Cemetery Tales - Nishnabotna Cemetery

After Dad and I had left the town of Kirkman and the Rose Hill Cemetery and headed down the road to Mapleton, Iowa, we were chatting about some of the other Johnson family.  Buried at Rose Hill was Washington and Mary Ann Smith Johnson and their daughter Margaret "Maggie" Johnson Rank with a few other family members.  The majority of the other Johnson children had left the Kirkman area, but there was one that I was curious about.  So, as Dad and I drove down the road, I brought up the Johnson family on my tablet and looked at the rest of the children.  Nicholas Keffer Johnson had also lived his life in Iowa.  It seemed that just as I said that Nicholas had died in Denison, Iowa, we saw a sign that pointed to the right saying Denison - 2 miles.  We made the quick decision to head down the road, thinking that the cemetery couldn't be too hard to find.  We immediately found that it wasn't - it was up on the hillside to the left of the road not too far after the turnoff from the highway.

So, Dad and headed into the cemetery and were somewhat shocked at how large the cemetery seemed to be, for such a small town.  Much to our delight, we found a board with all of the inhabitants listed.  I must say, I love Iowa cemeteries :) 

Nicholas Keffer Johnson was the second youngest of eleven children.  When I was much younger, these were pictures that I had seen in an album who I had know idea as to who they were.  Nicholas was the younger brother of my great grandfather, Ulpian Grey Johnson and they were both the children of Mary Ann Smith and Washington Abraham Johnson.

Keff & Lillie - abt 1903

Nicholas was named after Mary Ann Smith's brother, who was a half brother and minister who lived most of his life in Tennessee and Georgia.  Nicholas was born on 28 Apr 1876 in Kirkman, Shelby Co., IA and died at the age of 74 on 25 Mar 1850 in Denison, Crawford Co., IA.  Nicholas married Lillie Ann Baker on 24 Jun 1913 in Dension.  Lillie was born on 17 Mar 1880 in Vail, Crawford Co., IA to George Homer Baker and Ella Mabel Ballou.  She died on 31 Oct 1872 in Dow City, Crawford Co., IA.

Keff & Lillie with Grace - Abt 1920

Keff & Lillie had two children and only one who survived to adulthood, their daughter, Grace.  We were able to very quickly find the graves of Keff and his family, just a short distance from the sign directing us to the location.

I can't tell you how much, I appreciated the opportunity to see the landscape where my ancestors and their families lived...even if it was a relatively short time before my own.  It is easy to get lost in the names, places, dates and other records while researching family members.  I was glad to perhaps get a bit of perspective on where my great grandfather grew up and where some of his family stayed.  I must say, I thought it was a nice place.

Cemetery Tales - Rosehill Cemetery

Dad and I took a great trip in the fall of 2012 back to see family in North Dakota, Minnesota and then down to Iowa and Nebraska.  It was on a lovely Fall day when we pulled into Rosehill Cemetery in Kirkman, Shelby Co., IA.  My great great grandparents had come up to Iowa from Tennessee and there was a special excitement to see the small community cemetery where they were buried!

My Father - Gene Johnson at his great grandparents grave

Washington Abraham Johnson was born on 25 Oct 1819 in Greensboro, Guilford Co., NC to Moses Johnson and Nancy Mayfield.  He was the second oldest of five children.  His family left North Carolina and traveled to Carter Co., TN to the small town of Hampton.  In 1855, he married Mary Ann Smith, the daughter of Jacob Cunningham Smith and Eleanor Wilson.  Mary Ann was born on 16 Apr 1830 in New Market, Jefferson Co., TN and it was in New Market where Washington and Mary married on 21 Aug 1855.  In 1862, Washington and Mary Ann fled from Tennessee to Iowa to escape the Civil War with their three young children.  They first went to Jasper Co., IA where Washington's brother, Henderson lived but were in Kirkman by 1870.  Washington Abraham and Mary Ann had eleven children, ten who survived to adulthood.  Washington Abraham Johnson lived to the grand old age of 97 years of age, dying on 14 Feb 1917 while his wife of 61 years lived to the age of 85, dying on 14 Mar 1916.

So, here we were on that lovely September day in 2012, Dad I and I pulled into the driveway of Rose Hill Cemetery.  Dad had been there before his mother and my Mom.  They got out and searched the entire cemetery to at last find Washington and Mary Ann's grave.  When they pulled out of the cemetery, they noticed a sign at the entrance that told them where everyone was buried in the cemetery.  Mom told me later that she learned a valuable lesson - always take the time to look around and see what is there.

Dad and I were able to find the cemetery stone fairly quickly without consulting the cemetery listing - but then I had a head start.  I had seen photographs of the gravestone and knew what it looked like.  Near their grave was that of their daughter, Maggie with her husband and children buried nearby (Maggie and Charles Rank).  Of all of their children, only their daughter was buried in the same cemetery.

As far as I could see, most of Iowa is relatively flat and without the wealth of trees that I was used.  It was impossible to know where Washington and Mary Ann lived exactly.  I do have a photo of their house and know that they were farmers.  The town of Kirkman now only has a population of about 64, so it is pretty tiny.  It has been around since about 1880 and was incorporated in 1892.  So, to my shock it is younger than my own hometown of Lewiston, ID.  I do know that they attended the Methodist Church and since the church I found in time was built before my ancestor's deaths...so I would guess that they probably attended the church.

I can't say that I learned anything special about my great great grandparents that day, however seeing where they lived, went to church and where they were buried gave me some sort of context.  I had seen the land where the Johnson's immigrated to in Tennessee and where Washington's father was buried.  Now, I was able to see where Washington and his wife of 61 years were buried.  I must admit that it did my heart good to add context to all of the census records and photos that I had seen of them over the years.  Something that anyone who researches their family genealogy can truly understand!

Washington & Mary Smith Johnson abt 1914

Washington Abraham Johnson abt 1855

Mary Ann Smith abt 1855

Ulpian Grey Johnson

One of the strangest names that I have come across during my genealogy research is that of Ulpian.  I had never taken the time to look up where the name actually came from.  In today’s availability of instant information, I took the time to do a quick search.  It turns out that Ulpian was jurist or lawyer who was born about 170 AD and died in 228.  He was from Tyrian ancestry which meant that he was from a city that is in modern day Lebanon but was considered a Roman by nationality.  Evidently he was a rather important early scholarly writer whose work was predominant in Roman law.  So, how did my great great grandparents decide to name their 8^th son, Ulpian – I really don’t know…but it certainly leads me to believe they might have had more education than I originally thought.

Ulpian Johnson as a young man.

Ulpian Grey Johnson was born on 17 Nov 1869 in Kirkman, Shelby Co., IA and died on 22 Oct 1944 in Dickinson, Stark Co., ND.  His parents, Washington Abraham Johnson and Mary Ann Smith had married in Jefferson Co., TN on 21 Aug 1855.  Sometime between June of 1861 and October of 1863, they left Tennessee and went to Iowa.  The story that has been told to me is that they left in the middle of the night in 1862 and headed north to stay with Washington’s brother in Jasper Co., Iowa.  They soon left Jasper Co., Iowa and were soon living in Shelby Co., Iowa.  I suspect that Washington didn’t want to get involved in the Civil War and because his cousin (Pres. Andrew Johnson) was the military governor, his family was most likely not too popular amongst Confederate sympathizers.  So Ulpian is born in Kirkman, Shelby Co., Iowa which is where his parents settled and lived out the rest of their long lives.  At some point, after 1900, Ulpian traveled north to live in North Dakota.  He was involved in the railroads as were many young men of the day, and North Dakota had to be an attractive location to travel to because land was available.  At some point in his life, Ulpian injured his arm while working the railroads and it became quite useless.  At the age of 40, Ulpian married a widow, Shirlie Louisa Pope White, on 27 Apr 1909 in Washburn, McLean Co., ND.  She had two small boys and had lost her first husband as the result of a prairie fire. 

Ulpian - Probably around the time of his marriage in 1909

They applied for land and are recorded in the Bureau of Land Management records as having land in Shirlie Johnson’s name in Dunn Co., ND and are recorded there in the 1910 census.  I have been unable to locate them in the 1920 census and suspect that they were never counted.  My father was told by his father that much of his younger years was spent on what they called the Missouri river breaks.  However, after 1920, they began working on a damn near that area, and Ulpian and his family probably moved nearer to town.

Ulpian and Shirley were the parents of five children:

• Mary Ann Johnson b. 1910 d. 1975
• Nancy “Nannie” Mae Johnson b. 1912 d. 2000
• Frank Stewart Johnson b. 1914 d. 1975

• Hazel b. 1919 d. 1919
• Audrey Ruth Johnson b. 1923 d. 1999

Probably taken around 1927 after Shirlie's death.
Left to Right:  Nan, Mary, Ulpian, Frank and Audrey in the front

On my best guess…from what I have been told, Ulpian was not a particularly strong individual either mentally or physically.  He was very small in stature…probably around 5’3 and had a useless arm.  He was probably one of those type of men who was old before his time.  He married for the first time at the age of 40 and when his wife died in 1927 of pneumonia…Ulpian fell apart.  He wasn’t able to really care for his children or provide for them, so it was up to his two most able children to do that.  My grandfather, Frank, quit school and went to work to support his family and his sister, Nancy did the same thing.  My grandmother told me that when she met Ulpian, when he was an old man, he still couldn’t talk about his wife.  When he was asked, he would begin crying and wouldn’t be able to talk.  My grandmother thought he was a kind but very sad old man.

I’ve heard others refer to Ulpian as George, and I believe that was what he was generally called.  I was told by a cousin, that she referred to him as Uncle Ulp – but I wonder if anyone every really called him Ulpian other than his parents and perhaps his wife.  I have a several photos of him…some when he was young and looked vibrant, but many more when he was an old man.  When my grandparents married, they went back to North Dakota because Grandpa Frank’s father was still living there.  It must have been a very hard thing to face for a young bride as my grandmother was.  I don’t think those early years were easy for my grandparents.  I’ve heard that my grandfather worked up to four jobs to try and support his growing young family, handicapped sister and elderly father.  The only work that Ulpian had done as far as I know after his accident, was repair tack.  Finally in 1943, my grandmother decided to go home and visit her family.  It was soon discovered that there were plenty of jobs back in Idaho while there were virtually none in North Dakota.  So, the decision was made to move to Idaho.  My grandfather tried to convince his father to move with them, but he refused.  So Ulpian stayed in North Dakota and soon ended up in the poor house with his handicapped daughter, Mary.  Ulpian died there less than a year after my grandparents had left North Dakota.

Taken in 1940 - Ulpian pictured with my father, Gene Johnson

Most of what I know about Ulpian, comes from my father and grandmother and only my grandmother actually knew him.  From what she told me…Ulpian was a broken man after his wife (Shirlie) died and was never the same.  It is hard for me to have a great deal of respect for him, because I know what my grandfather and his sister had to do to support their family.  It has never seemed quite fair to me that their father sacrificed their education and lives because of his grief, and in the end…he died a lonely broken old man still buried in the grief of losing his wife.

The Curious Case of Lytle

I have spent a lot of time looking at the significance of names in my genealogy research.  Many times I find a son in a family named after either the paternal grandfather or maternal grandfather.  Sometimes that same son has the mother’s maiden name as his first name.  Those are fairly easy to recognize…but I have always been curious as to the significance of the name “Lytle Woods” our Johnson family.

I would make the assumption that the individual has something to do with the trip that my great great grandparents made in the middle of night.  They left Tennessee to avoid being roped into the Civil War and brought their children up north to Iowa, where Washington Abraham’s brother, Henderson lived.  I know that the family was in Kirkman, Shelby Co., Iowa by December 1865 and that they were still in Jefferson Co., TN in June of 1861.  However, when their son Lytle Woods Johnson was barn on 1 Oct 1863 – I don’t know if he was born in Jasper Co., IA where Henderson lived or if they had moved to Shelby Co., IA by that point.  I’ve always suspected that a Lytle Woods possibly helped the Johnson family move north, perhaps hid them from the army or gave them food for their family and shelter.  I may never know…but whatever the story was – his name shows up in the family a few times.

• Lytle Woods Johnson b. 1 Oct 1863 in IA d. 28 Apr 1915, Hill City, Camas Co., ID – never married (Son of Washington Abraham Johnson & Mary Ann Smith)
• Lytle William Johnson b. 8 Jun 1889 Manilla, Crawford Co., IA d. 28 Feb 1976, Shelton, Mason Co., WA (Son of William Edward Johnson and Nancy Eudora McMillan)
• Edward Lytle Johnson b. 19 Apr 1916 in ND d. 10 Sept 1995 Hoodsport, Mason Co., WA (son of Lytle William and Helen Albrecht)

Lytle Woods Johnson moved out to Idaho sometime before 1910 as he is recorded in the census in Soldier, Blaine Co., ID as a Livery worker.  I suspect he came out with the railroad perhaps as early as the 1890’s, but since I have been unable to find him in the census in 1900, I am unsure.  I know that his older sister came out with her family and first lived in Colfax, Whitman Co., WA but later ended up in Hill City, ID.  You wouldn’t know it by what is there today, but at one point Hill City was one of the largest sheep stations in the United States and there was quite a rail line there.  I suspect that Lytle came out west as did his older brother, John Sira Johnson.  None of them lived very long.  Lytle died on 28 Apr 1915 in Hill City, Camas Co., ID and John and Nanny both died 1918.  I think that the flu epidemic took John Sira Johnson and Nanny Eleanor Johnson Gill – but I am not sure what Lytle Woods Johnson died of.  I can find no cemetery stone or marker at all.  I suspect that all three are buried at the Hill City Cemetery but it is almost impossible to tell as most of the graves are unmarked.  I suspect that the flu epidemic might have hit this community quite hard and it might never have recovered.

Not too long ago, I was looking at a photo of Lytle Woods Johnson that was taken probably around 1912.  It was a postcard that was sent back to a family member in North Dakota or Iowa and showed Lytle Woods Johnson driving Idaho Governor Hawley in a car – my car experts tell me that they think it is 1912 Chrysler and scribble on the top is Lytle’s name identifying him in the car.  I think it is rather interesting that the only picture I have of Lytle as an older man is taken in a car with the Governor of Idaho sitting in the back.  I suppose this is what happened to someone who worked in the livery in 1910 – they became drivers for other people.

Early Johnson Travels to Northwest - abt 1905

My great grandfather was one of the eleven children of Washington Abraham Johnson and Mary Ann Smith.  They were married on 21 Aug 1855 in Jefferson Co., TN and lived there until abt 1862 when they left Tennessee for Iowa.  Presumably to get away from the Civil War – Washington couldn’t have been in a good spot.  His cousin, Andrew Johnson, was the Union appointed military governor and he lived in an area where there were a lot of Confederates and Unioinist’s alike who were battling for supremacy.  It probably seemed to be the wisest thing to pack up what you could and leave and travel somewhere safe – in this case Iowa, where his older brother and family lived.  Their oldest daughter, Nanny, was still quite small when they left Tennessee.  She was born 17 Oct 1857 in Jefferson Co., TN and by 1862 they were in Iowa and had moved to Kirkman, Shelby Co., IA by 1865 which is where the family settled.

Nanny Eleanor Johnson Gill

Nanny Johnson and husband William Gill

Nanny married a William A. Gill abt 1874 and lived in Shelby Co., IA until abt 1887 when they moved to Whitman Co., WA.  That seemed to by quite a change of location.  I would guess that they moved with the railroad and I know that the Whitman Co., WA area was a growing place at the time with possibly a lot of opportunity.  They lived in near the small town of Garfield Co., WA which is in the heart of the Palouse hills.  It is still today a rural farm community.  I suspect that the attraction was the train station and the ability to work for the railroad.  Their youngest son was born while they were in Whitman Co., WA.

I’m not sure – but they left Whitman Co., WA sometime after 1905 and before 1910.  They moved to Hill City, ID.  If you go to Hill City, ID today – there is literally nothing there.  At one time, I was told that it was one of the largest places in the world to ship sheep to market via the train.  It must have been quite a change to move Hill City, ID.  Garfield Co., WA is a beautiful area with rolling fields usually filled with crops – Hill City, ID is in a high mountain semi desert.  The winters were more than likely quite brutal as it is in quite high elevation.  I’m sure the summers were also brutal because of the harsh weather. 

John Sira Johnson

Perhaps there was opportunity to be had – because two of Nanny’s brothers came west and joined them in Idaho including John Sira Johnson and Lytle Woods Johnson.  Not too long after Lytle Woods Johnson had probably arrived (at least a few years) he dies on 28 Apr 1915 at the age of 52 years old, perhaps an early victim of the onset of the flu epidemic.  Her older brother, John Sira Johnson died on 18 Feb 1918 and a few months later Nanny died on 12 Jun 1918.  All three were in Hill City, ID and while there is a cemetery there, I do not know where they were buried.  Since it was probably a time of a lot of death…perhaps they are in unmarked graves.  At some point, I will order their death records and find out what they say about death cause…but the dates certainly suggest the flu epidemic as the cause.  Neither John or Lytle ever had children, but Nanny left behind four children: - I have pasted their info below.

Descendants of Nanny Eleanor Johnson

Lytle Woods Johnson

Generation No. 1

1.  NANNY ELEANOR⁴ JOHNSON  (WASHINGTON ABRAHAM³, MOSES², WILLIAM¹) was born 17 Oct 1857 in Jefferson Co., TN, and died 12 Jun 1918 in Hill City, Camas Co., ID.  She married WILLIAM A. GILL Abt. 1874 in Shelby Co., IA, son of H. GILL and MARTHA PIPER.  He was born 17 Sep 1850 in KY, and died 19 Jul 1927 in Gooding, Gooding Co., ID.

More About NANNY ELEANOR JOHNSON:

Census 1: 1880, Douglas, Shelby Co., IA, Pg 137A

Census 2: 1860, Jefferson Co., TN, Pg. 250, #1790

Census 3: 1870, Jackson Twp., Hardin Co., IA, pg 29, #1

Census 4: 1900, Dist. 101, Garfield, Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 13B, #278

Census 5: 1910, (Blaine Co., ID)Gill, Nancy E,  Corral 52 F Tennessee T624 222 Page 186

Death Fact: Died of the flu

More About WILLIAM A. GILL:

Burial: 22 Jul 1927, Hill City Cemetery, Camas Co., ID (DC says Fairfield)

Census 1: 1870, Shelby Co., IA - 40-43, Harlan Twp

Census 2: 1880, Douglas, Shelby Co., IA, Pg 137A

Census 3: 1900, Dist. 101, Garfield, Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 13B, #278

Census 4: 1910, (Blaine Co., ID) Gill, Wm A  Corral 59 M Kentucky T624 222 Page 186

Census 5: 1910, Blaine Co., ID, Corral Precinct

Death Fact: 19 Jul 1927, DR#058294

     

Children of NANNY JOHNSON and WILLIAM GILL are:

               i.   CHARLES A.⁵ GILL, b. 09 Nov 1879, Shelby Co., IA; d. Feb 1950, ID; m. GRACE G., Abt. 1903; b. Abt. 1881, NE.

More About CHARLES A. GILL:

Date born 2: Aug 1876, IA

Census 1: 1880, Douglas, Shelby Co., IA, Pg 137A

Census 2: 1900, Dist. 101, Garfield, Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 13B, #278

Census 3: 1920, Dist. 34, Vancouver, Clark Co., WA, Pg. 4A, #82

Census 4: 1930, Dist. 52, Vancouver, Clark Co., WA, Pg. 2A, #34

More About GRACE G.:

Census 1: 1920, Dist. 34, Vancouver, Clark Co., WA, Pg. 4A, #82

Census 2: 1930, Dist. 52, Vancouver, Clark Co., WA, Pg. 2A, #34

              ii.   JOHN EDWARD GILL, b. 29 Oct 1880, Shelby Co., IA; d. 05 Jan 1962, Boise, Ada Co., ID; m. ALDA GOHEEN, 04 Nov 1903, McMinnville, Yamhill Co., OR; b. 04 Nov 1882, Broken Bow, Custer Co., NE; d. 04 Apr 1977, Boise, Ada Co., ID.

More About JOHN EDWARD GILL:

Census 1: 1900, Dist. 101, Garfield, Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 13B, #278

Census 2: 1910, Dist. 264, 42 Pct- Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 7B, #169

Census 3: 1920, Fair Ground, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 15A, #106

Census 4: 1930, Dist. 32, Fair Ground, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 7A, #156

More About ALDA GOHEEN:

Census 1: 1920, Fair Ground, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 15A, #106

Census 2: 1910, Dist. 264, 42 Pct- Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 7B, #169

Census 3: 1930, Dist. 32, Fair Ground, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 7A, #156

Social Security Number: 518-30-9686, Issued ID

             iii.   WILLIAM H. GILL, b. Aug 1886, Shelby Co., IA; m. GERTRUDE E. MAXWELL, 21 Aug 1911, Blaine Co., ID; b. Abt. 1889, NE.

More About WILLIAM H. GILL:

Census 1: 1910, (Blaine Co., ID)Gill, Wm H  Corral 23 M Iowa T624 222 Page 186  

Census 2: 1900, Dist. 101, Garfield, Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 13B, #278

Census 3: 1920, Dist. 12, Boise, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 1B, #20

Census 4: 1930, Dist. 5, Hill City, Camas Co., ID, Pg. 2A, #44

More About GERTRUDE E. MAXWELL:

Census 1: 1920, Dist. 12, Boise, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 1B, #20

Census 2: 1930, Dist. 9, Boise, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 7B, #160

             iv.   GEORGE W. GILL, b. 14 Aug 1889, Whitman Co., WA; d. Dec 1964, ID.

More About GEORGE W. GILL:

Census 1: 1910, (Blaine Co., ID) Gill, Geo W  Corral 20 M Washington T624 222 Page 186 

Census 2: 1900, Dist. 101, Garfield, Whitman Co., WA, Pg. 13B, #278

Census 3: 1920, Dist. 12, Boise, Ada Co., ID, Pg. 1B, #20

Census 4: 1930, Dist. 5, Hill City, Camas Co., ID, Pg. 2A, #43

Jacob C. Smith...

Some family names seem almost impossible to research; such as Johnson, Smith or Jones…I have all three.  My father’s great grandmother was Mary Ann Smith – growing up I heard her name as Polly Smith or Schmidt or Mary Ann Schmidt.  Eventually, I found her name really was Mary Ann Smith and that she was the daughter of Jacob C. Smith…now the real research was to follow.

Jacob Smith's grave - Taken by Lowell & Bonnie Johnson

Eleanor Wilson Smith - Taken by Lowell & Bonnie Johnson

 

New Market Church & Jacob Smith Memorial - Taken by Lowell & Bonnie Johnson

It is funny that I have exact dates on Jacob Cunningham Smith but no notion of who his parents were or where he was born exactly.  I have the dates from his gravestone which is at the New Market Presbyterian Cemetery, New Market, Jefferson Co., TN.   (He was b. 15 Oct 1801 in VA d. 4 May 1848 Union, Sullivan Co., TN) I know that he married Eleanor Wilson on 12 Feb 1824 and that they had five children.  I don’t know who Eleanor’s parents were either but she was born 10 Dec 1803 in TN and died 15 Nov 1834 in Jefferson Co., TN and is buried at the same cemetery as her husband.  Their children were:

• Amanda Alvira b. 17 Dec 1824 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. ?
• Sumner W.  b. 28 May 1826 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. 1863 in AL or AR
• John James b. 1 Mar 1828 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. Jul 1874 Gaylesville, Cherokee Co., AL
• Mary Ann b. 16 Apr 1830 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. 14 Mar 1916 Kirkman, Shelby Co., IA
• Margaret E. b. 7 Jan 1833 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. ?

A little over a year after Eleanor’s death, Jacob married a widow – Catherine Kelly Moser Jarnigan.   Her husband William Calvin Jarnigan died on 26 July 1833 and their son (William Calvin Jarnigan was born 7 Nov 1833 in TN d. 30 Apr 1920 Jefferson Co., TN.)  Catherine married Jacob on 4 Feb 1836 in Jefferson Co., TN.  They were parents of the following children:

• Francis Morgan b. 14 Sept 1839 Jefferson Co., TN
• Edward Hamilton b. 8 Jan 1843 Jefferson Co., TN d. 19 Jan 1892
• Sarah Eleanor b. 14 Dec 1844 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. 26 Jul 1850 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN
• Jacob Cunningham, Jr b. 19 Jul 1846 Jefferson Co., TN d. 10 Aug 1911 Jackson, Madison Co., TN
• Catherine Kelly b. 17 Jun 1848 Jefferson Co., TN d. 23 Jul 1850 Jefferson Co., TN
• Nicholas Keffer b. 19 Jan 1851 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. 25 Mar 1929 Memphis, Shelby Co., TN
• Emma Regina b. 29 Jun 1852 New Market, Jefferson Co., TN d. 3 Jan 1912 Horry Co., SC
• Hugh Calvin b. 4 Dec 1854 Jefferson Co., TN d. 13 Mar 1939 Evanston, Cook Co., IL

Catherine Kelley Moser Smith  - taken by Lowell & Bonnie Johnson

Catherine Kelley Moser died on 25 Jul 1857 in Jefferson Co., TN and she too is buried at New Market Presbyterian Cemetery, New Market, Jefferson Co., TN.    Almost a year later, Jacob married July Arants on 5 Jul 1858 and she was born 17 Dec 1824 in TN and d. bef 1870.  His last marriage was too a Sarah whose name appears with his in the 1870 census.  She was born about 1836.

There are few clues about Jacob’s place of birth.  Virginia is a common location that covered two modern day states (Virginia and West Virginia).  He is close enough to the Virginia border that it might not be all that far away.  I suspect that his middle name of Cunningham has some significance…but I don’t know what that might be.  I was contacted recently and told that he was a carpenter and had some furniture that someone was looking in to.  But…there is little information on him.  Few of his known 14 children stayed in the New Market area…in fact only his stepson is buried at New Market alongside his Jacob’s two daughters who died young.  Since there are some new databases, I will probably try to follow up on some of his children again – but Smiths from TN are very plentiful.

Jacob C. Smith - Owned by Lowell & Bonnie Johnson

One thing I am fortunate to have is a photograph of him.  Several years ago, while we were visiting some Johnson cousins in North Dakota they showed me some wonderful tin types of Mary Ann Smith and Washington Abraham Smith, my great great grandparents.  They had never noticed it before, but at the bottom of the box of that held those two old tintypes was another tintype of an older man who we believe to be Jacob Cunningham Smith.  So…who knows – perhaps someday I will be able to smash through that Smith brick wall and perhaps even that of Eleanor Wilson.  

Unknown Johnson

When I first started doing genealogy research over 15 years ago, the computer was considered to be a new tool.  The internet and email were just starting to be used for genealogy research.  We used to peruse these old World Family Tree CD’s from Family Tree Maker.   There was a lot of junk but there were also some great surprises.

When my mother got the information from my grandfather back in the early 1970’s about his family.  It was surprising how much he knew and there was a surprising name that he didn’t know.  Grandpa Frank knew that his great grandmother’s name was Nancy Mayfield, but his great grandfather was unknown.  Mom and I referred to him for quite some time as unknown Johnson – in fact, one of our first goals was to find out what his name was.  We posted queries at every place we could think of and we received a note from another researcher one day that gave us his name – from a marriage record no less.  His name was Moses Johnson and he married Nancy Mayfield on 6 May 1816 in Granville Co., NC.

 

One day I started looking through one of those World Family Tree CD’s and found a listing in there for a Washington Abraham Johnson who was my great great grandfather.  I looked further and noticed that the researcher didn’t have Moses’ name either –but he certainly had a wealth of information about the children of Washington Abraham Johnson.  I started to compare notes and noticed that this was a researcher who had paid careful attention to dates and locations.  This wasn’t something that was all that common on these World Family Tree CD’s.  Many times there were girls who had had 5 children by the age of 12 and several more after the age of 50.  You could tell that these genealogies were not examined very carefully and that someone was adding a name even if only one item out of four matched the puzzle.  I decided that I would contact this researcher.  I picked up the phone and made a long distance phone call and dialed the number I found as a reference.  Back then, long distance actually meant something! My cousin Lowell picked up the phone and I experienced one of the greatest joys of genealogy – meeting a cousin and making a great friend.

One of the first things that I asked Lowell is if he knew who “Unknown” Johnson was?  He replied that he had no idea…so I was able to make him acquainted with Moses Johnson.  During a series of letters and phone calls – our family got to know Lowell and his lovely wife, Bonnie.  I was excited to find a cousin of my fathers who was actually the same age as he – in fact, Lowell was three weeks older.  Within a year or so, we were making plans on traveling back to North Dakota to meet our cousin.  We found pictures that proved that it wasn’t my father and Lowell’s first meeting.  There was a photo of their mothers holding each of them for the camera when they were babies. 

Grace Carlson Johnson holding Lowell & Marian Gage Johnson holding Eugene.

The 3 Franks - Frank Stewart Johnson, Frank Washington Johnson & their uncle, Frank Smith Johnson.

We got the chance to meet Lowell and Bonnie in North Dakota on that day a long time ago.  My father and Lowell were able to trade stories and were share stories about their shared heritage.  My Grandpa Frank had a cousin also named Frank – and that was Lowell’s father.  Both of the Franks were named for their uncle Frank.  Lowell’s grandfather was Washington Andrew Johnson and Dad’s grandfather was Ulpian Grey Johnson and they were both the sons of Washington Abraham Johnson and Mary Ann Smith and grandsons of Moses Johnson and Nancy Mayfield. 

There is a lesson in my story…don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to contact that researcher who might be connected.  You never know what you’ll find and if you are lucky – you will find a cousin as well as a friendship as we did with Lowell and his lovely wife, Bonnie!