William Johnson was born in Massachusetts, in the part that later became Maine, in 1806. By the mid-1830's he was living in New York, where he married Almira [______] and had two (perhaps three) daughters. By 1850 the family of two parents and five daughters was living on a farm in Kane County, Illinois.
I'm trying to find out where, in Maine, William was born; where, in New York State, William and his wife Almira lived before they moved to Illinois; and what the maiden name of his wife was. Their youngest daughter, Elizabeth, married Thomas Benton Short, of Blue Springs, Kansas, and had a daughter Pearl, who was my great-grandmother.
I have not found the Johnsons in the 1840 Federal Census for Illinois. I did find one family that matches what is known about him and his family, in Rotterdam, Schenectady County, in the 1840 Federal Census for New York State. The Census records (a) one white male age 30 to 39 (b) one white female age 30 to 39 (c) one white female age under 5 and (d) one white female age 5 to 9. One person [William] is employed in manufacture and trade (as opposed to agriculture). This corresponds well with a family of William, Almira, Mary, and Emeline respectively. As Caroline was born about 1840, she may not have been present at the time of the Census.
Right now I'm trying to find out if this William Johnson, of Rotterdam, is the same person as the one who was in Illinois by 1850. He is definitely not the Sir William Johnson who was so heavily involved in the settlement of that part of New York in the 1700's. I do know that there was no one surnamed Johnson in the 1810 or 1820 Federal Census for Rotterdam.
One long shot: In Ancestry.com's summary of the records for the U. S. Army Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914, we find a William Johnson, shoemaker, born in Portland, Maine, age 25, enlisted in New York state on November 13th, 1830, and served in the 7th Infantry, Company A. He was discharged 23(?) January, 1831.
In Ancestry.com's listing of U. S. General Land Office Records, we find a William Johnson who took up land in Kane County, Illinois, issue date 10 March 1843, Meridian 3rd PM, Township 42N, Range 8E, Section 12. For 40 acres, Chicago Land Office, document 7543, under the Sale-Cash Entry program of April 24, 1820 (3 Stat. 566). This could be our man, since we know Perlina was born in Illinois, about 1843.
[Update 7 July 2011: This is NOT in Blackberry Township, but rather in Dundee. Ignore it.] I need to confirm that this land description would fall in Blackberry township of Kane County. The image of the land contract, also at Ancestry.com, describes him as "William Johnson of Kane County Illinois" implying that he was already living there, and that he deposited at the Chicago Land Office showing that he had made full payment for the land, part of the "Public Lands," in the "North-West quarter of the South-West quarter of Section Twelve in Township Forty Two North, of Range Eight East, in the District of Lands subject to sale at Chicago Illinois containing forty acres, according to the official plot...." and signed by R. Tyler, Secy., for John Tyler, President of the United States.
William and Almira had five children, all girls, in this birth order: Mary, Emeline, Caroline, Perlina (or Perlonia), and Elizabeth. They are all identified in the 1850 Federal Census for Kane County, Illinois.
Name: William Johnson
Residence: Blackberry, Kane, Illinois
Age: 44 years
Calculated Birth Year: 1806
Birthplace: Maine
Gender: Male
Film Number: 7685
Digital GS Number: 4193361
Image Number: 00445
Line Number: 5
Dwelling House Number: 85
Family Number: 1452
Marital Status:
Free or Slave:
Household Gender Age
William Johnson M 44y
Almira Johnson F 44y
Mary Johnson F 15y
Emeline Johnson F 13y
Carolin Johnson F 10y
Perlina Johnson F 7y
Elisabeth Johnson F 3y
John Hovey M 15y
When William was born in 1806, the counties that were to become Maine were still part of Massachusetts. Their eldest child Mary was born about 1835 in New York; Emeline was born about 1837, also in New York (both of these, according to the 1880 Federal census), and Perlonia and Elizabeth were both born in Illinois (according to the 1860 Federal census). I don't have birthplace information for Caroline.
William and Almira were presumably married in or before 1835; they would have been 29 or younger in that year.
William Johnson's farm is listed in the 1850 Federal Census Non-Population Schedule (per Ancestry.com), in addition to the regular Census data given above, and he was recorded at Blackberry, Kane, Illinois. At this point he had more than forty acres, but the writing is very difficult to interpret. In any case, it is only redundant information for this study.
William came out to Illinois to be a farmer. By 1855, however, they had apparently left the farm in Blackberry and were living in Batavia -- always presuming this was the same William Johnson. Blackberry township is just to the west of Batavia township in .
Illinois State Census, 1855 for Wm Johnson:
Name: Wm Johnson
Event: Census
Event Date: 1855
Event Place: Batavia, Kane, Illinois
Total in Household: 8
Page: 588
Film Number: 976183
Digital Folder Number: 004541955
Image Number: 00504
By 1860, William was definitely no longer a farmer; he listed his occupation as Stonecutter. Presumably he was working in the Batavia quarries, or finishing the stones that were cut there.
From the 1860 Federal Census for Kane County, Illinois, for Batavia:
FamilySearch.org version]; details are from image and data on Ancestry.com
William Johnson 54 M Stonecutter $1000 $150 Mass (?)
Almyra Johnson 53 F Wife New York
Mary Johnson 23 F Dressmaker New York
Perlona Johnson 16 F Teacher (?) Illinois
Libby Johnson 13 F Illinois
Libby is the Elizabeth Johnson who married Thomas B. Short and named their daughter Perlonia (possibly after her sister).
Emeline had left home before the 1860 census, to marry Elihu Wigton (see the 1880 census, below). I don't know where Mary or Caroline went.
The family is still listed in Batavia in the 1870 census:
William Johnson 64 M W Stone Mason $700 $125 Maine
Almira Johnson 63 F W Keeping House New York
Lizzie Johnson 21 F W Illinois
Now we see a birthplace of Maine given for William, and a birthdate for Lizzie that is in agreement with the date of 1849 given in the Marshall County history covering Blue Springs, Kansas.
From the 1880 Federal census for Kane County, Illinois, for Batavia:
William Johnson WM74 Father-in-Law No Occupation Maine Maine Maine
Almira Johnson WF74 Mother-in-Law No Occupation NY Mass Mass
Elihu Wigton WM52 Machinist Ohio Unkn Va
Emeline Wigton WF43 Wife NY Maine NY
Edward Wigton WM20 Painter Ill Ohio NY
Lewis Wigton WM18 Works on {} all same
Grace Wigton WF11 all same
Bertha Wigton WF9 all same
Robert Wigton WM2 all same
By the time of the 1880 census Lizzie had left to marry Thomas B. Short, and William and Almira were living as in-laws in the home of their daughter Emeline and her husband Elihu Wigton.
------------------Genealogist Marilyn Wenburg [note 1] suggests that this may be the burial of William Johnson:
"William Johnson buried in East Batavia Cemetery Sec 11 Lot 69
1. Johnson, William 1806-1887
2. Cornell, D. B 1810- 1881
3. Johnson W. died 1865 (possibly his father?)
loose and broken markers. There may be other burials in this lot.
"In the next lot, Lot 68, are three Wigton burials:
8. Wigton, Gussie 1857-1859
9. Wigton, Walter 1864-1864
10. Wigton, Jessie 1868-1868"
These seem likely to have been children of Elihu and Emeline who died young. I have no idea who D. B. Cornell was, or whether this is the right William Johnson; but the proximity to the Wigton burials is suggestive.
A William Johnson, probably the same one, is listed in the 1878 county directory : William Johnson Mason Batavia P.O.
We don't know where they were in 1840, but it was probably either Illinois or New York. The 1840 census does not identify the name of the wife of a family, and it only characterizes the ages of the members of the family by putting them into groups. In 1840 the parents would have been 34 years old, and had two daughters aged 5 and 3. (Caroline, born about 1840, may or may not have been recorded in the 1840 census.)
Careful study of the 1840 New York census index (Ancestry.com, online) has found only one family with the appropriate members per age groups, and that is a William Johnson of Rotterdam, near Schenectady, New York. I have not found any similar family in the 1840 census for Illinois.
We need more information on this person in Rotterdam. Unfortunately, records in New York State from that era are difficult to find.
I haven't yet been able to find out what happened to Mary. Her name is common enough that there are several candidates.
In the 1880 Federal Census, William and Almira were living in the home of their daughter and son-in-law, Elihu and Emeline (or Emily M.) Wigton. This family has been analyzed by Wigton genealogists.
I haven't yet been able to find out what happened to Caroline. There are a couple of candidates in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
William and Almira's daughter Perlonia J. Johnson married, 27 December 1860, in Kane Co. IL, Alfonzo [or Alonzo] M. Githens, according to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index. By 1890 they were living in the Chicago area (listed in the Blue Book for Chicago for that year, and for 1898), and had sons Walter L. Githens and Herbert A. Githens.
Alonzo died age 67, in 1903, according to the Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916:
Name of Deceased Date City Age Sex Vol. Page Certificate No. County
GITHENS, ALONZO M 1903-03-30 CHICAGO 67 YR U 00005364 COOK
But Perlonia was still alive in 1930, living in Milwaukee with her son Herbert, who apparently never married.
1930 United States Federal Census, 1930 for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Name: Perlonia J Githens
Event: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: Milwaukee (Districts 1-250), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Gender: Female
Age: 85
Marital Status: Widowed
Race: White
Birthplace: Illinois
Estimated Birth Year: 1845
Relationship to Head of Household: Mother
Father's Birthplace: Maine
Mother's Birthplace: New York
Household Gender Age
Child H A Githens M 60
Perlonia J Githens F 85
Hulda Peterson F 22
Alonzo and Perlonia's sons Walter and Herbert were active in the automobile trade. Walter and his wife apparently had one daughter, Laura, but I have not found any marriage or children for her.
Notes:
1. Personal communication: e-mail of April 27, 2011.
Update history: This page created 17 May 2011; latest update 17 May 2011.
Compiled by Michael J. Ward, San Jose, CA. Contact: mjward at-sign hidden-knowledge.com