Johnson family.

This collection deals mainly with Thomas Johnson (1742-1819) and his son, David (1778-1865). Thomas Johnson was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, March 22, 1742. He moved to Haverhill, New Hampshire, in 1762 but then settled in Newbury, Vermont, where he built a house on the oxbow of the Connecticut River. Thomas had three wives. The first was Elizabeth Lowell, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, who was born June 30, 1741, and died September 19, 1772. Their children were John (1766-1847), Moses (1768-1840), Jessie (twin of Moses, died on day of birth), Betsey (1770-1844), and Lowell (1772-1772). He married his second wife, Abigail Merril, (May 24, 1750-December 2, 1774) on November, 26, 1772. She was the widow of a Mr. Pool. They had one child, Abigail (1773-1796). Thomas Johnson married his third wife, Abigail Carleton (March 30, 1750-March 23, 1833), on November 26, 1775. Their children were Hanes (1776-1783), David (1778-1865), Hannah (1781-1782), Hannah (1783-1783), Hannah (1785-1861), Hanes (1787-1878), Thomas (1790-1792), and Sally (1792-1859).

Thomas Johnson was an innkeeper, farmer, and merchant. He was captain in the militia in 1775. In 1776 he and Frye Bayley of Newbury, and others, helped lay out a hundred-mile military route to St. Johns, Quebec. Johnson was an aide to General Lincoln at Ticonderoga in 1777 and after the battle was made lieutenant colonel and placed in charge of removing the prisoners from that engagement. He was a wealthy and influential member of his community and some thought he might be able to convince his neighbors to throw in their lot with the British or at least remain neutral. Johnson was captured by British agents at Peacham, Vermont, February 18, 1781, and taken to Canada. He spent eight months in captivity, where he was treated with considerable deference, in part because some of his captors had been well treated by him after Ticonderoga. He was given his parole October 5, on the condition that he not bear arms against the British and that he return to Montreal if asked.

Johnson had to defend his reputation in Newbury for many years. The nature of his capture, his lenient treatment in captivity, the nature of his parole, and that his wealth had grown during the war caused suspicion. The fact that his wife, Abigail Carleton, was related to Sir Guy Carleton, Governor General of Canada, and the suspicion that he aided the British in an unsuccessful attempt to capture General Jacob Bayley in 1782 also caused distrust of Johnson. Some said he was a British agent, some said a double agent. After the war Johnson seems to have earned the trust of the people of Newbury. He served as Newbury's first postmaster, 1785-1800, and served as town representative to the Vermont General Assembly for eight years. His business interests and land acquisitions prospered. Thomas Johnson died January 4, 1819 in Newbury, Vermont.

The other Johnson prominently represented in this collection is David, son of Thomas. David was postmaster of Newbury 1800-1812, town clerk in 1837-1838 and 1840-1856, keeper of extensive meteorological records from the 1820s-1860s, and a successful farmer and merchant. He was also a collector of town records and historical documents, especially involving his father. His manuscript "Annals of Newbury, Vermont," and two volumes of documents that he collected are a treasury of family, town, and national history. David Johnson married first, Lucy Town (1785-1820), and second Eliza S. Smith (1796-1883). He had four children: Alexander G. (1813-1879), Harriet (1814-1865), Edward Carleton (1816-1878), and Nancy Cummings (1818-1892).

From the description of Johnson family of Newbury, Vermont papers, 1775-1886. (Vermont Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 83999731