Part 2 The following will was copied from the original will, #13, in Dickson Co., TN, not from the copy transcribed in the will book. "Whereas Samuel Johnson of the State of Tennessee and county of Dickson is in a Low State of helth But having a Sound mind and in the full exercise of his Reson Makes his Last will and Testament as follows "My Negro Elick I Leave to My Dear Wife polly while she Lives and the Beds and hous furniture I give to my Wife to Dispose of as she pleaseth allso one cow an yearlin heffer and all my hogs for her to suport the family on. The said Negro Elick after my wife's Death I leave to my three sons William Johnson Dunkin Johnson and James Johnson. Allso I give my wife two mares a Brown and a Duns allso give 50 acres of Land Lyin on the head of White Oak Creek of Tennessee River to my two sons Dunkin and James and after all my Depts is payed out of the monies Due to me By other obligation and accounts the Balinces of said monies I want equally Divided amongst all my Children. Whereunto set My hand and seal this 25th of March 1816 Sam'l Johnson Seal Test William Givin Exacators John Epperson owes ) James King the fees) William Johnson January Term 1817 the last Will and Testament of Samuel Johnson Deceased was this day produced in open Court and proven by the Oathes of William Given & John Epperson and ordered to be received and Recorded. Jany 7, 1817 Field Farror Clerk State of Tennessee) January 25th 1817 Dickson County ) Then was the within Will Recorded in Book A page 30 & 31 Field Farror Clk CFR lists other children for Samuel. I wonder if they are included in "all my children" which he does not name or are the three sons "all my children"? On the deed in Bk. 34, p. 194, Bladen Co., NC, Samuel includes this statement, "In witness whereof the said Sam'l Johnston hath hereunto set his hand and seal the day and year first above written reserves to him & his heirs and family connection one eighth acre of land including the grave yard which land by the agreement of the parties is to remain same for a burying ground." I do not know whether this grave yard still exists but probably it was lost 150 years ago. I wonder if this reservation is still legal? 21 William JOHNSON listed in father's will. There is a William in the 1820 Census of Dickson Co., age 18 to 26, wife age 16 to 26, 1 dau. under 10. In the 1830 he was age 20 to 30, wife age 20 to 30, 2 dau. under 5, 1 dau. 10 to 15. In the 1830 is also a Wm. and wife age 20 to 30. 22 James JOHNSON is listed in father's will. (At this time I have no direct evidence that this James is a brother of our Duncan but I do have good circumstantial evidence and have found no other persons in the counties who could fit into these facts. People have been hung on such evidence. That is pretty positive. Starting with the following statement, I worked down the steps to some new information.) "The Johnsons and Stewarts of Calhoun Co., MS, have long called each other cousin; Robert Stewart and his wife, Caroline, were Cousin Bob and Cousin Calline" (no "r" pronounced). 1. Robert C. Stewart and wife Calline M. b. Mar 1842 AL, 1900 Cen. Calhoun Co., MS. 2. Robert Stewart and wife Mary C. age 38 b. AL, 1880 Cen. Calhoun Co. 3. Robt. Stewart and wife Mary age 31 b. AL, 1870 Cen., Bibb Co., AL. 4. Robert E. Stewart m. Caroline Johnson July 28, 1861 Bibb Co., Marr. Bk E, 1850-1868, p. 291, Bibb Co., AL. 5. Harriett Johnson age 38 b. Tenn. ) 1850 Census Bibb Co., Fam. #1048 Caraline Johnson age 7 b. AL. ) Pleasant Rice age 1 b. AL ) (I had found this census many years ago because this Pleasant Rice was the son of Duncan's deceased daughter Mary Freeman (Johnson) Rice. I have wondered many times who was this Harriett. The name was not in our family that I knew of. I wondered why was not Duncan's grandson with some of his family?) 6. James Johnson m. Harriett Tate Feb. 13, 1841, Bibb Co. Marr. Bk D, p. 189, by David L. Brown, J.P. (Samuel TATE in his will listed his dau. Harriett Johnson. As James is not in the 1850 census, he probably died.) Harriet is listed with two children, one is Duncan's grandson and the other is Caroline. 7. A James Johnson is listed in CFR as a brother of a Duncan. 8. If Caroline was James's dau. and James was a brother of Duncan, then this would make Caroline a cousin (first) of Joshua West, which was the family tradition that we started with. There are no other persons in Bibb Co., that could fit all these relationships. There is no person named James in the Bibb census from 1820 through 1850. James might have been missed by the census taker or recently moved from TN, or another county, when he m. Harriett. This is more circumstantial evidence for Duncan being a son of Samuel. 23 Duncan JOHNSON b. 1797 Bladen Co., NC, d. 30 Oct 1877 Banner, Calhoun Co., MS, bur. Banner Cem., m(1) 14 Mar 1820 Cahawba Co., Letty MORRIS b.c. 1801 SC, d. Spring 1835 Bibb Co., dau. of John MORRIS and his wife Rebecca LEWIS, dau. of David LEWIS Jr. and his 2nd wife Elizabeth LOCKHART of Spartanburg Co., SC. He m(2) 11 Feb 1845 Bibb Co., Sarah (DICKERSON) PRATT, widow of Hopkins PRATT who died in 1841 and is bur. in the Pratt-Wallace Cem. at River Bend. Her children by Hopkins are listed with Duncan in the 1850 and 1860 Censuses but in 1850 they are given the name JOHNSON in error. Before I found the 1845 marriage license, this wife and these children were difficult to place. These names were unknown in the family. Maybe this wasn't my Duncan, BUT there is only one in the county. The marriage license and two letters written back to Bibb Co. by Mollie (GLASS) DEW reminiscing about old times, referring to "Old Uncle Duncan JOHNSON was there" cleared up any confusion. I have not been able to find any mention of Sarah after the 1860 census. She might have died before the family went to MS in 1866. There has been no mention of a wife of Duncan coming to MS with them or of one being buried with him at Banner. Aunt Angie never mentioned her to my mother. Aunt Angie was about 12 at the 1860 census and certainly would have known her step-grandmother. She would not have known any other grandmother. Possibly she did not like her and later refused to mention her. Another strange thing is that as of 1859 when Joshua West Johnson sent all of the family information to Wm. Terrell LEWIS and mentioned that Duncan's wife Letty had died in 1835, there was NO mention that Duncan had married again in 1845 and that then, 1859, he still was living with his wife Sarah. We know this as Sarah was listed in the 1860 census with two children named Pratt. The Lewis ancestry of Letty MORRIS may be found on pages 209-210 of The Genealogy of the Lewis Family in America, by Wm. Terrell Lewis, 1893. Duncan was not the first to ask for the hand of Letty. In the Loose Papers of Bibb Co., I found the following note, March the 29 1819 Sir Please to let luke Johnson have lison, an you will obblige yours Trully John Morris Anar Tate (what does this mean?)(a wit. named Anna Tate?) Marriage Bond - 29 March 1819, Territory of Alabama, Cahaba Co. Luke Johnston to Letty Morris But 10 days later is found : Marriage Bond -8 April 1819 Territory of Alabama, Cahaba Co. Luke Johnston to Anah Helms. Luke did marry Anah, and so the next record was possible: Marriage license - 14 March 1820 State of Alabama, Cahawba Co. Dunken Johnston to Letty Morris - performed by Joshua West M.G. I wonder - Did Letty get "cold feet"?, did Anah have a bigger dowry?, was Luke just fickle? or? We will never know. Duncan and Letty were married by the early Methodist minister, Joshua WEST and I am sure that is where Duncan's son got his name. This caused me to wonder about the denominational affiliation of our ancestors. The Lewises were long time members of the Church of England in VA. Rebecca Lewis could have brought John MORRIS into that church or possibly he was a member already. The census says Duncan could not read. If so, he would not know how his name was spelled on his marriage license. Since it was spelled Dunkin Johnston, I think that was probably the way he pronounced it. Maybe the closest Letty could get to the Episcopal Church on the AL frontier would be the Methodists. Cousin Maria said that Joshua West remained a Methodist while his wife and most of his children went to the Baptist church. Ron Johnson has found that Duncan was a Sunday School leader for many years in the Methodist Church. This leader would be the same as teacher in Baptist churches. Duncan was listed as a charge customer of James C. C. Wiley in his account book in Centreville before 1829. See p. 237, Bibb County, Alabama, The First Hundred Years 1818-1918, by Ellison. He also was a patient of Dr. David R. Boyd in 1829, p. 25, the original ledger is in the Centreville-Brent Library. It was pub. in 1993, by Chester R. Johnson as, The Wiley-Boyd Ledger, Before 1823 - 1839. Duncan was listed in Wiley's index. The actual pages of Wiley's ledger were cut out long ago probably by Dr. Boyd before he started to use the ledger. Dr. Boyd kept Wiley's index and added his patient to it. We are fortunate that Wiley's index was not cut out also. The index is missing the letters B, C, E, F, M, N. for both Wiley and Boyd. Duncan was a petient in 1829. I used his patient page as the photo cover for my book. Duncan was listed in his father's will as Dunkin and inherited 1/2 ownership in 50 acres in Dickson Co., TN and 1/3 ownership in a slave named Elick, to be received after his mother's death. I have not found what happened to the land or the slave Elick. Kate (Johnson) Cannon had a tintype of Duncan wearing a small derby. This was copied in a large (12x16) charcoal? portrait without the hat. I have seen two copies of this. Kate had one. I have photographed her tintype and portrait. Since the CFR book only mentions that Samuel had a son named Duncan and that he went to AL, the following data is offered to prove this relationship. Samuel of the CFR family moved from Bladen Co., NC to Dickson Co., TN, c. l807. Duncan is shown in the 1850 and 1860 census of Bibb Co., as b. 1797 NC. Trad. said Duncan came to AL from TN. CFR says Samuel and his family moved to AL. As Samuel died in Dickson Co., he did not move. But Duncan was in Bibb Co. in Mar 1820 and married there. CFR says Samuel m. Polly FREEMAN. Duncan named his dau. Mary Freeman. Polly is a nickname for Mary. I think I can show beyond resonable doubt that Cousin Caroline is a dau. of James JOHNSON. CFR says Duncan had a brother James. Here is a James in Bibb Co. with a dau. Caroline who could be a first cousin of Joshua West. There are no known Freemans in Letty's family. I know quite a bit about her LEWIS line. I know nothing about her father's family, the MORRISes. Finally there are NO other Duncan JOHNS(T)ONs in the AL census 1820 - 1860. Also in Harriet Johnson's household was Pleasant RICE, son of Duncan's dau. Mary Freeman (JOHNSON) RICE who had d. in 1849. I have found no other persons named Duncan, James or Caroline who could fit all of these situations. The 1850 and 1860 censuses say that he cannot read or write. Another researcher told me that one man she found that was marked "can't read or write" also had in the margin that he had a broken thumb. If a man was now blind, he could be so marked. That does not mean that he didn't know how. Sarah PRATT is on a list of members of Schultz Creek Baptist Church inserted between the minutes of Feb. 1844 and April 1844. There was no entry of the March minutes. Saturday before the 5th Sabbath in June 1844 Sister Pratt was received by letter. In a list of members dated 1856, Sarah Johnson is listed immediately after Mary Pratt. Mary Pratt was her sister. See Shultz Creek Church Book by Chester R. Johnson. 231 Joshua West JOHNSON b. 21 Feb 1821 Bibb Co., AL, d. 29 Jun 1900 Banner, Calhoun Co., MS, m. 11 Dec 1845 Bibb Co., Maria(h)BLAKE b. 23 Feb 1826 Bibb Co., d. 8 Jul 1910 Banner, both bur. Spring Creek Cem., Calhoun Co. Maria(h) was a dau. of Archibald Henry BLAKE Sr. and his wife Theodocia PRATT (see The Blakes of Bibb County, Alabama 1819-1988, by Chester R. Johnson. All of my life I have heard it said that they had 13 children. So it was a surprise when I found in their census record of 1900 and 1910 Mariah told the census taker that she had had 14 children, 12 of which were still living. Theodocia Frances had died in Texas in 1895 with no surviving children. The existance of another child was not known in the family until on 1 April [not a joke] 1999, I received a copy of the letter that Joshua West Johnson wrote on 17 July 1859 to Wm. Terrell Lewis about his family. Joshua West was living in Scottsville, Bibb Co., and Wm. Terrell Lewis was living in Louisville, Winston Co., MS. These letters have just been found in the AL State Archives in Montgomery. A son was born between 6 May 1852 and 26 Jun 1855, only lived three days, and was not named. Kate (Johnson) Cannon had Joshua West's Bible. It only lists 13 children by name. It did not list the infant son. All of the family record section is complete but the title page, plus a few more, are missing. Ron Johnson has Uncle Lattimer's Bible and it is identical and complete. They were most likely bought at the same time. Joshua West was a farmer in both AL and MS. He was initiated and Passed in 1871 in Dallas Lodge #319, Dallas, Lafayette Co., MS, (Tocopola P.O.), Raised to Master Mason in the same lodge in 1872 and demitted the same year to the Banner Lodge #329 Banner, Calhoun Co., MS. This Masonic record shows that when the Johnsons came from AL, they spent about 5 years in Lafayette Co., before finally settling in Calhoun Co.) He served as Junior Warden in 1873 and a member from 1874 until demitting in 1877. He was reported Non - Affiliated, Paid, in 1886. He reaffiliated with the Banner Lodge in 1887 and was a member until 1894 when he was suspended for non-payment of dues. He was reinstated in 1898 and was a mem. until he died 30 Jun 1900. During the short existence of the Banner College at Banner, Joshua West Johnson was one of the trustees and advisory council. A catalogue for the first year, 1887-1888, was found by Jimmy Johnson of Oxford among the items in the estate of Eudora Welty which he purchased. He furnished me with a copy. The college only lasted 3 years. I checked with the Library of the Univ. of MS, in Oxford, about catalogues of other years but they did not know of the existence of any catalogue of any year. With Jimmy's approval, I let them copy my copy for their educational archives. They were delighted with Jimmy's find. Family members listed among the students were: Sidney Brantly, Rosana Cobb, Luther Cobb, Will Johnson, and Mack Johnson. His wife's tombstone says he was a Capt. (in the Confederate Army). Aunt Angie Brantley said that she remembered him drilling men up and down the streets of Centreville. She was 13 years old in 1861. The Confederate records of many states are incomplete and I have not yet found any record of him being in the Confederate Army. Possibly he in a militia company that recruited soldiers. Cousin Maria said in her book that he recruited men of the area and they elected him their officer, that they served with Clanton's Division throughout the Civil War. I have not found any mention of this group in the records of Clanton's Division. This does not mean that it is not true as the records are incomplete. He was 45 and had 10 children at that time, 1 died at birth. The AL Confederate Archives show only a J. W. Johnson who was 21 in 1862 and was not from Bibb Co. [Continued in Part 3]
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