My Genealogy Hound

W. M. Johnson is a Mississippian, born October 5, 1835, a son of J. W. Johnson, who was also born in that State, but inherits Irish blood of his father and mother, who were born in the Emerald Isle, but the former was of Scotch-Irish descent. The maternal grandfather was of Dutch descent, and was a participant in the Revolutionary War. J. W. Johnson was a farmer by occupation, and died in November, 1876. W. M. Johnson’s advantages for acquiring an education were very poor, but in 1859 he started out in life for himself as a farmer, about two miles from where his father had purchased land at an early day, at the time of his settlement there being only about six families in the entire settlement. Panthers, wolves, deer and other wild game abounded, and the streams were filled with fish, ready and willing to snap at the hook of the angler. Mr. Johnson settled on his present farm in 1869, it comprising 160 acres, and he has about forty acres in cultivation, on which he raises cotton and corn, the yield of each being fair. In March, 1862, he put aside his farming implements to join the Confederate army, becoming a member of the First Arkansas Battalion, and was on hospital duty during his service, but was discharged in June, 1863, returned home and resumed farming, managing his own and neighboring farms and supplying the army with corn and hogs and beef cattle. He was married March 26, 1863, to Mrs. Rebecca J. Sullivant, the widow of J. M. Sullivant. To them five children were born: Susan Emily (who died on August 30, 1867, at the age of three years), Edward T. (born February 18, 1868), Kernelier (who died in infancy), Amanda L. Johnson (born March 6, 1866, now the wife of J. R. Rodgers, of Ashley County), and John H. (born February 26, 1871). Mr. Johnson and his wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a Democrat, politically. A short history of Mr. Johnson’s father’s career will here be of considerable interest, and it speaks for itself. The latter was left an orphan in early boyhood, but being of a very enterprising and energetic disposition he succeeded in accumulating a handsome fortune, which was subsequently swept away by security debts which he was compelled to pay. During this time he was a resident of Yalobusha County, Miss., and the men for whom he went security were Magic & Skipper, wealthy men of Western Texas at the present time, who were then cotton and general merchants of Grenada, Miss. They saw a chance to take advantage of Mr. Johnson for a debt of $41,000, did so, and the magnificent estate which the latter owned, together with eighteen slaves and other valuable property went to satisfy the creditors of the notorious firm of Magic & Skipper. Mr. Johnson then took up a timber claim, and he and his family lived in a rude board structure throughout one winter, then sold out and moved to Warren County, near Vicksburg, Miss., where they made their home for seven years. Their family consisted of six children, the eldest son being now the postmaster at Ain, Grant County, Ark.; the third son was killed at Cane Hill, Ark., during the late war; the fourth died at Hernando, Miss., of measles, and of the second, who is the subject of this sketch, we have a short history. His eldest sister is now the widow of Thomas Chambers, of Drew County, and the second is the wife of J. J. Bain. Until he was nine years of age, W. M. Johnson was a stout, healthy lad, but about this time he became afflicted with dropsy, for which he obtained no cure for nine years, and to make matters worse he was stricken with paralysis during this time, and for a long time had no use of his right side. His cure was finally affected by his father and mother, who tried the water-cure, and also gave white mustard seed, and Dr. John Bull’s Sarsaparilla. After a time he was sent with his eldest brother on horseback to Arkansas, where his health returned to him, and he remained until twenty-seven years of age. He then joined the Confederate army, but was soon after taken with typhoid fever, which kept him in the hospital for six weeks; then nervous fever. After passing through a siege of the yellow jaundice and the mumps he became so reduced in health that on July 15, 1862, he started for home, which place he reached July 23. The most of the time since he has been in the enjoyment of fair health, with one exception, and his career as a farmer has been given above.