James-1 & Sarah [Temham?] Johnson
Louisa County, Virginia
JAMES JOHNSON-1 of Louisa County, Virginia, was apparently a yeoman farmer or planter and, like many of his neighbors of that day, probably derived much of his income from growing tobacco. At the time of his death, he probably owned about 240 acres of land. [He may have previously owned more, which he had distributed to his children before his death.] The figure of 240 acres was derived from the size of his widow’s estate dower of 80 acres, which would have been the legally mandated one-third of the lands he owned at the time of his death. This was an average-sized plot for a man of “middlin’ means.” He was neither poor nor among the rich elite. Most of the land was likely unimproved.
He was married to a woman named SARAH, who was possibly the daughter of Robert Temham-1, of Louisa County, Virginia. One piece of evidence the author has in this case is the will of Robert Temham, found by Erick Montgomery, which mentions his daughter, Sarah Johnson. This document is presumptive evidence, but not conclusive, without additional evidence. Robert Temham was also connected to the Hanover County, Virginia, Johnson family in some way, as evidenced by his will. Erick Montgomery has done the bulk of the research on the Louisa County families. He is not yet 100% convinced that we have enough evidence to conclusively say that SARAH’s maiden name was Temham. This name is also seen as “Tenham” with an “N” instead of the first “M.”
The children of James-1 & Sarah [Temham?] Johnson
RICHARD- JOHNSON-2, born about 1760, was our ancestor. He married LUCY HUNTER-3, the daughter of GEORGE HUNTER-2 & MILDRED AUSTIN, February 21, 1783. LUCY’s father, GEORGE HUNTER-2, was security. [Louisa County Virginia Marriages, pg. 22.] RICHARD JOHNSON-2, according to his obituary, was a Methodist minister and farmer, and deed records show he moved to Tennessee about 1807, where he died in 1849.
Thomas Johnson-2 received a division of the estate in 1793
Isham Johnson-2 received a division of the estate in 1793
4. William Johnson-2 received a division of the estate in 1793
Sarah Johnson-2 unmarried in 1793, mentioned in Mother’s will in 1797
Nancy Johnson-2 unmarried in 1793, mentioned in Mother’s will in 1797
John Johnson-2 mentioned in mother’s will in 1797
James Johnson-2 mentioned in mother’s will in 1797
Rebecca Johnson-2, married William Moss alive at time of father’s death.
Elizabeth Johnson-2, married William Powers on November 29, 1774.
[Thanks to Erick Montgomery for this research information taken from the estate of James Johnson, Louisa County, Virginia.]
We aren’t sure of the names of the siblings of JAMES JOHNSON, Sr.-1, but a will written July 9, 1766, and probated August 11, 1766, [Will Book 1, page 84, Louisa County, Virginia] found by Erick Montgomery, mentions possible siblings. “Will of John Johnson, to sister Susanna, brother Richard, and brother James, signed John, and witnessed by James and Richard Johnson.” It is possible that these are siblings of our JAMES JOHNSON-1, and the James who witnessed the will was our ancestor. Since there were several Johnson families nearby, however, it is not conclusive.
In Louisa and Hanover counties in the 1730s, and after, there was a thriving community of Quakers that contained several families named Johnson. We don’t know that they were connected to our JOHNSON families, but it is quite possible that some members of our families were among these Quaker Johnsons. One clue, which shows that the Quaker Johnsons at least lived near ours, and near John Boswell, is a will published in Louisa County, December 28, 1754, by Benjamin Johnson, who may have been connected to the Quaker families. One of his daughters mentioned in the will was Sarah Terrell, The Terrells were prominent in the Quaker movement. The witness to his will was Thomas Moreman, who was also affiliated with the Quakers. Hinshaw’s Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy mentions several men named Johnson in the Quaker records and one of these is Benjamin Johnson.
We are also not sure who the parents of JAMES JOHNSON-1 were, but there was an interesting family in the vicinity that will be explored in greater depth. Future research may find a connection to our JOHNSON family.
The will of Robert Temham-1, who is possibly JAMES JOHNSON’s father-in-law, of St. Martin’s Parish, Louisa County, Virginia, was written on October 9, 1769. It lists five daughters; Mary [Temham-ii] West, Eliza Temham-ii, Rebekah [Temham-ii] Walker, Sarah [Temham-ii] Johnson, and Ann Temham-ii. The will was not proven, however, until December 20, 1778. The executors of Robert Temham’s will were connected to the most prominent families in Louisa and Hanover Counties. The executors were: John Boswell of Hanover County and Thomas Johnson, Jr., son of Nicholas Johnson, of Louisa County, dated December 23, 1763. The will was witnessed by Pouncey Anderson, Robert Wilson, and Elizabeth Anderson, and recorded October 9, 1769. [Woodall, “Benjamin West of Louisa County, VA”; & Louisa County Will Book 2, pg. 65-66.]
The fact that these prominent men were named executors of Robert’s will underscores the belief that there was some connection, however remote, to the family by blood or marriage.
Robert Temham is also on the tithe list for 1767 in St. Martin’s Parish, Louisa County, Virginia, with 200 acres of land. No slaves are named. This is the area in which JAMES JOHNSON-1 lived.
Robert Temham’s daughter, Mary Temham-ii, married Benjamin West, of Louisa County, before her father’s death. On September 1, 1770, Benjamin West bought 200 acres of land from John Boswell, who would be the executor of her father’s estate. The land was located near the South Anna River. [Woodall, “Benjamin West of Louisa County, VA.”]
Nicholas Johnson-iii, one of the executors of Robert Temham’s will, was the son of Thomas Johnson-ii, who died in 1734, and his wife, Anne Meriwether. Ann was the daughter of the very wealthy Major Nicholas Meriwether of adjoining Hanover County. John Boswell was the business partner of another man named Richard Johnson-iii, who was the grandson of Nicholas Meriwether, and also the son of Ann Meriwether Johnson. [Virginia Migrations, Backhouse Lawsuits, Hanover County, Virginia.]
What the exact connection our JOHNSONs and Temhams had to this Hanover County Johnson family is unknown at this time. The fact that the families had connections of some sort is reasonably well proven by the above wills, as well as other documents and business dealings. It is reasonable to assume that the Hanover Johnsons and the LouisaCounty JOHNSON families shared a common ancestor not too distantly. Where this connection [if any] lay, however, is unknown to this author at this point in time.
James Johnson’s Estate
The estate of JAMES JOHNSON-1, the father of our RICHARD-2, is listed in the Louisa County probate records in 1793, when the “account of sale” was returned. The amount of the sale for his personal property was for a little over 165 pounds. The “account of the sale” lists RICHARD JOHNSON-2, Nancy Johnson-2, Thomas Johnson-2, Sarah Johnson-2, Benjamin Johnson, John Johnson-2, and William Johnson-2, as buyers. Interestingly, another connection to the Hanover Johnsons, Thomas Meriwether, was present at the sale. We will explore some of the data about this Hanover County Johnson family in greater depth. [Copy of the estate of James Johnson in author’s collection was obtained from Erick Montgomery.]
The usual custom in Virginia was for the deceased’s estate to be sold at a public auction, and the proceeds were first used to pay debts and then to satisfy any legacies. Most of the time, the buyers listed in the “account of sale” would be near-neighbors and relatives. Even the most minute item would be sold. A list of all items sold, their prices, and the buyers, has survived for many estates. These lists are quite interesting because many times they list almost the entire contents of the deceased’s household, including clothing, furniture, tools, and other items that give us a “snapshot” of our ancestor’s home.
The estate of a yeoman of middle age or older, most of whose children were adults, might have been reduced by the marriage or majority gifts to these children. It was not uncommon for daughters to be given their portions of the parents’ estates at their marriage, and young men given their shares at the time they reached their majority or at the time they married. When the estate was eventually settled after the death of the parents, the “advances” to each child would be considered in the final division of what was left.
Shortly after the death of JAMES JOHNSON-1, there was a report of SARAH JOHNSON’s dower being set apart “On River adjacent Overton, Anderson Shelton, 80 acres, dated January 23, 1793.” A dower was the legally mandated portion of a man’s estate left for his wife. This amount was set by law. A woman had a portion of the husband’s estate set aside for her for her lifetime only. At her death, this portion of the estate would revert to her husband’s heirs. Any lands owned by a man at his death would be included in the wife’s dower. Personal property, depending on the area and era in which the deceased lived, would also be included or not, as the law of the time decreed. Sometimes, she might be given a title in fee simple to part of the personal property. That meant she could sell of or dispose of that part of the property, or keep it if she remarried. At the time of JAMES’ death, SARAH’s dower would have been one-third of the land.
Any person who inherited or bought the portion of a man’s estate that contained “dower lands” could not take possession of that land until the woman died or, in some cases, remarried.
In March of 1793, SARAH JOHNSON filed her bond as administrix of the estate of JAMES JOHNSON-1, and her securities were Will Johnson-2, Wm. Powers, RICHARD JOHNSON-2, Wm. Moss, and John Johnson-2, in the amount of 3,000 pounds. She signed with a mark, as did Wm. Moss. The rest of the men signed with a signature. The security bond for an estate was usually at least equal to the value of the estate, or up to three times the value of the estate. Using the bond as a gauge of the worth of the estate, we may say there was probably at least a value of between 1,000 and 3,000 Pounds “current money.” After the Revolution, though, the value of currency had fluctuated to such an extent that there is no way at this time that we can be sure if it was a large estate or a small one! Inflation had played havoc with currency, and until well after 1800, there was no one currency in circulation in the Continental United States. The fact that several bondsmen were needed for the bond may indicate that none of them was very wealthy, and it took all of them to come up with the amount of bond necessary. All of the bondsmen were sons or sons-in-law of SARAH and JAMES JOHNSON-1.
JAMES JOHNSON’S son, RICHARD-2, had some education, as later evidenced by the fact that he became a minister and by samples of his script. By the time of the Revolution, education was becoming more common among the citizens of the Colonies, but universal literacy was not even a dream. There were no “free public schools.” At this time and place, each parent had to pay for his child’s education. This would indicate that JAMES JOHNSON-1 was able to pay for his sons to receive at least a basic literacy. Planters would sometimes hire a schoolmaster to stay at their plantation and educate their children. A male apprentice could expect about a year of schooling at about age 15, which might give him the ability to add and subtract simple sums and maybe sign his name or read a few words. Even wealthy landowners frequently signed with a “mark.”
If he adhered to the custom of the times, JAMES JOHNSON-1 had probably already given part of his estate to his children at the time of their marriages.
Most yeomen of the author’s family lines seemed to split their estates with all their children, rather than the oldest son getting the bulk of the estate. Where a man was able to do so, lands were provided for the sons, and marriage portions for the daughters, including household items and livestock. Most cash-strapped yeomen were not able to provide a great deal of money to their children, but they provided items which they could grow [livestock and produce] and land which could be had relatively cheaply. In some cases, they also provided slaves to help work the lands. Most slaves appear to have been kept in the family for multiple generations in the estates of the author’s ancestors.
In December of 1793, the estate of our JAMES JOHNSON was divided. Lot 1 went to Ann Johnson; Lot 2 to Sarah Johnson; Lot 3 to Isham Johnson; Lot 4 to Thomas Johnson; Lot 5 to James Johnson [Jr.]; Lot 6 to our RICHARD JOHNSON; Lot 7 to William Powers; Lot 8 to William Johnson. Each heir received about 51 pounds in cash, in addition to the lands. The estate was appraised on December 26, 1793, but none of that was recorded until 1797. Apparently, 1797 was the year SARAH died. Her will [Will Book 4, page 86] left items to “My son, RICHARD, [to have] Valentine Meriwether’s bond.” It mentioned her sons, Isham and William, and daughters Nancy and Sarah. A codicil mentioned her sons, William, John, and James Johnson, and son-in-law, William Powers, and daughter, Rebecca Moss.
It is interesting to note that she made her own individual will. Since Virginia’s laws on inheritance, and women owning/controlling property, almost precluded a woman’s having property separate from her husband, few women made individual wills. SARAH’s making a will at all indicates that she inherited property for which she could make disposition as she pleased. This would indicate that she came from a family of substance, possibly the family of Robert Temham-1, who had included his daughter, Sarah Johnson, in his will.