My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in The History of Lawrence County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Merrill H. Johnson. The founders of the Johnson family, in America, were among the early settlers of Vermont, and were of Puritan stock. Aaron Johnson, the grandfather of Merrill H., was a sergeant in the Revolutionary War, and died while in the army. His son William was born in Connecticut, and married Polly Merrill, a daughter of Medad Merrill, and nine children were born to them: Annis, Cynthia, Sophronia, Emeline, William, Merrill, Oliver, Luman and George. Mr. Johnson was one of those enterprising settlers who went from Connecticut to Ohio, and settled on the Western Reserve. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a blacksmith by trade, and lived to be over eighty years of age. Merrill H. Johnson was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1827, and was reared on his father’s farm. He learned the blacksmith’s trade, and was married in his native State in 1848, to Lucina Smith, who died leaving one child, Ira. Mr. Johnson next married Phoebe Atwater, and their union resulted in the birth of five children: Lucina, Lucy, George, Guy and Merrill. This wife died, and he next married Celia L. Bull, a daughter of Ebeneezer and Wealthy (Wheeler) Bull, who were from New York State. Mr. Bull was a Pennsylvanian, and died in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have two children: Arthur and Edie. Mr. Johnson located, in 1859, on his present farm, in Lawrence County, Mo., which consists of 120 acres. He owns 360 acres in different tracts. He was a sergeant in the Missouri State Militia during the late war, and was in Marmaduke’s fight at Springfield, and also in several skirmishes. He is a stanch Republican in his political views, and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

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This family biography is one of 272 biographies included in The History of Lawrence County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Lawrence County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Lawrence County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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