Bill’s Family - Person Sheet
Bill’s Family - Person Sheet
NameWilliam Johnson 
214, 6G Uncle, J525, 3243, M
214, 6G Uncle, J525, 3243, MBirthbef 1725
FlagsLived in US
FatherThomas Johnson , 1459, M (1690-1734)
MotherAnn Meriwether , 1460, F (1694-~1785)
Misc. Notes
William Johnson’s wife.
As I mentioned in note #18, William Johnson is a tough man to pin down—there may be more than one. However, the one that lived in the Roundabout area was married (in 1757, at least) to a Martha, for a Louisa County deed dated Jan. 27, 1757 has the words “. . . William Johnson and Martha, his wife . . .” and it is signed by Martha Johnson. This deed transfers the place where William and his wife lived to Thomas Johnson of Drisdale Parish, Caroline County, William’s brother. William was living there when he obtained title to the property from his mother, Anne Cosby (and also from John Cosby and Nicholas Johnson) on June 23, 1752. (The first record that I find of William in Louisa County is a Fredericksville Parish processioning order of July 29, 1747. He was selected as a vestryman on June 27, 1753 and as Church Warden on November 24, 1756.) 21W(1)45 says that William, son of Thomas Johnson and Ann Meriwether, married Martha Jones, daughter of Lane Johnson and probably had a daughter, Jane Johnson, who married John Wiley of Louisa. Further Jane Johnson and John Wiley had daughters, Ann Meriwether Wiley and Martha Jones Wiley. These names, of course, would be the names of the great-grandmother and the grandmother. That this is the case can be seen from Ann (or Anne) Cosby’s will (Louisa County Will Book 3, p.82, dated February 2, 1780, recorded May 9, 1785) which mentions granddaughter Jane Wiley and Jane Wiley’s daughters, Ann Meriwether Wiley and Martha Jones Wiley. Ann’s sons, Thomas and William are given as executors. Wulfeck, p.43, states that Martha Jones was born May 20, 1728, that her mother was Anne Barber (Barbour), and that she and William Johnson were married ca. 1750, citing 13T265 as the source. Wulfeck, p.42 also gives the marriage of Thomas Johnson “Minor,” son of Burgess William and Martha ____ with “History of Louisa County”(LCH), p.385 - 386 as the reference. “Old Home Places of Louisa County” (OHP), p.177 has William and Martha Johnson as parents of Thomas Johnson “Minor” and grandparents of Chapman Johnson. I think that the above shows that it is almost certain that William, son of Thomas Johnson and Anne Meriwether, was married to Martha Jones although the original sources should be checked out. What about Elizabeth Hutcheson? As I also indicated in my Note 18, Wulfeck, p.46 shows a William Johnson married to Elizabeth Hutchison based on a birth of a son in 1756, as shown in the Douglas Register. The Louisa orphan bond (1787) cited also mentions an Elizabeth Johnson as guardian for daughters, Elizabeth and Ann, orphans of William Johnson. One possibility is that this is a different William Johnson. However, there is only one William (of the proper age) shown in the “family tree” that I received from Joe Oglesby. There is a will in Goochland County (adjacent to Louisa) for a Matthew Hutchason dated Mar 13, 1749 and probated June 19, 1750 (D.B. 6, p.75- 6). It reads: “To son, Matthew Hutchason, 300 acres land in Henrico Co. To sons, William and David, all land on Broad Branch in Goochland Co. after decease of their mother. To wife, Ellinner Hutchason, balance of estate and at her decease to my five children: Matthew, William, David Elizabeth and Hannah. If my wife should die before the youngest child comes of age, then my son-in-law William Johnson, to care for children until they come of age. Ex: Wife, Ellinner Hutchason and Wm. Johnson. Wit: . . ..” Could the Elizabeth and William here be the ones we are looking for? Maybe but this doesn’t definitely say that Elizabeth was the wife of William. If these are the right people then their first child would have been born six years after the probate of this will. Further, there are two Louisa County deeds (Deed Book “B,” p.131 - 133) dated February 22, 1757 whereby a David Johnson and wife Mary of St. Martin Parish, Louisa County, sell 186 acres each to William Johnson and James Johnson of the same parish and county. Neither David nor James are shown in the “family tree.” (“Sheriff” had a son named David who married Mary Tinsley but this David was born in 1778.) 25V424 shows a William Johnson, brother to Thomas Johnson (husband of Anne Meriwether) and his (“probable”) son, David and 26V104 has more speculations on the descendants of this William Johnson. That there was an older William Johnson in the Louisa area is shown by an Order of the Council dated November 2, 1726 granting William Johnson and others 12,000 acres on the west side of the little mountains. A grant of 6690 acres in (today’s) North Central Louisa County to Thomas Jones of the City of Williamsburg on October 9, 1732 included “400 acres formally granted to William Johnson.” 26V424 mentions two 1746 Louisa County court cases involving the estate of William Johnson. and there is more. Perhaps the William that married Elizabeth Hutcheson belongs to this family.
Guy Meriwether Benson
Raleigh, NC
Meriwether Connections
Vol XIV, No. 1 Jan-Mar 1995214
As I mentioned in note #18, William Johnson is a tough man to pin down—there may be more than one. However, the one that lived in the Roundabout area was married (in 1757, at least) to a Martha, for a Louisa County deed dated Jan. 27, 1757 has the words “. . . William Johnson and Martha, his wife . . .” and it is signed by Martha Johnson. This deed transfers the place where William and his wife lived to Thomas Johnson of Drisdale Parish, Caroline County, William’s brother. William was living there when he obtained title to the property from his mother, Anne Cosby (and also from John Cosby and Nicholas Johnson) on June 23, 1752. (The first record that I find of William in Louisa County is a Fredericksville Parish processioning order of July 29, 1747. He was selected as a vestryman on June 27, 1753 and as Church Warden on November 24, 1756.) 21W(1)45 says that William, son of Thomas Johnson and Ann Meriwether, married Martha Jones, daughter of Lane Johnson and probably had a daughter, Jane Johnson, who married John Wiley of Louisa. Further Jane Johnson and John Wiley had daughters, Ann Meriwether Wiley and Martha Jones Wiley. These names, of course, would be the names of the great-grandmother and the grandmother. That this is the case can be seen from Ann (or Anne) Cosby’s will (Louisa County Will Book 3, p.82, dated February 2, 1780, recorded May 9, 1785) which mentions granddaughter Jane Wiley and Jane Wiley’s daughters, Ann Meriwether Wiley and Martha Jones Wiley. Ann’s sons, Thomas and William are given as executors. Wulfeck, p.43, states that Martha Jones was born May 20, 1728, that her mother was Anne Barber (Barbour), and that she and William Johnson were married ca. 1750, citing 13T265 as the source. Wulfeck, p.42 also gives the marriage of Thomas Johnson “Minor,” son of Burgess William and Martha ____ with “History of Louisa County”(LCH), p.385 - 386 as the reference. “Old Home Places of Louisa County” (OHP), p.177 has William and Martha Johnson as parents of Thomas Johnson “Minor” and grandparents of Chapman Johnson. I think that the above shows that it is almost certain that William, son of Thomas Johnson and Anne Meriwether, was married to Martha Jones although the original sources should be checked out. What about Elizabeth Hutcheson? As I also indicated in my Note 18, Wulfeck, p.46 shows a William Johnson married to Elizabeth Hutchison based on a birth of a son in 1756, as shown in the Douglas Register. The Louisa orphan bond (1787) cited also mentions an Elizabeth Johnson as guardian for daughters, Elizabeth and Ann, orphans of William Johnson. One possibility is that this is a different William Johnson. However, there is only one William (of the proper age) shown in the “family tree” that I received from Joe Oglesby. There is a will in Goochland County (adjacent to Louisa) for a Matthew Hutchason dated Mar 13, 1749 and probated June 19, 1750 (D.B. 6, p.75- 6). It reads: “To son, Matthew Hutchason, 300 acres land in Henrico Co. To sons, William and David, all land on Broad Branch in Goochland Co. after decease of their mother. To wife, Ellinner Hutchason, balance of estate and at her decease to my five children: Matthew, William, David Elizabeth and Hannah. If my wife should die before the youngest child comes of age, then my son-in-law William Johnson, to care for children until they come of age. Ex: Wife, Ellinner Hutchason and Wm. Johnson. Wit: . . ..” Could the Elizabeth and William here be the ones we are looking for? Maybe but this doesn’t definitely say that Elizabeth was the wife of William. If these are the right people then their first child would have been born six years after the probate of this will. Further, there are two Louisa County deeds (Deed Book “B,” p.131 - 133) dated February 22, 1757 whereby a David Johnson and wife Mary of St. Martin Parish, Louisa County, sell 186 acres each to William Johnson and James Johnson of the same parish and county. Neither David nor James are shown in the “family tree.” (“Sheriff” had a son named David who married Mary Tinsley but this David was born in 1778.) 25V424 shows a William Johnson, brother to Thomas Johnson (husband of Anne Meriwether) and his (“probable”) son, David and 26V104 has more speculations on the descendants of this William Johnson. That there was an older William Johnson in the Louisa area is shown by an Order of the Council dated November 2, 1726 granting William Johnson and others 12,000 acres on the west side of the little mountains. A grant of 6690 acres in (today’s) North Central Louisa County to Thomas Jones of the City of Williamsburg on October 9, 1732 included “400 acres formally granted to William Johnson.” 26V424 mentions two 1746 Louisa County court cases involving the estate of William Johnson. and there is more. Perhaps the William that married Elizabeth Hutcheson belongs to this family.
Guy Meriwether Benson
Raleigh, NC
Meriwether Connections
Vol XIV, No. 1 Jan-Mar 1995214