Pictures for this page from an old family album donated by Barbara Cummings of Washington State.

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    The family of Meredith Johnson was among the earliest settlers of Jennings County, his great-grandparents Phillip & Susanna (Payne) Johnson and his grandparents William M. & Sarah (Shelhause) Johnson came here in 1824 and by 1826 were settled in Bigger Township. Meredith Johnson's father was Barnett Phillip Johnson who January 1, 1833 married Lucy Merrell. By that time members of the family were settled on various farms in Bigger Township.

    Margaret Susannah Neill came to Jennings County with her parents, Morton S. and Mary (Cope) Neill around 1852. They were among the earliest of the Quaker families to come to Jennings County. They also settled in northern Bigger township.

    I have not seen anything showing the Johnson family was of Quaker origin so the romance that happened between Meredith Johnson and Margaret Neill may very well have caused some issues. Despite this on April 5th of 1860 Meredith Johnson and Margaret Neill were married by Rev. Jacob M. Cox of Graham Baptist Church. As time went on Meredith acquired more land.

June 21, 1923 - North Vernon Plain Dealer OBITUARY     Meredith, son of Barnet and Lucy Johnson, was born in Jennings County, Indiana, June 28th, 1938 died on June 6th 1923. On April 5 1860 he was united in marriage to Margaret S. Neill. He with his beloved wife purchased (with other land) a part of the farm of his birth, and he spent his entire life on this farm. There were four daughters and two sons came to brighten this home. On Nov 12th, 1906 death claimed his companion. Two daughters, Mary L. and Lucy and the two boys John W. and Everett B. passed away also. He leaves to mourn his loss two daughters, Florence Barnum of Yorba Linda, California and Edith; one sister Mrs. Lizzie Sprague, fifty-six grand children, one dead, two great-grandchildren, living; one dead, a large number of other relatives and many warm friends who will miss Uncle Merideth. He was a friend to man. p Find A Grave Link

North Vernon Plain Dealer - November 29, 1906 Obituary     Margaret S. Neill was born May 29, 1842 in Columbiana Co., Ohio, Died Nov. 12, 1906     She was the daughter of Samuel and Mary Neill being next to the youngest of a family of ten children.     When she was ten years of age she came with her father's family to Jennings County where she has ever since resided.     She was married April 5, 1860 to Meredith Johnson to which union were born four daughters and two sons, two daughters and one son having preceded her to the better land.     She was a birthright member of the Friends church being a member of this church at Hopewell near Butlerville at the time of her death.     She led a consistent Christian life and even during over six long years of illness and suffering her kind heart, patient and gentle nature were ever manifest.     Her loving husband, her son and daughters will sadly miss her in the home. Her brother and sister still living feel that another dear one has gone home.     No better testimony can be offered as to her gentle and loving character than the love, respect and esteem given her by all who knew her.     Her relatives, neighbors, and other friends are all deep in sorrow with the family. Find A Grave Link

    Meredith & Margaret were not among the pioneer families who had very a large family themselves. Their known children were:

1.     Mary Luana Johnson who was born April 10, 1862 and married Alfred Townsend from neighboring Ripley County on December 1, 1867. They had a daughter Glenora, on June 16, 1884 and Mary died June 1st of 1886. Glenora Townsend spent quite a bit of time with her grandparents Meredith & Margaret Johnson.

June 17, 1886 - Versailles Republican
BETHEL
    Mrs. Mary Townsend, wife of Mr. Alfred E. Townsend, of this place, died at his residence, Tuesday, June 1st, 1886, after a painful illness of three weeks. The death of this estimable and Christian lady has caused a pain of sorrow in almost every household in the neighborhood. Mrs. Townsend was a lady of marked intelligence, most amiable disposition and decided Religous convictions. Though not over 25 years of age at the time of her death, but she had, by many excellent traits of character, endeared herself to a large circle of acquaintances and upon the religious community had made a deep impression by her piety.

Mary Luana (Johnson) Townsend

Glenora Townsend daughter of Mary Luana Johnson & Alfred Townsend

2.     Lucy E. Johnson was born March 17, 1866 and died January 22, 1884 on the family farm.

3.     Everett E. Johnson was born September 4, 1872. On June 4th 1899 Everett married Maud Nancy Hendricks daughter of Joseph Hendricks & Sarah Carney. Everett & Maud had five children and on October 26, 1912, Everett died of Typhoid Fever, leaving Maud a widow with five children: Sarah, Naomi, Merrill, John & Lois. By 1920 Maud and the children had moved to California. Link to a page on this web site with a with another photo of Everett. Find A Grave Link

Everett E. Johnson

Maud Nancy (Hendricks) Johnson -wife of Everett Johnson.

4.     Florence Dale Johnson was born July 30, 1877 and stayed at the home farm untll after 1900, On October 7, 1906, Florence married Everett Edward Barnum, a young man born in Butlerville. His parents were Everett Barnum & Lucy (Carney) Barnum. Everett Barnam worked on the railroad which possibly explains the fact that he and Florence married in Chicago, it was a one day train trip there from Jennings County. Making it very possible they went to Chicago to marry and just kept moving. They ended up in California by 1920 and remained there for the rest of their lives.

Florence (Johnson) Barnum

Everett & Florence Barnum

5.     Edith Alice Johnson, was born November 9, 1880 on the home farm in Bigger township. She was called "Edie" by the family. Edith did not marry and remained at home caring for her parents till they died. Her mother Margaret died in 1906, Meredith lived until 1923. Edith is still living on the farm in 1930 but in 1940 she no longer is listed as a property owner and is living with a Perkins family. In 1950 she is no longer in Bigger township but is living in Center township (North Vernon). Her obituary (below) explains that she was living as a home health nurse and so usually in a household were she did not show as head of the house.

North Vernon Plain Dealer - August 9, 1956
    Funeral services for Miss Edith Johnson, age 76, who died Saturday, near noon, at the home of Ed Lamb, who lives near Rush Branch, were held Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 o'clock in the Graham Baptist church, conducted by Dr. W. H. Dillard, pastor of the North Vernon First Baptist Church. Burial took place in the church cemetery. Miss Johnson was born in Bigger Township and spent the greater part of her life in this locality. She was a member of the Bethel Baptist church. She later moved her membership to the Graham Baptist church of which she was a very faithful member. Her every interest in life was for the good of others, helping those near and far distant, which created a love and admiration for all who knew her. One brother and two sisters, we know of preceded her in death a number of years ago. She cared for a nephew in her home from childhood by the name of Abraham Lincoln. This nephew and family are now living in Anderson. She has one living sister, Florence Barnum, a resident of the state of California, who was unable to make the trip to Indiana at the present time. In later years, she did home nursing and house care near her home and in North Vernon, Indianapolis and other places. The past few months she had been helping in the home of Mr. Lamb, who was to her every need when he found her critically ill the morning before her death. As a reporter, I would like to add in conclusion, she was a very dear friend of mine, a person of character and pattern for others to follow in her likeness. Find A Grave Link

Edith Johnson 1880 - 1956

6. John William Johnson, December 28, 1884 - November 12, 1885

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