Johnstons From Peterborough

John Johnston, son of William and Catherine (Reynolds) Johnston was my great-grandmother's (Anna Cameron) first husband.  He and Anna were married in Roscommon County, Michigan, but moved to Arenac County where John Johnston died.

Death Record, Arenac Co., MI, Book 2 - Rec. #622 - d. May 16, 1896, John H. Johnston, m/w/married, age 46y 27d; Place of Death:  Deep River Twp.; Inflammation of the Lungs; b. Canada; farming; Parents:  William and Catherine Johnston, both of Canada.  Date of Record: 21 May 1897.

My great-aunt, Blanche (Johnston) Stout (1895 - 1990), was the youngest child of John and Anna (Cameron) Johnston.

Source

Many of the Johnston siblings moved to Michigan and settled in the rural Roscommon County, Michigan.  Their vital records provided pieces of the puzzle determining where the Johnston children were born [Smith Township, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) and their mother's (Catherine's) maiden name [Reynolds].  Probably all of the Johnston children were born in Peterborough county, but not necessarily in Smith Township.

Additional (and corroborating) information was found perusing the Roscommon newspapers.  For example:

ROSCOMMON NEWS (MI)

8 December 1893

John Johnston, of Sterling [Arenac County], was in the village [of Roscommon] during the week and while here purchased a fine mare from his brother Alex.

An historical publication also helped:

The father [William Johnston] of our subject [also William Johnston Clerk of Roscommon County]...was born near Peterborough, Canada, in 1841, being a son of William Johnston, a native of Ireland, who in early life emigrated to Canada, and, settling on a farm near Peterborough, continued to make his home there until his death.

Census Year: 1851

Surname: Johnson

Province: Canada West (Ontario)

District Name: Peterborough (county)

Sub-District Name: Otonabee

Source [1851 Canadian Census]

William Johnson, Farmer, b. Ireland, 35 years old

Mrs. Johnson, b. Ireland, 34 years old

Martha Johnson, b. Canada, 15 years old

William Johnson, b. Canada, 13 years old

Ann Johnson, b. Canada, 11 years old

Samuel Johnson, b. Canada, 9 years old

James Johnson, b. Canada, 7 years old

Margaret Johnson, b. Canada, 5 years old

Alex Johnson, b. Canada, 3 years old

John Johnson, b. Canada, 1 year old

Source [1861 Canadian Census]

1861 Census

Township of Smith, Peterborough, Ontario [Canada West]

William Johnson, farmer, b. Ireland, E. Church, 50 years old
Catherine Johnston, b. Ireland, E. Church, 45 years old
William Johnston, Laborer, b. W. Canada, E. Church, 23 years old
James Johnston, Laborer " ", 16 years old
Margaret Johnston, 14 years old
Alex Johnston, 12 years old
John Johnston, b. W. Canada, 10 years old
Elizabeth Johnston, 8 years old
Sarah Johnston, 3 years old
Harriet Johnston, 1 years old

1861 Census (Agricultural)

Township of Smith

Peterborough

Ontario [Canada West]

#26: William Johnson

Concession or Range: 4

Lot or Part of Lot: 3

200 acres

Catherine (Reynolds) Johnston died 4 Feb 1869, in Harvey Township, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.  Her husband, William Johnston, died 12 February 1873.  They are both buried in Lakefield Cemetery (see map).

A Davison Native In Dixon, Illinois - Ronald Reagan's Boyhood Home

We visited Ronald Reagan's boyhood home is in Dixon, Illinois.  After our visit I stumbled across an item indicating that someone from my home town (Davison) had been living in Dixon in 1916.

Flint Journal

1916-12-5

Davison Notes:  L. G. Adams, Jr., of Dixon, Illinois, spent the week end with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Adams of this place.

L. G. [Leonard] Adams, Jr. married Ada Maud Pettis.  Ada's brother Herbert married Mary Elizabeth Carpenter.  My great-aunt, Ellen Johnston, married Mary Elizabeth's brother, Loran Dell Carpenter.

The Websters of Shrewsbury

From the 1951 Shrewsbury, MA, Directory:

Webster, Duane E. (Jean T.) Navigator TWA

h 259 Gulf

The family also included a son and a daughter.

Oh Canada - Paying Homage To My Canadian Relatives (Part Five)

My great-grandparents, Donald & Anna (Cameron) Cameron:

[Photo can also be seen at my blog, Cameron Collections, here]

Donald Cameron, the son of Richard & Nancy Cameron, was born 24 January 1850 in Cumberland, Ontario, Canada. He died 30 April 1932, in Flint, Michigan.

Anna (Cameron) Johnston Cameron, the daughter of Duncan & Ellen Cameron, was born 21 February 1867, in either Canada or Michigan. The family frequently crossed the St. Clair River between Michigan and Ontario; Anna's birthplace could have been on either side of the river.

Anna's first husband was John Johnston (b. Canada), whom she married in Roscommon Co., Michigan, on 4 December 1883 when she was 16. He died on 16 May 1896, in Arenac Co., MI. Anna & John Johnston had 4 children; Ellen, Archie, Isabelle and Blanche.

Donald & Anna were married 9 June 1897; it was Donald's first marriage at age 47. They had 4 children who lived to adulthood; Marian, Beatrice, Flora and Donald. Beatrice was my grandmother.

Archie Johnston, A Naturalized Canadian

An entry at The Olive Tree Genealogy Blog noted that a database, "Canadian Naturalization 1915-1932," was now online. As I noted in "comments" at The Olive Tree, I found my great-uncle, Archie Johnston and his son, Edward (and also Grace, Archie's wife and Edward's mother) who were living in Greencourt, Alberta, Canada.

Archie, the son of John & Anna (Cameron) Johnston, was my grandmother's (Beatrice Cameron Powers') half-brother. He was born in Sterling, Arenac County, Michigan. Archie Johnston and Grace Gertrude Price were married in Flint, Genesee County, Michigan; the witnesses were Archie's sister, Blanche, and his brother-in-law, Warren Stout.

Carpenter Family of Atlas Twp., Genesee Co., MI

In 1850, Revolutionary War veteran George Carpenter was 88 years old and living in Atlas Twp., Genesee County, Michigan, with his son William, per the census:

1850 MI Census, Genesee, Atlas Twp.
William Carpenter, 45, b. NY
Roena, 43, b. VT
Jacob, 16, b. NY
Mary E., 12, b. MI
Julia, 10, b. MI
William, 6, b. MI
Amos, 4, b. MI
Parmelia, 10/12, b. MI
George Carpenter, 88, b. NY

Miriam, at AnceStories, who compiles Atlas Township data, provided an entry for George Carpenter at FindAGrave, who was buried in the Goodrich Cemetery.

The Carpenter family was profiled in the "History of Genesee County, Michigan, found here.

Jacob Denton Carpenter, the eldest child of William Carpenter & Loraina (Pierce) Carpenter, married Mary E. Hosler. Jacob was a soldier in the Civil War, Company B., First Engineers & Mechanics. They're buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Genesee Co., Michigan.

An earlier blog featured William James Carpenter (son of William & Loraina Carpenter) and his wife, Catherine (Kate) Colwell and can be found here.

The youngest child of Jacob Denton & Mary (Hosler) Carpenter, Loran Dell Carpenter, married my grandmother's half-sister, Ellen Johnston. Their daughter Lorraine, married Hugh Clement, who was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, son of James & Mary (Coulson) Clement, in September 1925. The Hugh Clement family moved to California some time after they were enumerated in the 1930 census.

1930 MI Census Genesee Co., Flint
Clement, Hugh M., 25, married age 21, Can Can Can
" , Lorraine, 23, married age 19
" , Bruce, 4
" Harvey, 3
CARPENTER, Audrey, sister-in-law, 18, MI MI __

Audrey, daughter of Loran Dell & Ellen (Johnston) Carpenter, married 1st Arthur Elie in 1952 and 2nd Loren Crooks, date unknown. She had no children.

Uncle Dell & Aunt Ellen Carpenter are buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

These are just a few of the many "Carpenter" pieces.