William Johnson

William married Martha Jones and lived on a 500 acre tract on the north side of the South Anna, which he obtained from his mother in 1752, until 1757 when he sold it to his brother Thomas Johnson "Major". He was living in Caroline Co. in 1770 when his mother wrote her will.

BIRTH
William’s birth date is not known, though an orphan bond was established for him in 1734 indicates he was under 21. Some sources state he was born in 1720.

Marriage Confusion
There is confusion about who he married and how many times. Some genealogies state he married Elizabeth Hutchison in 1757, as shown by an entry in the Douglas Registers. However, Martha (Jones) Johnson was also alive in 1757, as she signed a deed allowing William to sell land to his brother, Thomas.

The Douglas Register documents three children born to a William Johnson and Elizabeth Hutchison, married 9 Oct 1757: 343

Thomas, born 9 Oct 1756, baptized 16 Jan 1757.
William, born 23 June 1758, baptized 13 Aug 1758.
Betty, born 7 May 1760, baptized 24 June 1760.

William (M1247) was married to Martha Jones in 1757, as proven by a deed she signed transferring land to William’s brother, Thomas. So it seems unlikely that Elizabeth Hutchison was married to William, the son of Thomas Johnson and Anne Meriwether.

^MARR: From GMB: "William married Martha Jones and lived on a 500 acre tract on the north side of the South Anna, which he obtained from his mother in 1752, until 1757 when he sold it to his brother Thomas Johnson "Major". He was living in Caroline Co. in 1770 when his mother wrote her will. He was the father of Thomas Johnson "Minor" and grandfather of Chapman Johnson, a noted Virginian.

Note 18: Apparently the Douglas Register shows (WUL p. 46) that a William Johnson married an Elizabeth Hutchison before 1756. Also, there is a 1787 Louisa bond (26V104) mentioning Elizabeth Johnson as a guardian for the orphans of William Johnson. The first of these clearly conflicts with the 1757 deed previously cited... It may be that William was married twice or that there were two William Johnsons. There is also mention of a 1753 deed (26V105) that places William’s residence in Caroline County, which appears to be in conflict with the two deeds cited (1752, LCD p. 75; 1757, LCD p. 116), involving William’s "Roundabout" property, both which contain the words "whereon sd. William Johnson now lives." William is a tough man to pin down." (GMB, MC 13.3 p. 6)

^MARR From LEC: "William Johnson... married Elizabeth Hutcheson and had Thomas, father of Chapman [Johnson], an eminent lawyer of Augusta Co. Virginia and Richmond, Virginia." (MC 13.4 p9)

^MARR From GMB: "As I mentioned in Note #18, William 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 17, 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 Disdale Parish, Caroline County, William’s brother. etc..." MC 14.1 p. 4

^MARR-CHILD: DR p. 228 has Thomas born 9 Oct 1756; William, b. 23 Jun 1758; and Betty, b. 7 May 1760. Since it is established by the deed that William, son of Thomas & Anne, was married to a Martha at this time, it is unlikely that these children are Meriwether descendants.

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Heath Meriwether claims Chapman Johnson, an eminent lawyer in the early nineteenth century, was one descendant of William and Martha. This does not appear to be correct. 194

Some genealogies confuse this William with Rev. William Woodey Johnson (1735–1814) LVDG-XFW. FAG #45853934

The marriage of William and Mary is based on research by Maury Kendall and needs citations. 239