Johnson, Craft, Strickland, Peek, Williams, Baldwin Connections

Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina

My earliest account that I've found of the Johnson family in our family line is Thomas C. Johnson, born about 1820 in Georgia and probably in Elbert County. I still haven’t determined the names of his parents. Although, he is listed in the 1850 census as T. Johnson, I learned his full name is Thomas C. Johnson and he was a farmer at the age of 30 living in household #513 with his wife Nancy Jane (Dennard) Johnson, age 19. They are shown with three children in the household. Georgia marriage records show that Thomas Johnson and Nancy Jane Dennard married 15 November 1848 in Elbert County Georgia. The children living in their household at the time were:
S. Johnson (m) age 1
J. Johnson (f) age 14
E. Johnson (f) age 12
The first child listed is named Singleton Johnson who is the first known son of Thomas and Nancy. The two girls ages indicate they are too old to be their children. I believe these girls are relatives of Thomas Johnson.  They could be sisters or nieces.   For unknown reasons the record indicates he is taking the responsibility for them. Further research is required to determine who they are and why they are living with Jane and Thomas.
The next official record related to Thomas C. Johnson's family is in 1860 Elbert County census. His wife N. J. is now shown as the head of a household and has remarried. She is listed as N. J. Patterson, with two Johnson children in her household. Her new husband isn’t listed. The Johnson children listed are:
Singleton Johnson (m) age 11
Thomas Johnson (m) age 6
It was told to me by another researcher (whose name I can’t recall) that Thomas Johnson was thrown from his horse and killed. I have no proof of that. I have determined that he must have died after 1854 by using the children's ages. 
Georgia marriage records indicate that Mrs. Nancy Jane Johnson married Nimrod Patterson on 28 April 1857 in Elbert County. So, between 1854 and 1857, her first husband, Thomas Johnson deceased. No children other than the two Johnson children were listed in N. J. Patterson’s household in 1860. It's unknown what happened to the other two Johnson girls previously listed in the 1850 census, but I believe they have since married since no records have been found of them.
By 1870, Nancy Jane Patterson is shown as a domestic worker in the house of her uncle, Michael G. Denard. She is also shown with 2 more children at this time named Willis J. Patterson (m) 7 yrs old, and Martha Patterson (f) 1 yr old.
I was informed by a Denard researcher about Michael Denards relationship to Nancy Jane.  No further research was done on the Patterson's family at this time.  However, the Patterson children are half brother's and sister's to the Johnson children.

Singleton Allen Johnson (1870)Thomas Johnson’s eldest son,
Singleton, who was known by the initials, S. A. Johnson, was found in the 1870 census in Elbert County, Georgia living in household # 1125. His age is given as 20 and he is listed as a farmer. His wife’s name is shown as Mary J. and keeping house. Her age in the census appears to be 31. They were married 2 September,1869. There was no children listed in their household in 1870. Singleston’s wife’s maiden name is Mary Jane Hansford, born June 19, 1838. She is the daughter of William Patrick Hansford, born 1814, and Lucinda Hardy, born 1816. William Patrick’s parents were William Hansford III (1775 - 1823) and Milley(unknown). William III parents were William Hansford II born 1735 and Janet Brown. Of course, his parents were William Hansford (the first) and Bathsheba Archer, birthdates unknown.
According to family folklore, Singleton Johnson was affectionally known as Sing-Sing. This was learned when I visited with Sallie Mae Johnson Wallace, Singleton’s granddaughter, who lived in Hart County, Georgia. She said she never actually knew him but she did hear about him. Sallie Mae was 94 yrs old when I visited with her in the year 2000. 
The next official account of Singleton Johnson is in the 1880 census as a farmer 34 years of age still living in Elbert County Georgia, household #339 with his wife Mary Jane, age 42. They had the following children listed at that time:
James Johnson (m) age 10
Lou Johnson (f) age 8
Louie Johnson (f) age 6
Babe Johnson (f) age 1
I’m assuming Babe was an unnamed child. It was common in those years for families not to name their children when they were born. Don’t ask me why, but I see it alot in my research. I believe they waited to see if the child was going to live before giving them a name. The death rate for infants was extremely high. Since there isn’t an 1890 census available because it was destroyed by fire, no further research was done with this family, except that we know the surviving children were:
James William Johnson, born November 12, 1870
Eva Sallie Johnson born March 1883
I believe this family lost several children and they are buried at Bio Baptist Church in Hart County Georgia. I am open to input here from other family members that know more about Singleton’s children.
James William Johnson
James William Johnson, born Nov. 12, 1870, in Hart County Georgia, died Oct. 1956, in Greenville, South Carolina and was Singleton Allen Johnson’s eldest child. He married Lucy L. E. Vickery, born March 24, 1868, Hart County, died July 28, 1943.
James W. and Henry Thomas Johnson
James, also known as Jim Johnson, lived for many years in the Spartanburg, Anderson and Greenville areas of South Carolina. He is buried in the Graceland Cemetary in Greenville, SC.  During my visit with Sallie Mae in 2000 I was told that Jim might have also lived in Royston, Georgia on a farm he bought after selling another one in Anderson, South Carolina. 
He and Lucy had the following children:
Mary Bessie Johnson, born June 9, 1893
Henry Thomas Johnson, born Oct. 31, 1894
Eva Sallie Johnson, born June 10, 1896
Jessie J. Johnson, born Jan. 30, 1898
Charles Keys Johnson, born Oct. 21, 1899
Lucius Johnson, born Feb. 16, 1902
W. Hester Johnson, born Dec. 21, 1903
Sallie Mae Johnson, born Dec. 15, 1905
Mattie Johnson, born July 25, 1910
Maude Johnson, born Aug 7, 1914
Infant Johnson, born April 7, 1908
I was told a story by Sallie Mae about a time when Henry got a new pair of pants and he came out to the field to show his father. He got to strutting around showing off the pants and a bull got after him. She said his dad had to get between him and the bull until Henry could escape. She also said that Hester had the devil in him. She remembered one time when a visitor came and Hester changed the reins on their horses so that when you wanted the horse to go right, it would turn left and vice-versa. She said he got into a lot of trouble for that. It was also interesting to learn that Sallie Mae’s occupation was a carpenter. I’m sure this was in a time when women carpenters were extremely rare. She told me about building and roofing houses. I thought that was interesting because Henry Thomas was also in the carpentary business for awhile. There are still quite a few houses in Whitmire, SC that he was responsible for constructing. Of course, he was also a barber, store owner, and other things such as a geese and chicken raiser, and part-time dentist when us grandkids had a loose tooth. 
Lucy L. E. Vickery,
the wife of James William Johnson was the daughter of John  Lewis Vickey, born 1839, died 1912 and Martha Catherine Evans, born 1845. John’s parents were Thomas J. Vickery Sr., born 1821 and died in 1893. His wife was Winney Nancy Peek, born 1825 and died 1879.
Everyone one has heard the rumor of the Indian blood in the family, I’m sure. Well according to my information this is how it entered. Thomas' wife, Winney Nancy Peek, was the daughter of Ransel Abel Peek, born 1765 and Elizabeth Williams b. unknown. Elizabeth was the daughter of George Williams and his wife Peggy, said to be a full blooded Cherokee Indian. Some say her name was Piggy and others prefer Peggy.  According to what I was told, George Williams was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and married Peggy in Virginia according to other  historians researching this family. Several attempts have been made by our ancestors to claim Indian heritage but to my knowledge they failed because this marriage occurred in the 1700’s and Peggy’s ancestrial heritage couldn’t be proven. Remember, there weren’t any records kept on Indians early in the development of this country. But, it is commonly accepted by historians of the Peek and Williams families that she was a Cherokee indian and the marriage did occur. It is my understanding that quite a few members of the Peek family are buried on Sand Mountain, Alabama where they moved after leaving Georgia. This particular time in our family history is an entire book by its self that is supposed to be written by a family historian from Atlanta so I've been told. It seems George Williams was quite a warrior and was involved in several wars during his lifetime.  If I ever come across the book, I'll let you know.
Henry Thomas Johnson
Henry Thomas Johnson was born October 31, 1894 and died April 7, 1966. He was the son of James William (Jim) Johnson. He was married to Cora Lee Craft, born July 2,1896 and died June 10, 1970. Both are buried in the Whitmire Cemetary, Newberry County, South Carolina. They had the following children:
Lucy Elizabeth Johnson, April 19, 1914
Ruth Ella Johnson, April 30, 1916
Frances Lenora Johnson, Feb. 8, 1918
Helen Keller Johnson, Oct. 18, 1920
Claude Calas Johnson, Sept. 12, 1922
Florence Louise Johnson, Dec. 28, 1924
James W. Johnson, May 30, 1926
Eletha Luginis Johnson, Dec. 20, 1928
Mary Pauline Johnson, April 15, 1932
Henry T. Johnson Jr., Dec. 14, 1933
Olin Dewitt Johnson, Jan. 25, 1936 d. July 31, 1955

The Craft Family

Cora Lee Craft, the wife of Henry Thomas Johnson was the daughter of John Luther Craft, born July 18, 1869, died in Whitmire, SC  while living with his daughter in 1935. John’s wife, Jane E. Baldwin, was born Dec. 6, 1868, died August 12, 1918. Both John and Jane are buried together at Rock Branch Baptist Church in Elbert County Georgia. Her name, craved into her tombstone, reads Janie Baldwind, which I have learned was the Dutch spelling of the name Baldwin. I believe the correct spelling for her name is Baldwin though after further research. John L. and Janie were married October 23, 1892 and had the following children:
Cora Lee Craft, born July 2, 1896
Lottie Tallula Craft, Jan. 7, 1900
In the 1900 census, John L. Craft is shown living with his wife, 2 daughters and a sister, Mary Steadman, age 42, born May 1858. He was living on a 400 Ac. rented farm. Neither he nor his wife were able to read or write according to the census. It also shows that he had 3 children, but only 2 were alive. Where that third child is buried, and it’s name is not known. John L. Craft was the son of William T. Craft, born in Virginia about 1826 according to the 1850 census and Sarah Jane Stricklin, born about 1834 in Georgia. I have not determined the parents of William T.,. William and Sarah had the following children:
Asa M. Craft, b. Sept 30, 1853
Mary E. Craft, b. May 1858 (shown living with John L. in 1900)
Nancy E. Craft, b. about 1861
Adda J. Craft, b. about 1864
John Luther Craft, b. July 1869
Joseph Washington Craft, b. Oct. 1859
Jasper Craft, b. 1871
Sallie Craft, b. 1873
William Craft, b. 1876
Colloway Craft, b. 1879
Another interesting note: Mary Bessie Johnson married Walter Stevens Craft, who was the son of Joseph Washington Craft who was a brother of John L. Craft. Mary Bessie was the sister of Henry T. Johnson, and she was born June 9, 1893 and died in 1966 when she was hit by a car while she crossing the road to check her mailbox. So, this Johnson/Craft line of the family is connected to our line by both family names. I was told by C. W. Cooper, the son of Lula that his mother told him the Craft’s were a well to do family prior to the war between the states. She said there were trunks of Conderate money in the attic when Sherman’s army came through and burned everything. She said the family lost everything they had in that war. Is that true? I'll take his word for it.  Sarah Jane Strickland, the wife of William T. Craft was the daughter of Joseph Stricklin, born about 1793 in North Carolina and Sara Davis, born about 1793 in Georgia. Joseph died about 1855 in Elbert County Georgia and Sara died between 1850 and 1860 in Georgia. Joseph and Sara had the following children:
F. Stricklin, b. abt. 1828
M. Stricklin, b. abt. 1830
Nancy Ann Stricklin, b. abt. 1832
Sara Jane Stricklin, b. abt. 1834
J. Stricklin, b. abt. 1835
Eventually a separate paper will be written on the Stricklin family surname. Jane E. Baldwin, the wife of John L. Craft, was the daughter of John Baldwin. John is shown living with his wife Elizabeth (last name unknown) in the 1920 census in Anderson County, South Carolina. A separate paper has been written for this family line. See the Baldwin Family Connections for more details. I didn’t include the families of the children and grandchildren of Henry T. and Cora Johnson yet. This paper is still a work in progress and isn't meant to represent a complete project.  I thought each individual family could carry this paper further if they so desired. At this time I just don’t have all of that information, and I didn’t want to include some and exclude others. If you would, I would appreciate you sending me that information from your family lines if you haven’t already done so for future expansion of this family tree.

Last updated: 01/25/2014