The following information provided courtesy of Joyce Hetrick


The Hanover Johnson Families

What’s the connection between our Louisa County JOHNSON family and those of the Johnson families in Hanover County? We really are not 100% sure at this time. However, there really is a lot of “genealogical smoke” for there not to be some “genealogical fire.” The first three “rules” of genealogy are “1. Look at the neighbors, 2. Look at the neighbors, and 3. Look at the neighbors!” Essentially, this means that the families our ancestors “hung around” with were usually friends and relatives.

Our RICHARD JOHNSON-2, son of JAMES-1 of Louisa County, Virginia, and the other relatives in Louisa, sort of “hung around with” people from the Hanover Johnson group, and a few of the Hanover Johnson’s connections lived in Louisa County near the family of JAMES JOHNSON-1. The distance in miles between Hanover and Louisa was not far, since they had been cut from the same precursor county. The Johnson group in Hanover appeared to be much more affluent than our group, though our group of JOHNSONS was not among the very poor. They were affluent enough to be land owners and provide an education for their children. Whatever the case, the Johnsons in Hanover were a very interesting lot.

There were several families named Johnson who lived in Hanover County, Virginia, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. One group was made up of very wealthy planters and members of the elite. The other group was comprised of yeomen Quakers. [Hinshaw] The Johnson family that lived primarily in Hanover in the late 1750s to the 1790s, who, this author believes, were connected to our JOHNSON family, were all descended from Richard Johnson “of King William County” who “was of his Majesties Council” in 1693. There are several articles found by this author which are incorrect regarding this family. This as evidenced by lawsuits filed for the British mercantile debt collections. There are so many of these people living in a small geographical area, though, that it is an easy thing to confuse them. That, and the repeating heirloom names, causes much confusion and embarrassment regarding these families.

According to an article, “The Johnson Family,” page 188, from the Family Tree Maker, Genealogies of Virginia Families, Volume III, Broderbund Software, Richard Johnson-i came to Virginia in the late seventeenth century from England and settled in New Kent, in the part that was later King and Queen. In 1679, he was appointed to the Assembly. In 1688, 3,000 acres was granted to Richard Johnson, Esq., “by order of the General Court.” In 1696, he was appointed to the Council. He died in 1699. His grandson’s tombstone also confirms this information.

His known issue were a daughter, Judith-i, who married and remained in England, and by his second marriage, three sons, under age at the time their father died. [1] Thomas-ii, [2] Richard-ii, who lived in King and Queen County and died around 1733-1737, supposedly without heirs, leaving his property to his nephews, and [3]William. [“The Johnson Family,” pg. 189.]

From reliable sources, including the Backhouse Lawsuits and the tombstone of Richard Johnson-iii of King William County, we know Richard-i had a son named Thomas Johnson-ii, [Senior.] Thomas Johnson-ii, Senior, who married Anne, the daughter of the extremely wealthy Nicholas Meriwether. Thomas-ii, Senior, and Anne had a son named Richard Johnson-iii, “gentleman,” who lived in Hanover County, Virginia. Richard-iii’s son was Thomas Johnson, “Minor”-iiii [Richard Johnson, esq.-i; Thomas, Senior-ii; Richard, Gentleman-iii; Thomas Johnson, “Minor”-iiii]. The British mercantile lawsuits of Backhouse confirm the above information absolutely. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations: Hanover County, Virginia]

The “Johnson Families” article incorrectly identifies “Thomas Johnson, Minor” as the son of Nicholas Johnson-iii, the son of Thomas Johnson “Senior” and Anne Meriwether Johnson. Thomas Johnson, Minor-iiii, is definitely identified in the Backhouse Lawsuits as the son of Richard Johnson, esq.-iii. Apparently this error arose from the uses of the terms “junior,” “senior,” “minor,” and “major” to distinguish between the several men named Thomas Johnson. On page 190 of “The Johnson Families,” the author speaks of the will of Robert Temham-1, and the witnesses, “Major John Boswell, of Hanover and Thomas Johnson, Jr., son of Nicholas Johnson of Louisa”. The author then goes on to say “Thomas Johnson, “minor” married his cousin, Jane Chapman, daughter of Richard Chapman.” This last statement seems to be borne out by other information. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations.]

The article, “Records from the Family Bible of Richard Chapman, Jr. of New Kent County, VA,” state that his daughter, Jane, married Nathaniel Price in 1794. Richard Chapman, Sr., who had married Jane Johnson, also had a daughter named Jane, who apparently married her cousin, Thomas Johnson, Minor. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations: Hanover County, Virginia, “Backhouse lawsuits.”] That would also account for the introduction of the given name of Chapman Johnson into this generation, and not before.

The same page in the original records that records our JAMES JOHNSON’S estate, also records the administration of the large estate of John Boswell by Thomas Johnson, Minor, who was a prominent member of the Hanover County Johnson ~ Meriweather group. John Boswell was the witness for Robert Temham’s will. John Boswell’s will identifies Thomas Johnson, Minor as “my neffues.”

John Boswell’s will was quite interesting. He had no children, and his wife, who was the sister of “Richard Johnson, Gentleman,”-iii survived him. He left the bulk of his estate to his wife’s nephews, Boswell Thornton, and Thomas Johnson, Minor-iiii, and to his ner’do-well brother, Thomas Boswell. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, Will of John Boswell]

John Boswell freed a female slave and her “yellow boy, James.” He gave land, a horse, an education, and some livestock to this “yellow boy.” He also “freed” and provided for another slave or indentured woman [who had a surname], and gave land to a man who appeared to be an indentured servant. The “yellow boy,” James, freed in the will, was possibly either a child of John Boswell or of one of his relatives. This was not an uncommon situation during this period of time. In order for the slave child, James, to be light-complexioned enough to be considered “yellow,” his mother was probably one-half to three-quarters white, and if his father were white, he might have been as much as seven-eighths white. He may have even been able to “pass for white.”

At the end of the Revolution, there was some question about whether or not the Americans were liable to pay their pre-war debts in England. Eventually, it was decided that the British could collect from the Americans. During the early 1800s, when the British mercantile debts were being settled, there were many lawsuits dealing with the intricate family and business relationships between the Johnson, Boswell, Meriwether, and other related families. These have important genealogical information that may eventually be related to our JOHNSON lines. At least two members of this Hanover Johnson clan moved to Sumner County.

Though early Virginia had been conducive to increased financial and social status for each succeeding generation, conditions in Virginia by the early 1800s had changed. It was becoming increasingly difficult for successive generations to even maintain, much less increase, financial and social standing. Moving to Tennessee to secure new and cheaper lands in the frontier was an avenue to seek financial improvement for the families. Where Nicholas Meriwether and John Boswell and Richard Johnson, Gentleman, had prospered and increased their wealth, their grand-children and great-grandchildren were finding it difficult to live in Virginia. The very conditions that had increased the wealth of their grandparents were causing them financial ruin. The slave economy and production of tobacco had enriched their grandparents, but had impoverished the soil and driven the prices too low by over production. By the early 1800s, these scions of great families were impoverished.

Certain lands John Boswell owned were designated in his will to be sold for the payment of the British debts, if and when they became payable. Thomas Johnson, Minor, had received the land, and it had been sold multiple times since Boswell died. Affidavits were taken from every available living heir of Thomas Johnson, Minor, from the subsequent owners of parts of the lands, and anyone remotely connected to the family. The plaintiffs received a judgment for $27,000. No indication was found of this amount ever being paid, however. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, Backhouse Lawsuits].


Children of Richard Johnson-i, esq., of Virginia


  1. Thomas Johnson-ii, “Senior,” probably born in England, maybe around 1680, died before 1734. He married Anne Meriwether, daughter of Nicholas Meriwether. Nicholas Meriwether was one of the richest men in Colonial Virginia. His estate was very large and he left a long will detailing huge legacies to his many offspring and their large families. He left several plantations to his daughter, Anne Johnson. Descendants of this line will be traced in more depth.

  2. Judith Johnson-ii, married Sir Hardoff Westneys, Baronet, son of Sir Edmund Westneys.

  3. Richard Johnson-ii died without issue about 1733. [“The Johnson Family.”]

  4. William Johnson-ii, [It might be productive to follow this line for a connection to our JAMES JOHNSON-1. ]William Johnson-ii seems to be the only possibility for a connection to this family, and he would have been about the right age to be the father of our JAMES-1. Our JAMES also gave sons the heirloom names from this line, Richard, Thomas and William. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations.]

“Richard Johnson, esq.,” is mentioned in the 1699 reaffirmation of patents previously issued “by the Committee for examining claims to land in Pamunkey Neck and on the south side of Blackwater Swamp, and to consider the most proper meanes to settle the Northern and Southern Bounds of Virginia, dated June, 1699.” His previous title to 3,000 acres of land was confirmed, “by order of Gen’ll court dated 25 April 1688.”

Children of Thomas Johnson-ii, Senior, and Ann Meriwether

“of King William County”


  1. Thomas M. Johnson-iii, had a daughter, Dorothy-iiii. He was called “Thomas, Sr.,” after the death of his father, Thomas Johnson-ii, in 1734.


  1. Richard C. Johnson-iii, called both “Colonel” Richard, and Richard Johnson, “Gentleman,” was born July 7, 1715. He was the business partner of his brother-in-law, John Boswell, the husband of Richard’s sister, Anne-iii. He died in September 29, 1771, at New Castle, Hanover County, Virginia. He was the father of “Thomas Johnson, Minor.” His tombstone reads:


Here lieth the remains of Collo. Richard Johnson who was borned the 7th of July in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and fifteen and departed this life the 29th of September one thousand seven hundred and seventy-one. He was the son of Mr. Thomas Johnson of King William County and grand-son to Richard Johnson Esq. Of King William county who was a member of His Majesty’s Council in Virginia. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, pg. vi.]


  1. Nicholas Johnson-iii, “of Louisa County” was probably the witness of Robert Temham’s will, along with John Boswell, the husband of his sister, Anne Johnson. He apparently had a son, Thomas Johnson, “Jr.”-iiii . “The Johnson Family” article says that this Nicholas Johnson-iii died by June 4, 1766, which, if that is the case, he could not be the same Nicholas who witnessed the will of Robert Temham in 1769. He is also probably the man by this same name who witnessed the will of ANDREW HUNTER-1 in 1764 in Louisa. ANDREW HUNTER was the grandfather of LUCY HUNTER JOHNSON, wife of our RICHARD JOHNSON-2. Since “Nicholas” entered the Johnson family as a given name with the marriage of Thomas Johnson-ii and Anne Merewether, it is possible the “death date” given in the article is in error. It is most likely that this Nicholas, by virtue of proximity and timing, was the signer of Robert’s will.


  1. William Johnson-iii, died before 1806. [Ibid.]


  1. Anne Johnson-iii, was born about 1715, and was referred to in the Backhouse Lawsuits as the woman who married John Boswell, the business partner of “Richard Johnson-iii, Gentleman.” Anne and John Boswell had no children and a significant part of their estate was left to Richard’s son, Thomas Johnson, Minor-iiii.


  1. Jane Johnson-iii, was born about 1715. She is likely the Jane Johnson who married Richard Chapman, Sr., and was the mother of Richard Chapman, Jr., born in 1741. According to the Chapman article, Richard Chapman, Sr., purchased “Chericoke” from the widow, Anne Meriwether Johnson, in May of 1740. The article continues on page 727, and says, “Richard Chapman and Jane Johnson had two children, a son, Richard, Jr., and a daughter Jane Chapman, who married a Mr. Johnson.” [Her cousin, Thomas Johnson, Minor-iiii, the son of Richard Johnson- iii]

The name “Chapman” entered into the heirloom names of the Johnson family with this marriage.


Before the Revolution, the American planters dealt primarily with their English factors on credit, which was paid with tobacco at the end of the crop year. Several letters that have survived from the Johnson and Boswell firm serve to illustrate the type of business transacted between Virginia tobacco growers and the English firms.





New Castle Virginia Augt 16th 1769

Sir:

As our friend & correspondent Mr. John Walker Late Mercht of Liverpool is deceased, it puts us under the necessity of looking out for some other, and as your charactor has recommended you to us, we have thought it proper to make you the following proposals, in the first place we want you to advance us one thousand pounds sterlg. And that we may have the liberty to draw for it, in our next april General court, which money we desire to have the use of for two years allowing you 5 pct. Interest, without being obliged by law or honor to repay till the aforesaid time is expired, in the next place we desire to have leave to draw ten pounds sterling on each hhd we ship you. We make in mean years about sixty five hhdg, & in good years seventy odd, & that of the best sort of York River Tobacco, the sum of money we propose borrowing together with drawing on our tobacco pays all our debts both here and in england & leaves a balance of our standing debts to the amount of seven or eight hundred pounds, but they are chiefly such as will take us a year or two to collect, if you should come into our terms, we shall not draw on you for any more money until the money borrowed is paid, and shall only send for as many goods as we think our familys may have occasion for, which we suppose will amount to upwards of two hundred pounds annually, and the over plus to go to the credit of the money borrowed; if we make tolerable good crops & the prices of tobacco keeps up, we shall pay it up in two years, but supposing the tobacco sent you should prove short, we expect we shall be able to remit you some money from our debts.

There are two young men Messrs. Johnson & Tinsley in Trade the one the son to our Richard Johnson that is next to be considered. We have given them Letters of Credit, and they have corresponded with the late Mr. Walker, they will want goods twice a year to the amount of eight or nine hundred pounds each cargo, which goods we will undertake to see you paid for, tho we don’t make the least doubt but they will punctually comply with their payments, you’ll receive their letters covering a scheme for goods, & their proposals by Capt. Clarke who brings you this.

Colo Humphrye Hill has been long acquainted with us & make no doubt that he has a tollerable idea of our circumstances, therefore we have make him acquainted with this & hope it will meet with our approbation we are, sir,

Your most obedt & honble Servts,

Johnson & Boswell

NB If you think proper to come into our terms you’ll be pleased to let us know it by the first ship. J & B






Virginia New Castle July 30, 1771


Sir:

Inclosed you have a bill of lading for seventy hhds [hogsheads] tobacco shipt you by the Tom and wish them safe to hand, the other ten was ready but Capt Clarke could not take them in.

There is 22 hhds shipt you that we bought of a nephew of ours that lives at the mountains which we expect is equal to our own, the reason we bought them was our R. J. could not get down all his Mountain crop by 20 Hhds. From the repeated rains that distressed his plantations…The extraordinary wett weather and the repeated Freshes [floods] we believe will render the ensuing crop very short as well as mean…[poor quality.]



We have in repeated letters mentioned our indorsement of a bill of exchange drawn on our relation Mr. Richard Chapman… [emphasis added]

We are your most Honble Srt. Johnson & Boswell

[Virginia Migrations:Hanover County, Virginia, pg. 17-19.]


“Our relation,” Richard Chapman, mentioned in the above letter, was “Richard Chapman, son of Richard Chapman and his wife, Jane Johnson. He was born at Chericoke, King William County, VA Sept. 1741, according to an article, “Records from the Family Bible of Richard Chapman, Jr., of New Kent County, VA,” communicated by Mrs. Calvin Perkins, Memphis, Tennessee, page 723, printed from Family Tree Maker, Genealogies of Virginia Families, Volume I, from CD, Broderbund Software, Inc., March 2, 1998.

This somewhat clarifies the Chapman-Johnson connection over two generations. This would account for the name Chapman, as a given name, entering into the Hanover Johnson clan’s list of heirloom names in that generation. The man mentioned in the letter was probably the “Richard Chapman, Jr.,” so his mother, Jane Johnson, would have been born about 1720.

Richard Chapman, Jr., married Elizabeth Reynolds, who had been born at “The Island” in New Kent, February 18, 1757. According to the article, they were married by Rev. Mr. Ford on Sunday, April 16, 1775. Richard Chapman, Jr., died December 10, 1789, at age 48. On December 4, 1789, six days before his death, a son named Richard Meriwether Chapman, was born. His widow, Elizabeth, married George Green after his death. She was widowed again, in March of 1798.

A grandson of Richard Chapman [Jr.], Chapman Johnson, made notes in the Bible, and stated his grandfather had first married Mary Mossom, daughter of Reverend David Mossom, and Elizabeth Reynolds was the second wife, and also, the niece of the first wife. A man marrying his deceased wife’s niece bordered on “incest” by the thinking of the day. Even though there was no blood relationship with the second wife and the husband, this was among those “prohibited” marriages. He also noted that Richard Chapman [Jr.?] had one sister, Jane Chapman, who married a “Mr. Johnson.”



He continued in a memoranda from James Curtis’ letters:


“my sister’s son, John Boswell Johnson, was born September 14, 1771…and moved to Tennessee, and had three children. Dr. Thomas Johnson of Richmond City, VA, and Richard Chapman Johnson, born 1772, died without issue, and their sister, Dorothy Johnson, who was born 1774, and married Patrick Michie.”

The article goes on to say, “The first of the name in Virginia was Richard Chapman of an English family…he purchased from Ann Meriwether Johnson, the widow of Captain Thomas Johnson, the Johnson estate of “Chericoke” in King William County. Thomas Johnson was the son of Colonel Richard Johnson, of Lincolnshire, England, who was a member of the Virginia Council at the time of his death in 1699.” [Ibid. pg. 726]

“Soon after he came to the colony, Richard Chapman…married Jane Johnson, the daughter of “Captain Thomas Johnson” [senior] and his wife, Anne, seventh child of Col. Nicholas Meriwether.” [Ibid. pg. 726]


The third letter between the firm of Johnson and Boswell and John Backhouse concerned the difficulties presented by the death of Colonel Richard Johnson in September 1771.


Virginia New Castle 14 Oct 1771


Mr. John Backhouse

Sir

It is with the greatest concern we acquaint you of the death of our late worthy friend & relation Colo Richard Johnson on the 29th of September last, after a short illness, whome we most sincerely regret—he has willed his whole estate to his widow during her life or widowhood, and appointed her executrix & ourselves executors thereto, with full power to act as we shall think necessary. We have maturely considered all matters thereto relating & Judge it most expedient to cultivate that correspondence our departed friend had the pleasure of establishing with you, and in consequence of which we shal send you in the spring, between eighty and ninety hhds of tobacco, by whichever of your ships you may think proper to direct…

The correspondence of our Johnson and Mr. Chas Tinsley with you, our John Boswell desires may be continued, with himself as security, for all further cargos you may send them.

Bills payable in your port are ginerally ½ pct lower than those upon London, therefore we must beg the favor of you, to permit us to make ours on you payable in that port, provided it would not attend with any inconvenience of consequence to you. We are sir

Yr Mo Obedt servts.

John Boswell & W. Johnson

[Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations: Hanover County, Virginia, pg. 19.]

These letters are excellent examples of the business transactions of the wealthier planters with their London and Liverpool factors. The planters were cash-strapped and accomplished their business by trading tobacco crops for the items their families needed from the mother country. The name of Richard Johnson-iii’s wife, Dorthea, is found in the depositions of John B. Johnson, their son, in Virginia Migrations, pg. 5, along with the date of her death in March 1781.


Children of Richard Johnson-iii, 1715-1771, and his wife, Dorthea


  1. Jane Johnson-iiii, was born about 1740, died after 1771, but before 1803, when the Backhouse depositions were taken. She married Dr. William Marshall first, and then Nicholas Syme. Her children were John M. Syme, Nicholas Syme, Elisa Syme, and Clarissa Syme. [Virginia Migrations, Deposition of Chapman Johnson, pg. 4.] She could not have been the woman who married Richard Chapman, Sr., whose son, Richard Chapman, Jr., was born in 1741.[“Records from the Family Bible of Richard Chapman, Jr.,” pg. 723.]


  1. Thomas Johnson, Minor-iiii, died 1795. “Thomas Johnson, Minor, the father of this respondent was also one of the sons of Richard Johnson “[Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations Deposition of Chapman Johnson, pg. 4.] His children were: John Boswell Johnson-v, born 1778; Richard Chapman Johnson-v, born before 1774, died December 1802, [Ibid.], Thomas M. Johnson-v, born circa 1778; Chapman Johnson-v, born 1779; and William Johnson-v, born 1784; and Dorothy Johnson, who married Patrick Mitchie. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, pg. 3]

If the memoranda of the Chapman Bible were correct, “my sister’s [sister of Richard Chapman, Jr., Jane, who married ‘Mr. Johnson.’] son was John Boswell Johnson, who moved to Tennessee, and had three children,” then the wife of Thomas Johnson, Minor, would have been his cousin, Jane Chapman, daughter of Richard Chapman-ii and Jane Johnson-iii, the daughter of Thomas Johnson-ii .


  1. Dorothy Johnson-iiii, married Anthony Thornton of Caroline County, and her son was Boswell Thornton, the heir of John Boswell. Boswell Thornton’s wife was named Lucy, but they had no children. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, pg. 4-5.] “January 12, 1789, Anthony Thornton, guardian for Boswell Thornton received of Capt. Thomas Johnson [Minor] the slaves and stock devised by Colo. John Boswell.” [Ibid. pg. 3]


  1. Richard Johnson-iiii, died before 1803.


  1. Nancy/Anne Johnson-iiii, married John Cunningham about 1774, by whom she had four children, Dorethea Fairley Cunningham, who married Isaac Butler, and had an only child named Lucy Ann Butler; William Cunningham; John Cunningham, died before 1803; Nancy Anne Johnson Cunningham, who married John Syme. Nancy Anne died May 7, 1788. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, Backhouse Lawsuits.]


  1. William Johnson-iiii “of Hanover County” died after 1810. [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, pg. 11.] “He is the only survivor among them.” [Ibid. pg. 6]


  1. John Boswell Johnson-iiii, “of Hanover,” gave a deposition filed November 30, 1803, and stated “that he is one of the sons and legatees of Richard Johnson, late of the town of New Castle.” His first deposition was taken in the Backhouse lawsuit for the defendant at the house of Francis Taylor in the town of New Castle, now occupied by John Tinsley, February 8, 1796. [Ibid. pg. 6.] Though he had a nephew of the same name, who died in 1815 in Sumner County, Tennessee, and the two may be easily confused, we find that this man was listed in the Hanover County Taxpayers, from St. Paul’s Parish as “Capt” John Boswell Johnson, between 1782 and 1815.[Ibid.]

  1. Nicholas Meriwether Johnson-iiii, died after 1803. He had a daughter named Mary Ann Johnson, [Ibid. pg. 6] Nicholas was listed in the taxpayer list from Hanover for the years 1782 to 1815.

  1. Elizabeth Johnson-iiii married Nicholas Syme. [Ibid., pg. 6.]




Children of Thomas Johnson, Minor-iiii, son of Richard Johnson, Gen’t-iii

Married Jane Chapman


  1. Dorothy Johnson-v, was born September 4, 1774, married Patrick Mitchie and had “numberous children.” “Dorothy is the daughter of Thomas Johnson, Minor, who was the exor and one of the devises of John Boswell. Signed Patrick Mitchie. April 21, 1806.”[Ibid. pg. 3][Chapman Family Bible]


  1. Richard Chapman Johnson-v, born October 26, 1772, was the executor of Thomas Johnson, Minor’s estate in 1795, and died intestate in December, 1802, without issue..Ibid.] A man named Richard Johnson is listed in St. Paul’s Parish list of Bartelot Anderson, containing a household with five whites and nine blacks. The next listing, alphabetically, is Thomas Johnson, with nine whites and nine blacks on the 1790 Census. [“First Census of the United States,” Hanover County, VA]

  1. Chapman Johnson-v stated in his Backhouse deposition that he was “age 16” when his father died in 1795. The Chapman Bible notations gives his date of birth as Monday, March 15, 1779. His wife, according to the Bible memo, was Mary Anne Nicholson, the niece of Major Carter Page. He was also mentioned in the will of his brother, John Boswell Johnson, in the Sumner County will in 1815. [Sumner County, TN, Will Book 1, pg. 212.]


  1. John Boswell Johnson-v, born September 14, 1771, [Chapman Bible] was still alive in 1799, per deposition of James Watson. A will found in Sumner County, Tennessee, dated February 12, 1815, is probably this man. The abstract reads: “Brother Chapman Johnson of Virginia to have Negroes in trust for sister Ann Parish. Wife Elizabeth and second son, Chapman, who was ten on October 21st, last. Three children, Thomas, Chapman, and Mariah. Executor, Chapman Johnson.” [Sumner County, TN, Will Book 1, pg. 212] He owned lands in Sumner County, Tennessee.

We don’t know who “sister Ann Parish” is. She might have been his wife’s sister or a step-sister, or possibly, she was a daughter of Thomas Johnson, Minor, about whom we have no other evidence. Since “sister Ann Parish” was never mentioned in the Backhouse lawsuits, it is a pretty safe bet that she was a “sister-in-law” or other “legal” sister rather than a blood relation. She was obviously still alive at the time John’s will was written.


  1. William Johnson-v gave a deposition in the Backhouse lawsuits in 1805 that he was age 14 at the time his father died in 1795. The Chapman Bible notation states his date of birth is September 26, 1782. In his Backhouse deposition, he stated that he had not received a share of his father’s personal estate, except a few dollars paid to Reverend Nelson for board and tuition for a quarter of a year. He said he also got a bed and a few dollars [$95] when he went to Tennessee and returned. The Bible notations state he died without issue.


  1. Thomas Meriwether Johnson-v, born February 16, 1777, moved to Kentucky and had a family. [Chapman Bible, pg. 726.]


  1. Jane Johnson-v


As previously noted, after the American Revolution, “British Mercantile Debts” were unpaid. After considerable debate about whether or not the Americans had to pay these long-overdue debts, the courts decided that they were valid and the Americans owed repayment.

The British firms tried to track down the debtors, or their descendants, and to collect these debts. The lawsuits and lists spawned by this debt-collection effort are very valuable to genealogists. In the particular case of the Hanover Johnson family, since the debt was so large, the heirs of the British firm of Backhouse spent a considerable amount of money collecting and the lawsuits and lists amounted to a genealogical gold mine on this family. Many of these lists are reprinted in the Virginia Genealogist, volumes 1-20, available on CD.

John Boswell, who married Anne Johnson-iii, the daughter of Thomas Johnson, Senior-ii, and Ann Meriwether Johnson, was a business partner of Colonel Richard Johnson-iii, Gentleman, the brother of his wife.

John Boswell and Anne had no children, and left the bulk of their estates to, among others, Boswell Thornton, the son of Anne’s sister, Dorothy Johnson-iii Thornton, and to Thomas Johnson-iiii, Minor, the son of Richard Johnson-iii, “Gentleman.”

The partnership had “stores” in New Castle and plantations all over the area on which they grew tobacco. A deposition filed in 1805 by Chapman Johnson stated, “John Boswell of Louisa died in 1788, possessed of a very large real and personal estate.” Charles Quarles deposed, “….he was a wealthy man.” [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, Backhouse Lawsuit.]

When Boswell died in 1788, just after the Revolution, the question of whether or not the “British Mercantile Debts” would ever be repaid was still unanswered. He had made provision in his will that certain lands would be set aside for the repayment of this debt if it should ever become payable.

John Boswell’s will was exhibited in Louisa County by Thomas Johnson-iiii, Minor, his executor. The bulk of his estate was left to Thomas Johnson-iiii, Minor, and Boswell Thornton, his wife’s nephews. At the end of his will, he mentioned they were his “neffues.”

John Boswell left slaves and lands to his only brother, Thomas Boswell, in addition to the legacy left to his wife’s nephews. “Major Thomas Boswell,” deceased, was mentioned in the deposition of Chapman Johnson [Glazebrook, Virginia Migrations, pg. 4] and children were named. It does not say that this man is the brother of John Boswell, but it is likely who is referred to.

By 1789, court records indicate that the slaves and lands from John Boswell’s estate had been divided among his heirs. When the estate of John Backhouse later sued the Boswell/Johnson heirs in the early 1800s, the lands and proceeds of the estate of John Boswell had passed through several hands, several estates, and been sold and resold; divided and re-divided. The amount of the debt was considerable, and the estate of John Backhouse deposed every heir of the deceased heirs of John Boswell who was still alive. John Boswell died in 1788, his executor/heir, Thomas Johnson-iiii, Minor, died in 1795, and the heir/executor of Thomas-iiii, his son, Richard-v, died in 1802, before the suit was filed.

These quite lengthy depositions are a genealogical gold mine for anyone even remotely connected to these Johnson, Chapman, and Boswell families. An entire series of books could be written on just the material contained in these very interesting documents.

We still don’t know what the connection, if any, between the wealthy Hanover County Johnsons, and our Louisa County Johnsons, of a more modest affluence. However, John Boswell’s standing security for the Temham estate and the other documents signed by members of the Hanover Johnson family, in connection with our Louisa JOHNSON family, underscore that there was some connection, however remote. Additional work should be done at some future time on the descendants of the first Richard Johnson. Perhaps this will answer the questions. This author thinks the most fruitful pursuit might be in tracing William Johnson, the son of the original Richard Johnson “of his majesties council.” This appears to be the only possible direct line between JAMES JOHNSON and the Hanover Johnsons.

While this research did not result in finding the father of our JAMES JOHNSON, it did eliminate some avenues by default, and was certainly an interesting family to research.