Rutabega Johnson
JOHNSON, “RUTABEGA”
Newspaper, Historical Vignettes, by Helen Hall
.... This information was sent one time by Johnson’s daughter, Nadine Holder Honaker, 3206 Kessler Blvd., Wichita Falls, Texas.
John Johnson was the son of Benjamin and Barbara Johnson. Benjamin was a cousin of President Andrew Johnson. John was born in Ashe County, N. C., Feb. 23, 1819.
He came to Texas in the fall of 1861 with his wife Polly Kimsey of Missouri. They were the parents of 12 children. Only five lived to be grown and they were Marian, Jane Bomer, Elizabeth Holder, Merrill W. and John Johnson.
During the Civil War, Johnson organized a company of men to help the Confederacy.
He was a staunch Democrat and in 1875 helped draw up the Constitution of the State of Texas. He was a senator from Collin County, serving during the 18th and 19th legislatures.
He build a solid block of brick buildings in McKinney and was extremely wealthy at the time of his death in 1899.
He was a self-made success. His father died when he was only 13 years old, leaving no means of support for his family.
John hired out to split rails for 30 cents per hundred. He took the family to Missouri where he took up land, improved it, sold the claim, pre-empted another and later, settling and selling several plots of land, he sold the last one for $42,000, a large sum of money at that time - 1861.
He bought 200 acres of land east of McKinney and with money to speculate with in land deals, he accumulated a lot of wealth.
He became known as “Rutabega Johnson,” a fiery political figure whose writings were published in newspapers all over Texas.
Johnson is credited with getting the Homestead Law passed in 1875.
Johnson is buried in the old Johnson Cemetery, four miles east of McKinney, a part of the land he owned.
During the Civil War, one of Johnson’s sons, Benjamin, was ill and said to his father, “Pappy, when I died, I want to be buried under the old elm tree by our deer-stand.”
The deer-stand was on the northeast corner of the farm and is now the site of the Johnson Cemetery.
John H. Johnson is an ancestor of Kate Holder, who lives in his old home.
Newspaper, Historical Vignettes, by Helen Hall
.... This information was sent one time by Johnson’s daughter, Nadine Holder Honaker, 3206 Kessler Blvd., Wichita Falls, Texas.
John Johnson was the son of Benjamin and Barbara Johnson. Benjamin was a cousin of President Andrew Johnson. John was born in Ashe County, N. C., Feb. 23, 1819.
He came to Texas in the fall of 1861 with his wife Polly Kimsey of Missouri. They were the parents of 12 children. Only five lived to be grown and they were Marian, Jane Bomer, Elizabeth Holder, Merrill W. and John Johnson.
During the Civil War, Johnson organized a company of men to help the Confederacy.
He was a staunch Democrat and in 1875 helped draw up the Constitution of the State of Texas. He was a senator from Collin County, serving during the 18th and 19th legislatures.
He build a solid block of brick buildings in McKinney and was extremely wealthy at the time of his death in 1899.
He was a self-made success. His father died when he was only 13 years old, leaving no means of support for his family.
John hired out to split rails for 30 cents per hundred. He took the family to Missouri where he took up land, improved it, sold the claim, pre-empted another and later, settling and selling several plots of land, he sold the last one for $42,000, a large sum of money at that time - 1861.
He bought 200 acres of land east of McKinney and with money to speculate with in land deals, he accumulated a lot of wealth.
He became known as “Rutabega Johnson,” a fiery political figure whose writings were published in newspapers all over Texas.
Johnson is credited with getting the Homestead Law passed in 1875.
Johnson is buried in the old Johnson Cemetery, four miles east of McKinney, a part of the land he owned.
During the Civil War, one of Johnson’s sons, Benjamin, was ill and said to his father, “Pappy, when I died, I want to be buried under the old elm tree by our deer-stand.”
The deer-stand was on the northeast corner of the farm and is now the site of the Johnson Cemetery.
John H. Johnson is an ancestor of Kate Holder, who lives in his old home.