Rufus Johnson1

#1972, (21 July 1779 - 2 December 1842)
Relationship2nd great-grandfather of William David Lewis
Father*Lieut. Josiah Johnson1 (1746 - 1827)
Mother*Martha Taylor1 (1756 - 1825)

Family

Ruth Phillips b. 1779, d. 1842
Children 1.Doctor Franklin Johnson+11 (1804 - 1885)
 2.Leander Johnson11 (1806 - 1859)
 3.Demetrius Johnson+23 (1808 - 1886)
 4.Elhanan Winchester Johnson+11 (1812 - 1891)
 5.Hondorus Dow Johnson+11 (1814 - 1881)
"Sylvanus Johnson, 60, while looking through some old papers at the home of his father Pitts, of near Farmersville discovered a purse in which were a number of receipts. Sylvanus, county agent officer, found one from Thomas F. Prosser, editor of the Mt. Vernon Courier for a subscription starting in the spring of 1838 and it was issued to D.F. Johnson, his grandfather. The first paper in the county was the New Harmony Gazette, published in 1825. D.F. was born in 1804 in New York State. The first Johnson in Posey was Rufus who brought his family here in 1822. As a matter of fact the Johnson's traced their roots to Captain Edward Johnson who came from England with Governor John Winthrop at the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. Other receipts found by Sylvanus included one issued by Rufus Johnson, great grandfather of the attendance officer, by Dr. Moses Winings, showing payment of $8.75 for medical services to the Johnson family and the date was November 28, 1820. Other receipts issued to Rufus showed he paid $1 for school tuition on April 22, 1829 and on December 9, 1840; he paid $1.17 in full for one third part of the state and county tax on a farm which belonged to Samuel Phillips. All the receipts were written in ink on a very good grade of paper and were well preserved. It is said that the Johnson family were the first famers in the county to bring a reaper onto the farm fields. I can't imagine the burdens they endured when the land was wild and the weather unforgiving."
Source: http://www.mtvernonin.com/MtVRaysRamb6.php.2 
"Pitts Johnson, a farmer of Black township, Posey county, Indiana, was born on the same farm where he now lives, December 23, 1849. He traces his ancestry back to Capt. Edward Johnson, who came from England with Governor Winthrop in 1630, and the genealogy of the family from this ancestor to our subject has been published and is very highly prized by him. His parents were D. F. and Dorcus (Duckworth) Johnson. D. F. Johnson was a native of New York State, having been born in Cayuga county June 16, 1804, was married June 16, 1825, to Dorcus Duckworth, who was born May 8, 1810, and who died January 23, 1879. He died in 1884. The founder of the family in Posey county was Rufus Johnson, grandfather of Pitts, who brought his family here in 1822. The father of our subject, with Dr. Phillips, went to Vincennes to enter land, making the trip by "riding and tying." Later D. F. Johnson became so homesick that he and Frank Allyn walked back to New York State. When the Johnsons first came here all the land was wild and very little of it had been taken by settlers. Farming was done in the old fashioned way, the wheat being threshed by treading it out. D. C. Johnson, Mr. Allyn and another man were the first to bring a farm machine of any kind to this section of the country. It was a reaper and a man had to stand on it and rake the grain with a pitchfork. When the first frame house was built at Mt. Vernon people came for miles to see it. The building caused as much excitement as did the battleship which later came up the river. Mr. Johnson was married in 1869 and began farming for himself on the home place, where he had been working with his parents since finishing school. He has always been on the home place with the exception of three years, when he went to the bottoms to farm. Mr. Johnson's wife was Miss Louisa Combs, daughter of John and Elizabeth Combs, natives of Posey county, Indiana, where Louisa was born June 28, 1853. She was reared in Black township and attended the common schools. They had two children: Sylvanus, born January 29, 1870, and Victor, born October 3. 1871, and died October 9, 1873. Sylvanus is a teacher in the Farmersville school, and has taught all over the country. He married Miss Emma Smith, daughter of James and Alice Smith, the wedding occurring August 31, 1892. She was born in Union county, Kentucky, and was raised in Posey county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Johnson have five children: William, Harold, Dorothy, Virginia and Keith."3 
Birth*21 July 1779He was born on 21 July 1779 at Buckland, Franklin (then Hampshire) Co., MassachusettsG.1,4 
1790He appeared on the census of 1790 in the household of Lieut. Josiah Johnson and Martha Taylor at Buckland, Hampshire Co., MassachusettsG; nei. David Johnson.5
1800He appeared on the census of 1800 in the household of Lieut. Josiah Johnson and Martha Taylor at Buckland, Hampshire Co., MassachusettsG; (nei. David Johnson.)6
1802He appeared on the census of 1802 at Sempronius, Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (Samuel Phillips also in Lot 44, Barnabas Annable Lots 44 and 45, David Annable Lot 83, John Ellis 44.)7 
Marriage*4 February 1802He married Ruth Phillips, daughter of Vespasian Phillips and Abilene Belding, on 4 February 1802 at Buckland, Hampshire (now Franklin) Co., MassachusettsG.8 
circa May 1802He and Ruth Phillips removed to Sempronius, Cayuga Co., New YorkG, circa May 1802.9,10,11 
8 June 1802He appeared on the tax census of 8 June 1802 at Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (Tax Roll.)9 
26 June 1803He appeared on the tax census of 26 June 1803 at Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (Tax Roll.)12 
11 April 1806Rufus Johnson acquired fifty acres of land from Barnabas Annable at Cayuga Co., New YorkG, on 11 April 1806 (Rufus was the husb. of Ruth Phillips, whose brother Elisha was marr. to Electa Annable, dau. of Barnabas.)13
1810He and Ruth Phillips appeared on the census of 1810 at Sempronius, Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (neis. Vespasion Phillips and Samuel Phillips, David Johnson.)14
7 August 1820He and Ruth Phillips appeared on the census of 7 August 1820 at Sempronius, Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (nei. Samuel Phillips.)15
circa 1822He and Ruth Phillips removed to Farmersville, Posey Co., IndianaG, circa 1822, where Ruth's brother Elisha, his wife and many of his wife's family had settled in 1818–1819.10,16,17,11 
11 August 1823Rufus Johnson acquired three land patents on 11 August 1823 at Posey Co., IndianaG.18
1830He and Ruth Phillips appeared on the census of 1830 at Black Twp., Posey Co., IndianaG; (also unk. f, age 5-9.)19 
Death*2 December 1842He died on 2 December 1842 at Black Twp., Posey Co., IndianaG, at age 63.20,21,22 
Burial*December 1843He was buried in December 1843 at Moore Cemetery, Black Twp., Posey Co., IndianaG.22,21 
ChartsAncestors of William D. Lewis

Citations

  1. [S1027] The Essex Institute, compiler, Vital Records of Buckland Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Salem, Mass.: The Essex Institute, 1934), online AmericanAncestors.org, pp. 27–29.
  2. [S1111] Mt. Vernon, Indiana, online www.mtvernonin.com.
  3. [S46] John C. Leffel, History of Posey County (Leffel) (Chicago IL: Standard Publishing Company, 1913), PP. 385-386.
  4. [S267] Massachusetts Town Birth Records, 1620–1850, online Ancestry.com, Buckland Births, p 29: "Rufus, s. Josiah and Martha (Taylor), July 21, 1779, P.R. 39" [P. R. 39.-family records from genealogy of the Taylor family.].
  5. [S268] 1790 U.S. Federal Census, image viewed online Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.com. Josiah; 4 f (Martha, Mary, Martha, Sylvia); 1 m (16+) [Othniel, poss.], 3 m (<16) [Rufus, Josiah Jr, Leander].
  6. [S269] 1800 U.S. Federal Census. Josiah (45+); F (45+) [Martha]; 3 m (16-25) [Othniel, Rufus, Josiah Jr], m (10-15) [Leander]; f (16-15) [Mary], f (10-15) [Martha, Sylvia], 5 f (<10) [Abigail, Susanna, ____, Lydia, Lovice].
  7. [S1732] New York Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799–1804, index and images, Albany, New York, Rufus Johnson, Lot 44, 50 acres, real estate value $97, personal estate $0, tax $0.20; New York State Archives, Series B0950 (26 reels), online Ancestry.com.
  8. [S1027] The Essex Institute, Vital Records of Buckland, p. 101. Ruth Phillips and Rufus Johnson, son of Joshua and Martha (Taylor), marr. 4 Feb 1802, citing P.R. 39 (family records from genealogy of the Taylor family).
  9. [S1732] New York Tax Assessment Rolls, 1799–1804, index and images, Albany, New York, Series B0950 (26 reels), Cayuga Co., 1802, Sempronius, img. 6/8. Assessment Roll made 8 Jun 1802. Rufus Johnson: real estate Lot 44 (50 acres), value $97; personal estate $0; tax $0.58, online Ancestry.com.
  10. [S599] Rev. William W. Johnson, compiler, Johnson Genealogy: Records of the Descendants of John Johnson of Ipswich and Andover, Mass. 1695 - 1892 (North Greenfield, Wisconsin: self-published, 1892), 29, "From Olean Point they sailed down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers on a flat boat to Posey Co., Ind., where they settled in Black township..."
  11. [S261] Rev. William W. Johnson, compiler, Records of the Descendants of David Johnson of Leominster (Milwaukee: Godfrey & Crandall, 1876), p 9. Hereinafter cited as David Johnson of Leominster.
  12. [S1732] New York Tax Assessment Rolls, 1799–1804, index and images, Albany, New York, Series B0950 (26 reels), Cayuga Co., 1803, Sempronius, img. 15/18. Assessment Roll made 26 Jun 1803. Rufus Johnsonl: real estate Lot 44 (50 acres), value $100; personal estate $0; tax $0.24, online Ancestry.com.
  13. [S1248] Cayuga County, New York, Deed Records, 1794-1901, manuscript/manuscript on film, Cayuga County Courthouse, Auburn, New York, Deeds 1816-1817 vols. R-S, Vol. R, pages 286-287. New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, FHL film 0851938, imgs. 166,167/734. Barnabas Annable to Rufus Johnson, both of Sempronius, for consideration of one hundred and seventy-five dollars, fifty acres of land, namely the west half of the hundred acres bought by Barnabas Annable of Samuel Sharp off of Lot 44 in Sempronius, NY, the west line of the said fifty acres being on Samuel Phillip's land; Ruth Annibel assigns over all rights of dower. Received by William Garrison and Jacob T. E. DeWitt, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Cayuga Co., 12 Apr 1806.
  14. [S238] 1810 U.S. Federal Census. M (26-45) [Rufus], F (26-45) [Ruth]; 3m (<10) [Doctor, Leander, Demetrius].
  15. [S115] 1820 U.S. Federal Census. Enumeration date August 7, 1820. Rufus Johnson (26-44); F (26-44) [Ruth]; m (16-18 [Doctor Franklin, 2 m (10-15) [Demetrius, Leander] 2 m (<10) [Elhanan, Hondorus]; Number of Persons Engaged in Agriculture: 4.
  16. [S737] History of Posey County (Goodspeed) (Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1886), p. 410-11. The Johnsons settled on 250 acres at "the Corners" with neighbors Samuel Black, Elisha Ellis, Anson Andrews and Samuel Phillips (prob. bro. of Ruth).
  17. [S46] John C. Leffel, History of Posey Co. (Leffel), p. 385, entry for Pitts Johnson. "The founder of the [Johnson] family in Posey county was Rufus Johnson...who brought his family here in 1822." and p. 116 "Farmersville marks one of the oldest settlements on Posey County. The first settlers were Samuel Black, Anson Andrews, Rufus Johnson, Elisha Ellis and Samuel Phillips."
  18. [S658] U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, online http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx, State Volume patents, vol. 1, Twp. 6 S Rng. 13 W. Section 28, NW ¼ (p. 439); Section 29, NE ¼ (p. 440); Section 28, W ½ NE ¼ (p. 441).
  19. [S116] 1830 U.S. Federal Census. Rufus Johnston (50-59); F (50-59) [Ruth]; 2 m (15-19) [Elhanan (18), Hondorus (16)]; f (5-9) [____].
  20. [S1027] The Essex Institute, Vital Records of Buckland, P. 142. Rufus Johnson, son of Josiah and Martha (Taylor), d. 2 Dec 1843; citing P. R. 19.
  21. [S599] Rev. William W. Johnson, Johnson Genealogy, 29, Rufus d. 2 Dec 1843 and Ruth Phillips d. 27 Dec 1842, both "buried in the Moore graveyard," Black Township [but not listed in findagrave].
  22. [S261] Rev. William W. Johnson, David Johnson of Leominster, p. 9, on Rufus Johnson and Ruth Phillips (died Dec. 27, 1842), "Their mortal remains repose in the More graveyard, Black township, Posey Co., Ind."
  23. [S261] Rev. William W. Johnson, David Johnson of Leominster, p 9; Franklin Cty was formed in June 11 from part of Hampshire Cty.