CAPTAIN HAYNES JOHNSON AND FAMILY

This Johnson family were of English origin. Their earliest ancestor who emigrated to this country was William Johnson, born at Kent, England, in the reign of James the I. He was one of the early settlers and municipal officers of Charlestown, Mass., which was incorporated in 1629. His wife, Sarah Haynes, is said to have been of Danish descent. This William died in Charlestown, December 9, 1677, at the age of seventy years. He left a son Thomas, who had a son John, whose son Haynes lived for a while in Newbury, Vt., but died in Concord, N. H.  September 2, 1775,  leaving three sons, Jonathan, Jesse, and Haynes, the last named being but twenty days old at the time of his father's death. He was born in Newbury, August 13, 1775.

In the summer of 1776, the young widow, then at Concord, took her three little sons on the same horse with herself, and traveled, mainly through a wilderness, about thirty miles, to Hempstead, N. H., to be more out of the way of the Indians and tories. She returned again to Newbury, Vt., and there married Mr. Remembrance Chamberlin, by whom she had several sons and daughters, who became people of honorable distinction in Newbury and Bradford.

Her son Haynes, afterwards generally styled Captain Haynes Johnson, came to Bradford to live in 1798, when about twenty-three years of age, and for two or three years cultivated the farm in Goshen district which Mr.  John Hardy at this date owns and occupies. In 1801 he bought the fine river farm, in the north-east part of the town, on which he remained an honest, industrious and hard-working farmer, during the remainder of his life.  He married Miss Jane Sawyer, April 8, 1802, a daughter of Captain Ezekiel Sawyer, then of Bradford, but formerly of Rowley, Mass. Captain Johnson and wife became members of the Congregational church in Bradford. He built the large house on his farm which still stands there, now forsaken of all its former inmates.  Captain Haynes Johnson died November 1, 1863, aged eighty-eight years; Mrs. Jane S. Johnson, his widow, died May 21, 1869, at the age of eighty-seven.  They had a family often children. One of the daughters died in childhood. Of the four sons and five daughters who lived to maturity, the following notices are deemed worthy of insertion here. Their children were all natives of Bradford.

1 Ezekiel Johnson, the eldest son, born September 26, 1803, married, February 27, 1827, Miss Nancy Rodgers, daughter of Samuel Rodgers, of Newbury. She was born there, December 12, 1807. His children by this marriage were seven; all, with exception of the youngest, natives of Bath, N. H., where Mr. Johnson settled soon after his marriage, and remained for about twelve years; namely.

Mary Elizabeth, born January 19, 1828, was married, at St, Albans, Vt., to Roswell Farnham, of Bradford, December 25, 1849. Of Colonel Farnham and family see further notice elsewhere in this history.  Ruth Ann Johnson, born January 26, 1830, married Benjamin B. Chadwick, of Bradford, April 11, 1850. He at this date is engaged in the lumber business in Northern Michigan.

Jane, born January 14, 1832, died in her third year.

Nancy Jenny, born April 19, 1835, married John H.  Ruckel, Esq., of Buffalo, N. Y., March 27, 1856. They have five children, Mary E., Adelaide M., John B., and Louise B. Mr. Ruckel is engaged in the manufacture of copper work for vessels and steamers on the Lakes.  Harriet B., born December 19, 1837, married Mortimer Bradley, Esq., of Buffalo, N. Y., June 6, 1867. Their children are two, Jennie Louisa and Henry H.  Ezekiel Thomas Johnson, born May 19, 1839, before he became of age entered the office of the Windsor Journal (Vt.), where he became an accomplished printer, and worked at that business till the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when he enlisted as a private, August 6, 1862, in Company H of the Tenth Vermont Regiment, at the age of twenty-three years. While in command of a portion of the skirmish line, in the battle of Monocacy, Maryland, July 9, 1864, he was severely wounded by a minnie ball, which struck the top of his head, cutting-through the flesh to the bone as it passed on.   He was sent to a hospital, where he remained for several months; and as soon as able returned to his regiment, was commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company E, and the next year, March 22, 1865, was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant of Company G. Amid many perils and hardships, he served his country bravely, and persevered till the war was successfully terminated. Was honorably mustered out of the service, June 22, 1865. He then went to Buffalo and acquired a knowledge of book-keeping, at the Commercial College there, and is at this date book-keeper for a firm of ship-builders. He married Sophia Louise Bailey, of Newbury, Vt., who died at Buffalo, May 17, 1870, at the age of twenty-six years.  William Henry, youngest son of Ezekiel Johnson and his first wife, born March 7, 1840, at Bradford, Vt., married, first Virginia Hartly, daughter of Dr. W. H.  Hartly, of New York City, by whom he had one daughter, Ann Eva Dene. His second wife was Mary Adelia Lord, of Western New York, who died at Buffalo, July 27, 1874, aged eighteen years, leaving an infant son, named Harrison Foster.

Mr. Ezekiel Johnson, while living in Bath, was called to the command of a military company, and generally styled Captain, as was his father before him. He returned to this, his native town, in 1839, where he has since continued, an industrious, hard-working and devotedly Christian man. His pious and excellent wife, Nancy Rodgers, died here, September 11, 1850, at the age of forty-two years.

The children of these parents have all become hopefully pious, and members of different churches: Mrs. Farnham of the Congregational church; Mrs. Ruckel of the Episcopal; and all the rest, with their father, are members of the Methodist Episcopal; but all united in love.  Mr. Johnson married for his second wife, March 15, 1857, the widow Lucy A. Sauthworth, daughter of Benjamin Underwood, with whom he lived happily for several years. After her decease, he married Miss Ann Barnet, of Newbury, April 4, 1867, with whom he is spending the evening of his life. The marriage rite in all these three instances was performed by the same minister, Rev. S. McKeen, Mr. Johnson's almost life-long friend.   We now return to the original family.

2 Mary, twin sister of Ezekiel, born September 26, 1803, married William Peters.   See the Peters family. 

3. Eliza, born February 18,1808, married Earle Paine, of Washington, Vt., April 26, 1835. She had a son, Haynes J., and a daughter, Helen E., who married Daniel Grant, of Washington, June 6,1868. He was a widower, having at that time three children, all of whom, with their father, died of diphtheria, in the course of one week, in August, 1874. Mr. Grant left by his second marriage two young daughters, Anna Evaline and Eliza Emma.

4 Haynes C. Johnson, born April 4, 1811, married Harriet Willard, daughter of Captain Israel Willard, of Bradford. She was born December 26, 1816, and married February 9, 1843. Mr. H. C. Johnson owns the northern half of the large farm formerly possessed by his father, and has there on the river road built a. nice brick cottage, with good outbuildings, and has a pleasant home.  He has two sons. Walter Haynes, born July 15, 1847, remained at home, working, when of suitable age, on the farm summers, and attending the district school winters, until 1866, when he entered the Commercial College at.  Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and there finished the regular course; after which he returned home, taught two winters, and in the spring of 1868 accepted the office of Superintendent of the motive power business at St. Albans, Vt., where he has since remained connected with railroad affairs. He married, June 29, 1870, Miss Lizzie S.  Whitcomb, of Bradford. They have one child, Mabel Lizzie, born September 7, 1872. Arthur Franklin, second son of Mr. H. C. Johnson, born December 16, 1849, at home schools and Montpelier Academy obtained a good business education, taught school for three winters, and then went into business in connection with his brother at St. Albans. Mrs. Johnson, with her two sons and the eldest son's wife, were all members of the Congregational church in Bradford.

5 Hannah, born October 10, 1813, married William Peters, widower of her deceased sister Mary. See Peters family.

6 Thomas Johnson, born December 13,1816, married Miss Hattie Avery, of Corinth. They have three sons, Frank, Charles and Herbert T. Mr. Thomas Johnson owns the valuable river farm long known as the Rowell place, overlooked by the celebrated Rowells Ledge, which gives also a fine view of the surrounding mountains of this section of the Connecticut river, with its fertile meadows and thriving villages. 

7 Jane Ann, born February 22, 1819, married Mr. Dan W. Shaw, of North Cambridge, Mass.  See the Shaw family.

8 Clarissa P., born July 18, 1825, married Mr. John Richardson, of Orford, N. H., November 10, 1858. They have a pleasant homestead on the river road in that town, and a family of five interesting children, namely: Clara Alice, John Fred, Arthur Johnson, Willie Martin, and Emma Louisa.

9 Edmund Elliot, born November 27, 1827, owns and resides on the southern half of the old farm formerly possessed by his father, on which he has built a nice cottage, and is pleasantly situated. He married Miss Mary Smith, of Newbury, and has one daughter, Lizzie. He is leader of the choir in the Methodist Church, and at this date one of the Selectmen of Bradford to whose care the publication of this History is by vote of the town entrusted.  Thus end our reminiscences of this family.   Biographie Index

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