As an avid Johnson researcher I have seen my share of misleading information as to just who the parents of Thomas Johnson were. I have seen the Hurds and Samuels and while I don't discount these stories completely have not been convinced by anyone that these gentlemen even existed. So, to muddy the waters even further I will throw in another theory or two, but this one is backed up with facts instead of hearsay. With that in mind here we go.
Thomas Johnson Sr. died in 1828, according to family tradition, in Pike Co. Ky. on the Long Fork of Shelby Creek. When did Thomas arrive in Pike Co. and where did he come from? Who was his wife and children? I don't have all the answers to these questions but I can fill in some of the blanks and it is my hope that maybe those of you that read these pages can help me fill in the missing pieces.
Pike Co. Ky. was formed in 1819 from Floyd Co. Ky. and we do indeed find Thomas Johnson on the tax records from that year until his death in 1828. The early Floyd Co. tax records are not extant but there are several deeds involving Thomas and his sons, Thomas and Robert Johnson, selling land on Puckett's and Browney's Creek in Knox Co. Ky. (now Bell). A check of the early Knox Co. tax records has our Johnsons first appearing in the year 1808 and continuing through the year 1815 with Robert staying an extra year and he disappears from the Knox Co. tax list in 1816. Members of the Johnson Clan who lived in early Knox. Co. and relocated to Floyd Co. (now Pike) on the Long Fork of Shelby Creek were; Thomas T. & Sarah Johnson Sr., Thomas T. & Mary Johnson Jr., Robert R. & Rachel Helton Johnson, William & Sarah Tackett Johnson, Sarah Johnson who married Thomas Stapleton, and Amy Johnson who married Elder William Tackitt.
Legend has it that these Johnsons were in Tennessee before they moved into Ky. and there are deeds in Hawkins Co. Tenn. (bk 4 p 139) which have Thomas Johnson Jr. selling land on the Clinch River in Puncheon Camp Valley to William Tackett. Thomas bought this land in 1799 (bk 2 p 485). Even earlier than this they lived in Sullivan Co. Tenn. as Thomas Johnston bought land on Walker's Fork of Horse Creek (#710 - grant no. 655 entry no. 817). It should be noted that Thomas was a JOHNSTON on this deed only. He is listed as a Johnson on all other deeds I have seen.
I'd like to add that even though a Thomas Johnson was on the Sullivan Co. TN. tax list in 1796 & 97, a Thomas Sr and Thomas Jr. were found on the 1796 Russell Co. Va. tax list. I am still looking for proof of Thomas Johnson Sr. living in Russell Co. Virginia. One bit of evidence linking the Johnsons and Russell Co. Va. comes from the deposition of Thomas Johnsons son-in-law Thomas Stapleton who married Sarah Johnson. He states that he was a citizen of Russell Co. Va. when he entered into the revolutionary services against the Indians in about 1781 or 1782. He also states that he was a resident of Rowan Co. N.C. when he first entered into the Revolutionary War in 1780.
When I examined the Knox Co. Ky. tax list and found Thomas Johnson Sr. on it in 1808 I was pleased to have found the leap year or year they leaped across the gap into Kentucky. I am always looking for clues here and there and there was a clue on the 1808 tax list. The information on Thomas Johnson was pretty basic except under the column “In whose name entered” it contained the name, I. Salyer. My wife had a Salyer line and that name rang a bell so I went to the library and found a book by Elisabeth Salyer called THE SALYER FAMILY. This is just a great book and it must have taken years to put together. There was a whole chapter on Isaiah Salyer and his life in Rowan Co. N.C. (later Burke) and 20 years as a resident in Russell Co. Va. as well as a few years he lived in Knox (now Bell) Co. Kentucky.
Now Isaiah Salyer was in Washington (now Russell Co.) Va. as early as 1782 and lived in what is known as the Castlewood section. Tax list for Washington Co. Va. for the years 1783, 1785 & 1786 show Isaiah Salyer and also living alongside Isaiah is one Edward Stapleton. It is believed that this Edward is a brother to Thomas Stapleton b. 1724-29 and d. 1809 in Russell Co Va. and he must have known Isaiah Salyers very well for when a Petition to form a new county (Russell) off from Washington was passed around for residents to sign, Edward Stapleton and Isaiah Stils (his alias for Salyer) signature’s are adjacent. Isaiah went by the name of Stils for a number of years until we gained our freedom from the British. It must have been a serious matter.
One item to note about the above Edward Stapleton; he was a resident of District 96 in South Carolina and served with the Loyalist just before he resettled in Virginia. He belonged to Captain William Payne’s (sound familiar - look at names of Thomas Johnson’s children) Company and served under Major Ferguson from 14 June through 7 October 1780 (the day of the Battle of King’s Mountain and the death of Ferguson). It appears that Edward Stapleton moved to Washington Co (now Russell) Va and was followed by his brother Thomas Stapleton Sr. along with several others of the Stapleton Clan including our Thomas & Sarah Johnson Stapleton.
Around 1787 Isaiah Stills (Salyer) moved from the Castlewoods section of the new County of Russell and relocated on Copper Creek. The tax list for Russell Co. for 1787 show Isaiah Stills and a Thomas Stapleton Sr. & Thomas Stapleton Jr. living closeby on Copper Creek. A check of all the Russell Co. tax list (Lower District only) through 1802 show at least one Thomas Stapleton present each year from 1787. And from the Russell County, Va. Deed Book 2, 1795 - 1798 we find a Thomas Stapleton & wife Sarah selling land on Copper Creek to Robert Duff in 1798. It should be noted that a Robert Duff & Thomas Johnson are witnesses and give an oath to a deed in Russell Co., 31 July, 1799.
26 June, 1798: Indenture between Thomas Stapleton & Sarah Stapleton, his wife,
and Robert Duff (all of Russell County) 101:10 lbs - 260 acres by survey bearing
date 3 March, 1792 - on both sides of Copper Creek
Sig: Thomas (his I mark) Stapleton, Sarah (her X mark) Stapleton
Wit: (none)
Acknowledged/Recorded 26 June, 1798
Sarah, his wife being privily examined
26 June, 1798: Indenture between Thomas Stapleton & Sarah Stapleton, his wife, and Robert Duff (all of Russell County) 100 lbs - 40 acres by survey bearing date 9 Nov. 1794 - on waters of Copper Creek and Bounded: - line of said Stapleton and with his line, passing his corner, which said land was granted to the said Stapleton by patent bearing date 23 Sept. 1796 and the Commonwealth 20 -
Sig: Thomas (his I mark) Stapleton, Sarah (her X mark) Stapleton
Wit: (none)
Acknowledged/Recorded 26 June, 1798
Sarah, his wife being privily examined
31 July, 1799: Indenture between Nathan Watson & Mary, his wife of Hawkins County
and State of Tennessee, of the one part and Charles Bickley and John Damron of
Russell County, other part, 130 lbs, land in Russell County formerly Washington
County on north side of Clinch River and Bounded: - above a large fall.
Sig: Nathan Watson, Mary Watson
Wit: Henry Dickenson, Robert Duff, Thomas Johnson
Acknowledgement/Recorded: August Court 1799 on Oaths of Robert Duff and Thomas Johnson.
Ackowledgement/Recorded: 28 Jan. 1801 and proven on Oath of Henry Dickenson.
Around 1800 Isaiah Salyer sold his land in Russell Co. Va. and moved to Knox Co. Ky. on the Cumberland River. He lived there until 1807 when he is listed as delinquent on his taxes for Knox Co. and has probably moved back to Russell Co. Va. because he shows up once again in 1808 on the Russell Co. tax list.
A check of the Russell Co tax list show 2 Thomas Johnsons from the Lower District where the Salyers & Stapletons resided in 1792 but none in 1793, 1794 or 1795. In 1796 a Thomas Johnson Sr. & Thomas Johnson Jr. appear. Again none in 1797 and only 1 in 1798, 1799 & 1800. From the Deed Books of early Russell Co. there are several Thomas Johnsons mentioned and some have property listed on Copper Creek but this in itself is not proof enough to establish our Johnsons in Russell Co. Va. at any time. Although we do see that at least one of Thomas & Sarah Johnson Sr. children, Sarah, that did reside in Russell Co. with her husband Thomas Stapleton.
Finally, back to the 1808 Knox Co. Ky. tax list where our Thomas Johnson first appears and in the column “under whose name entered” is I. Salyer. This man’s name in this column is enough evidence to make one consider the possibility that our Thomas Johnson did at least for a short time reside in Russell Co. Va. or at the least have some kind of serious communication with his son-in-law and daughter. How else would Thomas Johnson have wound up on the same land that his daughters next door neighbor owned for 8 years in another state??? There just had to be some kind of previous knowledge of this land in Knox Co. Ky. (which is located near Puckett’s & Browney’s Creek by present day Hulen, Ky) for Thomas Johnson to relocate their with his clan. We do know that our Johnson were travelers and owned land in Sullivan & Hawkins Co. Tenn. but maybe we ought to add Russell Co. Va. to that list.
The Revolutionary War Pension file of Thomas Stapleton is perhaps the most useful tool that we Johnson researchers have in locating Thomas & Sarah Johnson during this period of time. But, it does not tell all. Of the 3 children of Thomas Johnson who gave depositions in Thomas Stapleton's pension application, not one mentioned that their father fought in the Rev War as I have seen reported by others. I found this to be rather odd since this should have been something to boast about and to make their statements more believable. But there was a reason, which I will disclose later on in this report.
The depositions given by Thomas Stapleton and later by his spouse Sarah (Johnson) Stapleton and many others who later tried to help Sarah get her pension are of some help in locating the Johnson's whereabouts. Sarah gave us several clues to ponder over. When ask about her marriage to Thomas Stapleton she states that "This deponent further states that her maiden name was Johnson and that she was married to the said Thos Stapleton in the month of October in the year seventeen hundred and eighty three (1783) at the residence of Thos Stapleton at the forks of the Big & Little Yadkin River, Roan County, in the state of North Carolina by a Justice of the Peace, whose name she does not recollect, and that from the time of said marriage to the period of the death of the said Thomas Stapleton, she lived with him in lawful wedlock and had 2 children born as the fruits of said marriage before 1794 whose names are as follows viz: Edward Stapleton and William Stapleton"
Joshua Stapleton, the brother of Thomas Stapleton gives this deposition for Sarah as follows; "The said Thomas Stapleton and the said Sally Johnson was married in the County of Rowan, North Carolina near the Big Adkin River in what was called the horse shew not far from what was called the shallow ford in the fall of the year 1783 one thousand and seven hundred and eighty three to the best of his recollection. He knows that they were married previous to the year 1785".
Other depositions given by Thomas & Robert Johnson, who must be her brothers, give us another hint as to their location. Both state in their depositions; "That the said marriage was in the month of October, in the year seventeen hundred and eighty three (1783) and took place in Roan County in the State of North Carolina, and that said marriage was at the time the common talk of the neighbors and that no person appeared to doubt said marriage. That the said Thomas and Sarah Stapleton were reputable people and lived together as man and wife and were reported as such and that they lived the first five or six years after their said marriage on a farm belonging to this deponents father in the aforesaid county of Roan & state of North Carolina"
The Vital Records of the known children of Thomas & Sarah Johnson also contain items of interest; First for Sarah Stapleton who died in Owsley Co Ky in 1854, the information given about her states that she was born on the Adkin (sic) River, N.C. Her sister Amy, who married Elder William Tackitt, is listed along with her husband on the 1850 Pike Co Ky census and both are shown to be born in N.C. Their brother Thomas Johnson gives Va as the state of his birth on the 1860 Breathitt Co Ky census (this has always puzzled me). And finally for Robert Johnson who died in 1858 in Laurel Co Ky. His state of birth was given as S.C., which at first I assumed to be wrong but after carefully examining other clues it appears that Robert was indeed born in S.C. Again, this will be discussed later.
After taking into account all of the above evidence it does appear that Thomas & Sarah Johnson did live in Rowan Co N.C. for a period of time. How do we determine what time span they lived there? If we take Sarah Johnson Stapleton's info from the vitals as correct and that she was born in N.C. then 1765 would be a year that would first come to mind as a birth year for her, give or take a few years. We can also make a good guess as to when they left Rowan Co N.C. by following the migration of the Stapleton Clan. It does appear that Thomas & Sarah Johnson followed close on the heels of Thomas Stapleton Sr, Edward Stapleton and Thomas Stapleton Jr. when they relocated to Washington Co (later Russell Co) Va. Edward was the first to arrive in Washington Co in 1783 and by 1787 Thomas Stapleton Jr. & Sr. are living in the newly formed county of Russell. So, from these few clues I would have to theorize that Thomas & Sarah Johnson were out of Rowan Co N.C. and in Russell Co Va well before 1790 and that leaves us with a span of less than 25 years in which the Johnson clan lived in N.C. (1765 - 1790) In conclusion I would like to add that I have not found any hard evidence in the records of North Carolina of our Thomas & Sarah Johnson. I did however make a rather serendipitous find just recently that puts the couple in another state.
I stated before that Robert Johnson's info from the vital statistics concerning his death in Laurel Co. Ky in 1858 gave S.C. as the place of his birth. Could this be true? Let's take a look at some of the evidence we have concerning this matter.
As we already have proven there was a strong tie with the Stapleton Family. Edward Stapleton was in District 96 of S.C. fighting with the Loyalist. This we have discussed previously. We also noted that Edward Stapleton belonged to Captain William Payne's Company and served under Major Ferguson. Could our Thomas Johnson also be a Loyalist? Again we must look at the clues we have.
1. Thomas & Sarah Johnson did name their first son born after the Rev War, WILLIAM PAYNE Johnson. Was this in honor of his former commander?
2. When William Payne Johnson began having children he named his first born son PAYNE Johnson.
3. Robert Johnson was born about the year 1779 and this would be exactly the time frame in which the family would have been in District 96 of S.C.
4. There is no record of Thomas Johnson fighting in the Rev War but there are stories of him being a soldier in the war. But which side did he fight for?
This was enough to convince me that our Johnson Family lived in District 96 for a time during the Rev War. It was then that I contacted Elisabeth Salyer, author of the SALYER FAMILY and ask if she could obtain a copy of the list of men who fought under Captain William Payne. Elisabeth did not let me down and a list soon arrived. The list was copied from the book LOYALIST IN THE SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR by Murtie June Clark. On page 256 was listed the names of those who served under Captain William Payne. There were two lists. The first contained 11 soldiers of which Edward Stapleton was one. The second list contained 7 men and among the 7 was one THOMAS JOHNSON, exact spelling.
I believe that the coincidences are to great for this to be someone other than our Thomas Johnson. I also believe that since he was a Loyalist this might explain why there are no records for him in Rowan Co, North Carolina. I personally feel that Thomas & Sarah just wanted to get on with their lives and so where else to get a fresh start but in the wilderness regions of the Appalachians. I imagine that being a Loyalist was a heavy burden for the family so it left them with no choice but to relocate. As a matter of fact most Loyalist made a much longer move and resettled in Canada.
So, how long did Thomas & Sarah reside in District 96? Going on nothing more than a gut feeling I would have to guess that it was a very short time. Possibly no more than a couple of years or so. My best guess is 1778 to 1780.
In concluding this short history of the travels of Thomas & Sarah Johnson I would like to ask that anyone wanting to add to or correct the contents of the material within to please contact me. I'd be glad to hear from you. Thanks for listening.
Jimmie Jackson Sr
24 March, 1999