James M. (Mallard or Mallory) Johnson
  b: 7/Dec/1825 - Culpeper Co., VA
  d: 1/Feb/1915 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.

Father: Joseph Johnson
Mother: *****

Spouse-1: Sarah Ann Thompson
 m: 10/Apr/1849 - Van Buren Co., IA

Child-1: Sarah Jane
          2: James Alan
          3: John Andrew
          4: Francis E. - b: Sep/1858
                                d: 5/Oct/1858 - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co., MO
          5: Mary E. - b: 1860/1861 - Gentry Co., MO
                              d: 1/Jan/1866 - Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.
          6: George Leamon
          7: Hiram A. - b: ~Jul/1863 - Gentry Co., MO
                               d: 21/Dec/1865 - Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.
          8: Charles R. - b: 1866 - Gentry Co., MO
                                 d: 21/Nov/1872 - Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.
          9: William E. - b: 1868 - Gentry Co., MO
                                 d: 1872 - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co., MO
        10: Cyrus - b: Nov/1869 - Gentry Co., MO
                          d: 3/Dec/1873 - Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.
        11: Almira
        12: Julius - b: 1875 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
                         d: 10/Mar/1877 - Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.
        13: Turrissa Ann
        14: Laura - b: 15/Feb/1878 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
                          d: 23/Nov/1878 - Gentry Co., MO - bur: Lafayette Cem., Nodaway Co.

Spouse-2: Bettie Elizabeth Sherwood Pfister - b: 4/Mar/1869 - Green Twp., Platte Co., MO
 d: 2/Apr/1950 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO - bur: High Ridge Cem., Stanberry
 m: 11/Jul/1893 - Gentry County Courthouse, Albany, Gentry Co., MO

Child-1: Sherman Elehue - b: 14/Apr/1894 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
                                         d: 15/Nov/1983 - bur: High Ridge Cem., Stanberry, Gentry Co., MO
          2: Elsie Elizabeth
          3: Dollie Dot - b: 13/Feb/1899 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
                                 d: 13/May/1987 - bur: High Ridge Cem., Stanberry, Gentry Co., MO
          4: Lula Ann - b: 23/May/1901 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
                               d: 18/Mar/1978 - bur: High Ridge Cem., Stanberry, Gentry Co., MO
          5: Samuel William
          6: Beulah Marie - b: 12/Sep/1911 - Jackson Twp., Gentry Co., MO
                                     d: 19/Apr/2007 - Stanberry, Gentry Co., MO

Biographical Details:

Rappahannock County, Virginia, has been identified by longstanding family tradition as the location of  the birth of James M. Johnson, but since it did not exist as a political unit until 1833 upon being organized from the western part of Culpeper County, it would seem almost certain that he was actually born in Culpeper County, Virginia.1  Furthermore, contemporaneous civil and census records as well as local tradition reveal that in the early nineteenth century several  heads of household having the surname  "Johnson" were then resident in the vicinity of Red Oak Mountain, which is located just to the north of the present village of Woodville in southeastern Rappahannock County.  Geographically, this locality is situated  in north central Virginia just east of the Blue Ridge and about seventy miles west southwest of Washington, DC.  Moreover, according to his own reckoning (as indicated in the population schedule of the 1900 US Census for Gentry County), James M. Johnson was born sometime in 1829, but he did not know the exact month.  Furthermore, his age given in population schedules of previous federal censuses imply a birth year varying anytime between 1825 and 1834.  In contrast, a published obituary stated that James M. Johnson was born "about 1821" and his death certificate indicates a birth year of 1822.  Concomitantly, James' son, Sherman, believed that his father's birthdate was December 7, 1825; however, neither his reason for believing this is known, nor have any corroborating civil records ever been found.  Even so, until further documentary evidence is discovered, this date will be accepted and would seem to be at the very least approximately correct.  Moreover, records of a Chancery Cause, i.e., a civil suit, brought in Rappahannock County in 1843 and 1844 support the assertion that James M. Johnson was a son of Joseph Johnson, but the identity of his mother remains, as yet, undetermined.2  Within this context, details of the case identitfied James, Jesse, Joseph, and Benjamin Johnson, Jr., as sons, i.e., heirs, of Benjamin Johnson, Sr., who died intestate in May of 1843.  Furthermore, Joseph and Benjamin Johnson, Jr., had evidently both died "in the lifetime of his said father" and, accordingly, Joseph's "infant children" were identified as John, James M., and Jane Johnson.  Likewise, "infant children" of Benjamin Johnson, Jr., were identified as Chapman, Sarah M., and Elizabeth Johnson.  As a matter of semantics, the word "infant" is an antique legal term that is synonymous with "minor" as is current usage and, thus, simply means that the six named grandchildren of Benjamin Johnson, Sr., were consideed by the court as not of age, i.e., younger than twenty-one years old, at the time the suit was filed in the fall of 1843.  Clearly, this is consistent with the presumption that their births occurred after 1822.  Even so, it was common in the nineteenth century (as well as earlier) for dates of birth to be imprecisely known and this conclusion should not be asserted too rigorously.  Furthermore, James Johnson, son of Benjamin, Sr., was the plaintiff in the suit with his brother, Jesse, and six nephews and neices (viz., John, James M., Jane, Chapman, Sarah, M., and Elizabeth) named as defendants.  It is further evident that the suit was brought because none of the defendants were then living within Virginia and, thus, the estate of Benjamin Johnson, Sr., could not be settled without intervention of the County Court.  Indeed, this is consistent with family tradition which asserts that the James M. Johnson moved west from Virginia with his parents and family to Kentucky or Indiana, probably in the years immediately after the formation of Rappahannock County, i.e., in the late 1830's or early 1840's.  (Although by no means definitive, this inference is supported historically since, as previously asserted, Rappahannock County did not exist before 1833, therefore, if the Johnson family had left Virginia before formation of the new county it seems probable that later tradition would have instead associated Culpeper County with the childhood home of James M. Johnson.)  Furthermore, consistent with the court record, family tradition affirms that James M. Johnson's father, viz., Joseph, died at a relatively young age and that after this, James M. and his brother, John A., were "bound out" to live with and work for others to earn room and board.  It is not known what happened to their mother or their putative sister, Jane.  Moreover, there is some question as to what James M. Johnson's middle name actually was.  Indeed, family tradition asserts that it was "Mallard", but Rappahannock County court records indicate "Mallory".  Of course, phonetic resemblance of these two names is conspicously evident and of the two the latter is, perhaps, more probable (perhaps, deriving from the surname of his mother or some other ancestor, which is not known)..  Moreover, with the exception of his death certificate (for which by its very nature, relevant information could not have been supplied by James M. Johnson himself) no civil or census records are known affirming the name "James Mallard Johnson".  Alternatively, it is clear that the court record was made in the absence of the defendants and, furthermore, that it originally had identified "Mallory Johnson" as an heir of Benjamin Johnson, Sr., which was afterward corrected to include the first name "James" explicitly.  Accordingly, it is not possible to affirm either possibility definitively, but coincidences of name, date, and location strongly suggest that James Mallory Johnson and James Mallard Johnson were, in fact, one and the same person.

In later life James M. Johnson, known familiarly as "Jim" or "Uncle Jimmy", told a number of colorful stories concerning his early years, which included capture by Indians, journey by steamboat, etc.3,4  Of course, these anecdotes are not objectively verifiable and must be considered within the general historical context of the United States as it was prior to the Civil War.  Even so, it does seem quite plausible that the two brothers, James Mallard (or Mallory) and John Alford Johnson, did travel westward by steamboat to Iowa from Kentucky or Indiana.  Concomitantly, according to family tradition, James M. Johnson married Sarah Ann Thompson at Dubuque, Iowa, in the late 1840's.  However, no corroborating evidence has been found and this account appears to be erroneous.  Alternatively, the marriage of James M. Johnson to Sarah Ann Thompson on April 10, 1849, was recorded in the marriage register of Van Buren County, Iowa.  In addition, the marriage of John A. "Johnston" and Elizabeth Thompson on March 1, 1849, was also recorded in Van Buren County.  Indeed, the wives of John A. and James M. Johnson were certainly the sisters, Elizabeth and Sarah Ann Thompson; therefore, it seems evident that John A. Johnston was, in fact, John Alford Johnson.  This is further supported by the 1850 US Census for Van Buren County in which the households of John A. and Elizabeth Johnson and James and Sarah Johnson are found resident in Harrisburg Township, appearing on consecutive lines of the population schedule.  Accordingly, this coincidence provides very good evidence that the two couples lived in close proximity as was common for close relatives.  Furthermore, in the population schedule both John and James Johnson reported that they were born in Virginia and were twenty-seven and twenty-two years old, respectively.  Additionally, the household of James and Sarah Johnson also included an infant daughter, Sarah J., who was six months old and, thus, almost certainly can be identified as their oldest daughter, Sarah Jane, born in April of 1850.  These census records further indicate that Julius and Sarah Thompson, parents of Elizabeth and Sarah Ann Thompson Johnson, were also living nearby in Harrisburg Township in the fall of 1850.  Nevertheless, it would seem that by 1854 the Johnson and Thompson families had left Van Buren County since it is believed that the second son of James and Sarah Ann Johnson, John Andrew, was born in Pottawatomie County, Iowa.  Within this context, Julius and Sarah Thompson are known to have been Mormons and consistent with this it seems that sometime between 1854 and 1858 all three families traveled to Utah and, perhaps, even to California.  Nevertheless, on October 1, 1859, both John A. and James M. Johnson were granted land patents in Gentry County, Missouri, for one hundred and sixty acres each.5  This presents a minor chronological difficulty because at this time there typically was an interval of several years between application for and issue of a land patent.  Moreover, the Johnson brothers obtained these patents under the authority of the Preemption Act of 1841, which allowed persons that occupied public land prior to survey and sale by the government, i.e., squatters, to purchase such land at a minimal sale price.  (Actual free land did not become available until passage of the Homestead Act of 1862.)  Surveying of public lands in Missouri was completed by 1855.  Therefore, although it is possible that the Johnson and Thompson families did not settle in Gentry County until they returned from the West, the existence of these land patents would suggest that, at least, the two Johnson families may have moved to Gentry County prior to 1855, but left for Utah, perhaps in 1855 or 1856, only to return by 1857 or 1858.  Upon returning, their previous status as squatters allowed them to obtain land patents by preemption.  In any case, the household of James and Sarah Johnson was listed in the population schedule of the 1860 US Census for Gentry County and consisted of the parents and three children, Jane, James, and John, aged ten, eight, and six years, respectively.  During the Civil War, James M. Johnson reportedly served in the Missouri Volunteer Militia from Gentry County in Company K under the command of Captain George Kenyon and Colonel Manlove Cranor; however, he does not seem to have ever been officially enlisted and, thus, was not eligible for a pension.

The legal description of the land patented by James M. Johnson was "the West half of the Southeast quarter and the East half of the Southwest quarter of Section Fourteen in Township Sixty-two of Range Thirty-three", which corresponds to two adjacent eighty acre parcels in the center of the south half of the indicated section.  Reportedly, he sold the one hundred and sixty acres he originally patented to Orris B. Saunders on July 14, 1864, and then purchased land just east of Island City from Manlove Cranor in 1869.  Within this context, it would appear that James M. Johnson lived at or near this location for the remainder of his life.  Even so, a plat of Gentry County published in 1877 indicates that in addition to land near Island City, James M. Johnson owned one hundred and twenty acres adjacent to his original patent (which at that time was apparently owned by Elliott Rose).6  Indeed, according to the History of Daviess and Gentry Counties published in 1922, James M. Johnson removed from Indiana to Iowa at a very early date and came to Missouri and settled in Gentry County about 1856.  He served in the Civil War and took part in a number of battles and skirmishes.  After the close of the war he engaged in farming and stock raising and was the owner of 600 acres of land.  When he came here his first home was a log cabin.  He broke the prairie and improved his place, his first land being 160 acres which he entered from Government.  He passed through all the hardships of pioneer days and eventually became well-to-do.7  Here, the implication that James M. Johnson originally came from Indiana should be interpreted to imply that although he was evidently born in Virginia, he reached adulthood after his family moved westward.  Of course, exact details of their migration and settlement can probably never be known.  James M. and Sarah Ann Johnson were the parents of fourteen children.  Sadly, a number of these did not survive childhood.8  After the death of Sarah Thompson Johnson in 1889, James M. Johnson married Bettie Sherwood Pfister and they had six children of their own.9  James M. Johnson died on February 1, 1915, and was buried in the Lafayette Cemetery at the east edge of Washington Township in Nodaway County, Missouri.  Nadine Johnson McCampbell, a great-grandaughter of James M. Johnson, has collected several personal recollections in her Johnson Family History among which are that Uncle Jimmy "was short of stature and not afraid to work" and "as the golden years crept up on James Mallard, he still kept active.  When threshing time came 'Uncle Jimmy' went along but entertained the kids since he was too elderly to help thresh.  He ate his noon meal with the children."  From a grandson; "When butchering time came, it was Grandpa's job to shoot the hog.  He used a muzzle loader.  Grandpa picked out the hog that was to be butchered, backed off and bang, his part of the butchering was done.  Sherman still has this gun."  Surely, this provides a classic image of a stalwart American pioneer, who after experiencing extreme hardships of the frontier, eventually prospered and settled into a peaceful old age surrounded by numerous descendents.

Source Notes and Citations:
1. Robert Birbeck, "Along the St. Joe Trail - History of the Johnson Family", unpublished.
     "Uncle Jimmy Johnson used to tell the older folk that he was about eight years old when the Black Hawk War broke out in northern Illinois in 1830-31.  The Sac and Fox Indians objected to the white man going into this good hunting ground.  Uncle Jimmy Johnson must have lived close to Lake Michigan in Indiana when all of that took place.  Abraham Lincoln took part in the Black Hawk War when he was 21 or 22 years old and became a captain in War.
    According to Geo. L. Johnson, his father must have volunteered at the beginning of the Civil War for a few months, but was not drafted after that period of the Civil War was completed.  He drilled in Couch Town (now Island City) under Capt. George Kenyon, who was an early day surveyor and settler from New York State in the year 1859.  Colonel Cranor was over Capt. George Kenyon.  They fought several skirmishes, one being at Booneville, Mo., with the Missouri Volunteer Mil."
     "According to the U. S. Census, 1880, on record at the Co. Clerk's office in Gentry Co., Uncle Jimmy Johnson was 57 years old before June 1, 1880, for possibly his birthday was after that, making him 58, after June 1, 1880.  He then would have been born about 1822, and would have been about 93 years of age, Feb. 1, 1915, at the time of his death."
     "In a newspaper clipping, mention was made of Uncle Jimmy Johnson's second marriage, to Elizabeth Sherwood, July 11, 1893; his widow now surviving and still living near Island City.
     According to a map of Virginia, we find one county of Rappahannock in the northern part of the state, not far from Pennsylvania, but across the state of Maryland.  Rappahannock Co. was where one of elder parents were born, parents of Geo. L. Johnson."
     Even though this account must have been written prior to 1950 and, thus, the local historian, Robert Birbeck, had access to first hand accounts of the life of James M. Johnson as well as civil records and published histories, he appears to be incorrect in several particular details.  First of all, the original population schedule of the 1880 US Census for Gentry County clearly gave the age of James Johnson as 54, not 57.  Indeed, no census records taken between 1850 and 1910 exist that indicate a possible birth year for James M. Johnson prior to 1825.  It is probable that this misinterpretation of the 1880 census is the sole source for various statements that James M. Johnson was born as early as 1821 or 1822.  Second, the primary conflicts of the Black Hawk War occurred in the summer of 1832 and, moreover, this does not necessarily imply that the Johnson family lived near Lake Michigan.  If, indeed, they had left Virginia in the early 1830's (which for reasons stated above does not seem likely), it is much more probable that they lived in southern Indiana or northern Kentucky near the Ohio River.  This region was settled earlier than the area near the Great Lakes and would have been more similar to what they had known in Virginia than the open prairies to the north.
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2. Chancery Records, Rappahannock Co., Washington, VA, Case #88, (Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA, (microfilm: roll - Chancery Records #42; img. 557)).
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3. Nadine McCampell, Johnson Family History, The Printery, Albany, MO, 1982: pg. 12.
     "James Mallard's son, Sherman, relates that his father and his uncle, James Mallard's older brother John Alford came to Missouri by working on a steamship on the Ohio River.  Sherman also related that while his father was a young man he was taken captive by the Indians and lived with them three or four years and finally just walked away.  While living with the Indians he learned their language and this may have saved his and his brother's life later as they made their way to Missouri.  It is told that on their way to Missouri they were overtaken by Indians but since James Mallard could speak their language they were allowed to go on.  However, during their brief stay, they were shown a tent where the Indians had piles of dead grasshoppers stored for eating later.  I can't put an exact date as to when this happened.
     In 1848 or 1849 in Dubuque, Iowa, James Mallard married Sarah Ann Thompson, daughter of Julius and Sarah Thompson.  Sarah Ann was born August 18, 1833 in Pennsylvania and died July 16, 1889.  I couldn't verify neither by location nor by the date of the marriage of James Mallard or Sarah Ann, as hard as I tried.  I found many early records weren't kept until a much later date or a fire had destroyed early records.  They lived in Iowa the next few years as their three oldest children were born in that state.  Sarah Jane, their oldest child, was born in 1850, (all census records I have searched and researched say she was born in Iowa.  Her death certificate and another record a birth certificate of a son shows Mississippi as the state of her birth, but in all the Johnson's travels, I have never found them that far south).
     Their second child, James Allen, was born in 1852 near Black Hawk, Iowa and spent his early childhood near Council Bluffs.  John Andrew, the third child of James Mallard and Sarah Ann was born near Council Bluffs in 1854.  From here sometime later, possibly 2 years, I believe James Mallard and Sarah Ann and the three children, John Alford and his wife, Elizabeth (a sister to Sarah Ann), the girl's parents, Julius and Sarah Thompson and most likely others forming a wagontrain headed west toward the goldfields in California.  They possibly took the route straight across the plains of Nebraska, Northern Colorado, right toward Salt Lake City, then began angling South toward Sacremento, California.  Then for some reason, possibly winter caught up with them, they turned back and spent the winter with the Mormons.  It is known that the first daughter and child, Sarah, of John Alford was born in March 1856 in southern Utah, in what was known as the Washington Territory.
     I believe James Mallard and family may have come back to Iowa and located near Council Bluffs again before coming to Missouri and the Island City community.  A son Francis E. died at the age of 1 month on October 5, 1858 and another son Charles (according to Census records, born in Missouri in 1866) died November 21, 1872 at the age of 6 years.  Both of these boys are buried in Harrison County, Iowa, (located north of Council Bluffs).  The Mormons went through the area (Harrison County, Iowa) on their flight in 1846.  The first permanent residents of Harrison County, according to the history books were Mormons, who left the band and decided that they were going to remain there.  This bit of information was furnished to me by a kind lady in the Harrison County, Iowa Historical Society."
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4. K. Bovaird, N. Newman, E. Miller, B. Phillips, N. Summa, and R. Pierce, Once Upon a Railroad, Stanberry, Missouri 1879-1979, Inter-Collegiate Press, Shawnee Mission, KS, 1979: pg. 298.
     "James Mallard Johnson   James Mallard Johnson was born in Rappahannock County, Virginia around 1821.  As a youth he moved to Indiana with his parents and was bound out until he was 21 years old.
     He married Sarah Ann Thompson, daughter of Julius and Sarah Thompson in Dubuque, Iowa in 1848.  They lived in Iowa for a time as their three oldest children, Sarah Jane, James Allen and John Andrew, were born there.  They came to Gentry County in 1855 and settled in Island City.
     Around 1857, James Mallard and his family and his brother, John Alfred, and his wife went west toward the gold fields in California but turned back and stayed the winter in Utah with the Mormons.  They returned to Island City, and James Mallard began farming.
     He served as a volunteer in the Civil War under Capatain George T. Kenyon in Company K.
     Besides their children already mentioned, others born to this union were: George Leamon, Almira, Turissa Ann, Charles, William, Cyrus, Mary, Hiram, Laura, Julius and Francis.  The last eight mentioned died young of diptheria and other causes.  Mrs. Johnson died July 16, 1889.
     Mr. Johnson remarried July 11, 1893, to Bettie Sherwood Pfister.  To this union were born Sherman, Elise, Dollie, Lula, Sammie and Beulah.  Sherman, Dollie and Beulah live east of Island City, and Sammie farms near by.
     James Mallard died February 1 1915, at his farm home near Island City.  Bettie Johnson died April 2, 1950.   Submitted by great-granddaughter Nadine Johnson McCampbell"
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5. The United States of America; Preemption Certificate No. 24,064;  To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting: Whereas James M. Johnson of Gentry County, Missouri, has deposited in the General Land Office of the United States, a Certificate of the Register of the Land Office at Plattsburg whereby it appears that full payment has been made by the said James M. Johnson according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of the 24th of April, 1820, entitled "An act making further provision for the sale of Public Lands," for the West half of the South East Quarter and the East half of the South West Quarter of Section Fourteen, in township Sixty Two of Range Thirty Three in the District of Lands formerly subject to sale at Plattsburg now Boonville Missouri containing one hundred and Sixty acres according to the official plat of the Survey of the said Lands returned to the General Land Office by the Surveyor General, which said tracts have been purchased by the said James M. Johnson;  Now know ye, that the United States of America, in consideration of the premises, and in conformity with the several acts of Congress in such case made and provided, Have Given and Granted, and by these presents Do Give and Grant, unto the said James M. Johnson and to his heirs, the said tracts above described: To have and to hold the same, together with all the rights, privileges, immunities, and appurtenances, of whatsoever nature, thereunto belonging, to the said James M. Johnson and to his heirs and assigns forever.  In Testimony Whereof, I, James Buchanan, President of the United States of America, have caused these Letters to be made Patent, and the Seal of the General Land Office to be hereunto affixed.  Given under my hand, at the City of Washington, the First day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Fifty nine and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty Fourth.  By The President: James Buchanan; By J. A. B. Leonard Secretary; J. N. Granger Recorder of the General Land Office  (US Land Patent Certificate No. 24064; MO, Vol. 483, pg. 456, Bureau of Land Management, Washington, DC, issued 1 Oct 1859.  (BLM GLO Records, http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx, 2016.))
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6a. Edwards Brothers of Missouri, Historical Atlas of Gentry County, Missouri, Philadelphia, PA, 1877.
    J. M. Johnson:  Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 14; W½ of SW¼ - 80 acres.
    J. M. Johnson:  1) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 24; SW¼ of SE¼ - 40 acres.  2) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; W½ of NE¼ - 80 acres.  3) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; part of NE¼ of SE¼ of NE¼ - 7 acres more or less.  4) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; part of NW¼ of SE¼ of NE¼ - undetermined, about 5 acres..
    J. Johnson:  Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 14; NE¼ of SE¼ - 40 acres.

b. W. P. Bullock, Gentry County 1896, Press of L. Hardman, St. Joseph, MO, 1896.
    J. M. Johnson: 1) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 24; S½ of SE¼ - 80 acres.  2) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; W½ of NE¼ - 80 acres.  3) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; W½ of NE¼ - 80 acres.
    J. M. Johnson: 1) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; SE¼ of NE¼ less strip of 10 acres off of the W side - 30 acres.  2) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; NE¼ of SE¼ less strip of 19 acres off of the W side - 21 acres more or less.
    J. L. Johnson: Twp. 62 N; Rng. 32 W; Sec. 30; NW¼ of SW¼ - 40 acres.  (Section 30 adjoins Section 25, hence, It is almost certain that the initial "L" is a misprint and that 'J. L. Johnson" is in fact James M. Johnson.)

c. Anonymous, Standard Atlas of Gentry County, Missouri, Geo A. Ogle & Co., Chicago, IL, 1914.
    J. M. Johnson: 1) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 33 W; Sec. 25; strip off the E side of the SE¼ of SE¼ - 18 acres.  2) Twp. 62 N; Rng. 32 W; Sec. 30; W part of SW¼ of SW¼ - 21.52 acres more or less.
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7. John C. Leopard and Buel Leopard (Daviess Co.), R. M. McCammon and Mary McCammon Hillman (Gentry Co.), History of Daviess and Gentry Counties, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Kansas, 1922:  pg. 821.  (Reprint available from the Higginson Book Co., 148 Wash. St., P. O. B. 778, Salem, MA, 01970)
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8. A single tombstone has been set in the Lafayette Cemetery to mark the graves of several of the children of James M. and Sarah Ann Thompson Johnson that did not survive to adulthood.  Moreover, the graves of James M. and Sarah Ann themselves also lie in close proximity.  Although the stone is badly weathered, four names remain legible, viz., Hiram A., died Dec 21 1865 aged 2 yrs 6 m; Francis died Oct 8? 185?8 aged ? yr; Charles R., died Nov 24? 18?2 aged 8 yrs; and Mary died ??? 1 1866 aged 3? yrs.  Furthermore, at least two more names are evident, but illegible and these undoubtedly correspond to some or all of the remaining four children, William E., Cyrus, Julius, and Laura.  Within this context, it is believed by some researchers that the Johnson family resided in Harrison County, Iowa, on two separate occasions, first in the late 1850's and, again, in the early 1870's, and that the two sons, Francis and Charles R., died and were buried in Harrison County.  However, the appearance of their names on this tombstone would seem to provide a strong indication that they, in fact, died in Missouri.  Therefore, upon combination of this evidence with relevant census records, it seems safe to conclude that the Johnson family remained continuously resident in Missouri after their return from the West.  (field survey notes of the Lafayette Cemetery, Nodaway Co., MO, July 22, 2003, unpublished.)
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9. "Mrs. Betty Elizabeth Johnson died Sunday near Island City, her home for 56 years.  A well known resident of the Island City community for over 56 years, died about 6 o'clock Sunday night at her farm home, two miles east of Island City.
     Mrs. Johnson, who was 81 years old, had suffered a stroke about 15 years ago, from which she had never fully recovered.  Her condition had been considered as serious the past three weeks.  She was born Betty Elizabeth Sherwood, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Sherwood.  At the time of her birth, the family resided near Dearborn, Mo., and it was in that section that she attended school and grew to young womanhood.
     She was married to John Pfister at Savannah, Mo., in 1888.  They were the parents of one son, Johnnie Pfister, who died at Troy, Kan., in July 1943.  The father and husband died shortly after the marriage.
     On July 11, 1893, she was married to James M. Johnson at Albany.  They began their married life in the Island City community, where she has since made her home.  Mr. Johnson died in 1915.
     Mrs. Johnson is survived by two sons, Sherman and Sammie Johnson, farmers near Island City; four daughters, Misses Dottie, Lula and Beulah, of the home, and Mrs. Elsie Martin of Kansas City; one stepson, G. L. Johnson, southwest of Stanberry; 15 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and numerous other relatives.
     Funeral services were held for her at the Phillips chapel here Tuesday afternoon, conducted by the Rev. Glenn Willson, pastor of the Island City church.  Burial was in the High Ridge Cemetery."  (obituary: Stanberry Headlight; Stanberry, MO, Thur., Apr. 6. 1950.)
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Additional Citations:

10. 1850 US Census Population Schedule for Van Buren County, Iowa, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 287B, (microfilm: roll M432_189; img. 87).

11. 1860 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 688, (microfilm: roll M653_620; img. 43).

12. 1870 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 623B, (microfilm: roll M593_776; img. 466).

13. 1880 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 530B, (microfilm: roll T9_687; img. 392).

14. 1900 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 268A, (microfilm: roll T623_855; img. 543).

15. 1910 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 264A, (microfilm: roll T624_781; img. 527).

16. 1920 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 133B, (microfilm: roll T625_919; img. 837).

17. 1930 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 112A, (microfilm: roll T626_1188; img. 225).

18. 1940 US Census Population Schedule for Gentry County, Missouri, National Archives, Washington DC:  pg. 141A, (microfilm: roll T627_2106; img. 648).

19. Marriage Records, Van Buren County, Keosauqua, IA. ("Early Van Buren Co IA Marriages", Van Buren County IAGenWeb Archives, 2002.)

20. Marriage Records, Gentry County, Albany, MO:  Bk. 3, pg. 254, (Missouri State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Jefferson City, MO (microfilm: roll 37663; img. 395)).

21. Death Certificates, Missouri State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Jefferson City, MO, (Death Certificate No. 4414 - Bureau of Vital Statistics, State of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO & Death Certificate No. 8251 - Bureau of Vital Statistics, State of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO).

22. Don Raymond,"High Ridge Cemetery", unpublished. (Gentry County MOGenWeb Archives, 2005.)

23. High Ridge Cemetery, Gentry County, Missouri (www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1367686&CScn=High+Ridge&CScntry=4&CSst=26&CScnty=1434&, continuously updated).

24. Lafayette Cemetery, Nodaway County, Missouri (www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=179853&CScn=Lafayette&CScntry=4&CSst=26&CScnty=1470&, continuously updated).

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25. World War I Draft Registration Cards, National Personnel Records Center, National Archives-Southeast Region, Morrow, GA, (microfilm: roll MO-1683214; img. 4985).

26. death notice: Albany Ledger-Headlight; Albany, MO, Wed., Apr. 25, 2007.

27. Death Master File, Social Security Administration, Washington, DC, continuously updated.

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