died in Jefferson County.^[1] He was licensed to preach in Tn in 1812, was ordained Deacon there by Bishop Roberts in 1816, and Elder by the same Bishop in Illinois in 1827. It's said he was a pious man and held prayers with his family three times a day.^[4]

Lewis passed away on January 29, 1857,^[1][4] at the age of 80, in Mount Vernon, Illinois and is buried at the Old Shiloh Cemetery in Mount Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA.^[2]

Research Notes

Like the Caseys and Maxeys, the Johnsons one and all have been prominent from the earliest settlement of the county. Benjamin Johnson, the ancestor of our Jefferson county Johnsons, was a Marylander. John, a son of his, was the father of our pioneers. Lewis, the son of this John Johnson, was among our very first settlers. He had nine children Milly, Anna, Lucy, married L. Foster and they lost their house by fire and their infant son was cremated; James E. Johnson was the eldest son of Lewis. He was quite a preacher and improved the farm where John T. Johnson raised his family. John T., the next oldest brother of James, was licensed to preach when but twenty years old. He joined the conference and took regular work. Nicholas lived in Grand Prairie and died there. Elizabeth married G. B. Afflack, of Richview. Nancy married James Barnes, of Richview. Susan married A. Witherspoon, and went to Kentucky. James Johnson, second son of John, married Clarissa Maxey in Tennessee, and came here in 1818. His eldest son, John, married Sarah Hobbs and they were the parents of our present Dr. A. Curt, James D. and John N. Johnson, Mrs. Henry T. Waters and Mrs. David H. Summers. He was an enterprising man, a physician, but chose rather to do other business. He merchandised and built several houses in Mount Vernon, among them the Johnson House, the big brick near the Methodist Episcopal church, in 1854. He died, much missed and lamented, in 1858.

John, the youngest brother of Lewis and James, came later, in 1834, and located in Mount Vernon. He died here in 1858. His children were Doctor T. B., who died in Kentucky in 1870; the wife of Blackford Casey; J. Fletcher; Washington; G. Wesley, J. Benson, a girl and boy who died in childhood, and Adam Clark, the faithful historian of the pioneers of Jefferson county. John Johnson, "Uncle Jacky," as we knew him in our boyhood days, was born in Virginia, in 1783 born in poverty and left an orphan. By the help of a slave he learned the alphabet, and after he was converted in his teens, he could not read intelligently. But by the light of pine knots he studied the Bible at night, after hard days' work, and on Sunday, at some cabin on the hillside he would proclaim the Gospel with a pathos and power that always carried the hearts of his rustic hearers by storm. He had a voice of unusual power and could he beard two miles away. His discourses were brief, but always plain, practical and convincing. Yet with all his rugged vigor his heart was as tender as a woman's, with a sympathy that extended even to the insect at his feet. He was to all intents and purposes, a pioneer preacher of the Cartwright order, except that he had none of the great preacher's belligerency. He traveled the country from Ohio to Natchez, in Mississippi, and preached at every opportunity. His allotted work led him through much uninhabited country, among Indians, wild animals and equally wild men, but always trusting in the Lord. He was certainly a great preacher and a very remarkable man. Over sixty years ago we heard him preach from the text "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" and we have never forgotten the text, the sermon, nor the man. His widow died here in 1895, and his sons are all gone, except Washington S. The descendants of J. Fletcher and G. Wesley are still in our midst. and rank among our very best people. His death was peaceful, and triumphant. Many of his descendants are valued citizens of Mount Vernon.^[18]

Like the Caseys and Maxeys, the Johnsons one and all have been prominent from the earliest settlement of the county. Benjamin Johnson, the ancestor of our Jefferson county Jonson, was a Marylander. John, a son of his, was the father of our pioneers. Lewis, the son of this John Johnson, was among our very first settlers. He had nine children - Milly; Anna; Lucy, married L. Foster and they lost their house by fire and their infant son was cremated; James E. Johnson was the eldest son of Lewis. He was quite a preacher and improved the farm where John T. Johnson raised his family. John T., the next oldest brother of James, was licensed to preach when but twenty years old. He going the conference and took regular work. Nicholas lived in Grand Prairie and died there. Elizabeth married G. B. Afflack, of Richview. Nancy married James Barnes, of Richview. Susan married A. Witherspoon, and went to Kentucky. [Walls History of Jefferson County, 1909] ---------- Lewis and Frances Winn (Stone) Johnson, their children, and Lewis Johnson's widowed mother, Mrs. John Johnson, came to Jefferson Co. Ill. in 1819. On April 16th, 1819 Lewis Johnson was granted 180 acres of land in section 22, Shiloh township, where they all lived together. Lewis Johnson was born in Louisa County in Virginia in 1690. Besides being a farmer, Lewis was a Methodist Episcopal preacher. His two sons James E. and John T. were also preachers, who lived and died in Jefferson County. Lewis died January 29, 1857.^[1]

John Johnson son of Benjamin - native of Maryland moved to Hanover Co, Va where he died. John was 1st married to Hannah Medlock, who died early leaving 3 kids. 2nd married to Betsey Tyler, widow with 3 kids. They had Lewis, James, Betsey, and John. He died about 1803.

Betsey Tyler Johnson moved with kids to Sumner Co., Tn.

Milly m Asahel Bateman in Tn then moved to Ill.

Anna m Ransom Moss in 1821 and had numerous descendants in Jefferson Co

Lucy m Launcelot Foster. He died early from a peculiar disease brought on from exposure while hunting. Their house was burned a year or so after their marriage and their month old infant burned to death in it.

James E was oldest son. He was converted in 1821 and went back to Tn to attend school over the winter and returned to Ill and started preaching. He preached throughout Southern Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. After his health declined he had to slow down so he moved back to Jefferson county and improved a farm where John T lived. He died at the age of 70.

John T was also licensed to preach when he was 21 yo. He joined the Ill Conference which was the Methodist Episcopal Church and spent years preaching in Ill and Indiana. In 1843 he moved to a farm on Jefferson county where he continued to preach. He was known as a lucid, interesting preacher, a successful farmer, and a useful man.

Nicholas S m Minerva Holliday. He lived in Grand Prairie for some yrs where he died.

Elizabeth m T. B. Afflack and moved to Grand Prairie then to Richview.

Nancy m James Barnes and lived in Richview.

Susan m U. G. Witherspoon of Ky.After living there for a while they moved to Crittenden county.^[4]

Info on Genealogy Trails comes from Wall's book, not Facts & Folks.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Jefferson County Historical Society (Agency). Jefferson County Illinois Facts & Folks. Jefferson Co Il Facts. Mt Vernon, Ill: JCHS, 1978.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 June 2020), memorial page for Lewis Johnson (Sep 1776–29 Jan 1857), Find A Grave: Memorial #9619221, citing Old Shiloh Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8).
3. ↑ Wall. Page 83.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} History of Jefferson County, Illinois Part II. History of Jefferson County. Ancestry.com., Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2005, Provo, UT., Page 149. Free Ancestry Image
5. ↑ Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997., Dodd, Jordan, comp.. Virginia Marriages to 1800. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Virginia., Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA, Name: Lewis Johnson, Spouse: Frances Winn, Marriage Date: 14 Mar 1796, Marriage Location: Louisa County, Virginia. Ancestry Record 3002 #23723
6. ↑ Johnson. Page 41. View 78 of 691.
7. ↑ Johnson. Page 46. View 88 of 691.
8. ↑ Ancestry.com. Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014., Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013., Name: Lewis Johnson, Gender: Male, Marriage Date: 14 Mar 1796, Marriage Place: Louisa, Virginia, Spouse: Frances Winn, FHL Film Number: 32190, Reference: ID75. Ancestry Record 60214 #2946856
9. ↑ Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997., Dodd, Jordan, comp.. Virginia Marriages to 1800. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Virginia., Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA, Name: Lewis Johnson, Spouse: Frances Winn, Marriage Date: 14 Mar 1796, Marriage Location: Louisa County, Virginia. Ancestry Record 3002 #23723
10. ↑ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch Lewis Johnson, 1796.
11. ↑ Wall. Page 83.
12. ↑ Ancestry.com. Illinois, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999., Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Illinois Census, 1810-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes., Name: Lewis Johnson, State: IL, County: Jefferson County, Township: August 1, 1820, Year: 1820, Record Type: State or colonial census, Page: 124, Database: IL 1820 State Census Index. Ancestry Record 3545 #5874037
13. ↑ Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010., Census Place: Jefferson, Illinois; Series: M19; Roll: 22; Page: 219; Family History Library Film: 0007647. Free Ancestry Image
14. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch Lewis Johnson, Jefferson, Illinois, United States; citing p. 301, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm.
15. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch Lewis Johnson, Jefferson, Illinois, United States; citing p. 295, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm.
16. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch Lewis Johnson, Jefferson county, Jefferson, Illinois, United States; citing family 284, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
17. ↑ State of Illinois. Illinois, Public Land Purchase Records, 1813-1909 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Name: Lewis Johnson, Section: SW, Price per Acre: 2.00, Total Price: 320.00, Date: 1 Jun 1819, Volume: 088, Page: 741, Type: FD, Sect: 10, Township: 02S, Range: 02, E Meridian: 3, Acres: 160.00, Corr-Tag: 0, ID: 156676, Reside: 041. Ancestry Record 3780 #152445
18. ↑ Wall. Pages 83-85.

See also:

• Ford, Cindy. The ILGenWeb Project. 2005-2016. Eadie, David. (Pastor). Jefferson County Illinois Church Histories. First United Methodist Church. Zinzilieta, Mary. The Methodist Church History, Mt. Vernon IL Register (Weekly), December 26, 1888. Jefferson County Illinois Church Histories

• Wall, John A., History of Jefferson County, IL, Indianapolis, Ind: B.F. Bowen & Company, 1909, page 83-85. Free PDF of Book or Free Book View Available

• Genealogy Trails, Cindy Ford, 2010 and prior. Genealogy Trails