52 Ancestors: #27, Joseph Henry Johns

 

Amy Johnson Crow of No Story To Small has started a challenge of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.
From her blog “The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor. Not only should this get me blogging more, but also to take a deeper look at some of the people in my family tree.”
 
Today’s blog posting today is about my Great Grandfather Joseph Henry Johns. 

Joseph Henry Johns was the youngest son of Shadrach Johns and his wife Mary Boan/Bone. He was born in April 1849, Chesterfield County, and first appeared in the 1850 census for Chesterfield County.¹ 

By 1860 his family had migrated to Seals Station, Russell County, Alabama where his father Shadrach obtained a job as a “shingle getter”.² This must have been quite an adventure for a young lad not yet 10 years of age. 

Joseph Henry had 3 siblings, an older brother Thomas, an older sister, Alice Catherine “Katie” and a younger sister Anna W. Johns. 

On August 12, 1862, Shadrack John was conscripted into Company “H”, 24th Reg’t Alabama.  He was 62 years of age. ³

At some point after August 1862 and before September 1864  Shadrack moved his family to Washington County, Florida.In Florida, Shadrack was again conscripted into the Florida Home Guard.⁴  

On 27 September 1864, Shadrack, age 64, was captured at Captured at Hard Labor Creek, Vernon, FL and imprisoned at Elmira, NY.⁵

It is not known how Mary and the 4 children survived during this time but I am sure a large burden was placed on the oldest son, Thomas H., age 17 and his brother Joseph Henry, age 15.
Shadrack is released from Elmira , by taking an “Oath of Allegiance” on May 29th, 1865. He returned to Washington County, Florida. Then on 3 December 1866, the family appeared in Chesterfield County to sell off eight  acres of land, part of an inheritance from the Boan/Bone side of the family (BD 6: 177 and DB 5: 598-599). ^{6 7 8}

The next event in young Joseph life was the marriage of his older sister Alice Catherine in In September 1869 to Joel S. Toler in Bulloch County, Alabama.⁹
 
Then the entire family dropped off the “face of this earth” until 1880 when Shadrack, age 80 and Joseph Henry, age 31 appears in the 1880 Census of Marlboro County, South Carolina. Also in the Household is two young grandchildren, Mary Toler, age 10 and William Shadrac Toler, age 8.¹⁰
The absence of wife Mary Boan Johns, Alice Catherine Johns Toloer, Thomas H. Johns, Anna W. Johns and Joel S. Toler, son-in-law, is still a big mystery today with no reference of them after the 1866 Land deed except for Catherine and Joel in 1869 at their marriage. 

About 1882 Joseph Henry, now age 33, married Laura Driggers, age 13, the grand daughter of Jeremiah Polson. 

Joseph and Laura would have 8 children 3 sons and 5 daughter, between 1883 and 1898 when she (Laura) died from complication in the birth of her daughter Mamie Johns. Laura was a young lady, age 29, at her death. 

Joseph Henry Johns died 8 April 1929, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while living with his oldest son Walter Joseph Johns in McFarland, Anson County, North Carolina. IN his latter years he was bed-ridden and was unable to walk unless supported by double crutches. Yet, he is said to have taken a shotgun from over the bed room door and killed himself. He was 80 years of age. ¹¹


His Obituary entitled “CONFEDERATE VETERAN COMMITS SUICIDE
Mr. Johns, of McFarland Community, Shoots Himself -- Buried Yesterday
--Other McFarlan News” was published in The Messenger-Intelligence, Wadesboro, NC, 11 April 1929. ¹²

There is no evidence that he served in the Civil War. He was a mere lad of 15 when the war ended in April 1865.He was buried at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Cheraw, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. No tombstone marks his grave.   

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[1] 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 109A, Line 11, Dwelling 161, Family/161, Household of Shadrach JOHN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.
[2] 1860 U. S. Census, Russell County, Alabama, population schedule, Seals Station, Russell County, Alabama, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 893, Line 7, dwelling 238, family 227, Household of Shadrick Johns; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M653_22.
[3] Ancestry, "Civil War Service Records" database, Military Service Records (http://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 23 January 2013), entry for Shadrack JOHN, Private; Co. H, 24th Alabama Infantry; Confederate.
[4] Ancestry, "Civil War Service Records" database, Military Service Records (http://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 23 January 2013), entry for Shadrick Johns, Private; Capt. Parson's Company; Confederate.
[5] http://www.fold3.com/image/20/127927662/
[6] http://www.fold3.com/image/20/127927675/
[7] Land Deed - S. Johns & Others to Alice Goodwin Deed; 3 December 1866; Deed Book #6; Page(s) 177; Register of Deeds; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; 1999.
[8] Land Deed - Jas. Eddings & Others to W. T. Goodwin Deed; 3 December 1866; Deed Book #5; Page(s) 598 & 599; Register of Deeds; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; 1999.
[9] "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9834-45374-94?cc=1743384 : accessed 02 Apr 2014), 1954390 (004539872) > image 321 of 1140.
[10] 1880 U. S. Census, Marlboro County, South Carolina, population schedule, Marlboro County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) #108, page 460A, Line 22, Dwelling # 43, Family #43, Household of Shade JOHN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm T9_1235.
[11] Joseph Johns, death certificate #1929 (1929), Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.
[12] CONFEDERATE VETERAN COMMITS SUICIDE, The Messenger and Intellengence, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina, 11 April 1929, Front page. Joseph Henry Johns.