December 21, 2013

JOHNSON Surname

I've been blessed - or cursed - with a family of common surnames. Like Jones, Smith, Davis....and JOHNSON. JOHNSON is the 2nd most common surname in the US. Just my luck.

My Johnsons go waaayyy back. And they almost exclusively resided in Johnston County, NC. I descend from a couple of different lines of Johnsons. Early on, they spelled it Johnston (as in the county) and Johnstone. 

Origin of the name is largely English or Scottish, but family lore has it that the Scots are the major culprits. Which makes sense because the county was named for Gabriel Johnston, a Scotsman who gave his fellow countrymen a tax break for settling in NC during the Colonial period. Nice guy.

My grandmother was a Johnson. Ada Lou JOHNSON. And her mother-in-law was a JOHNSON. Whose mother was also a JOHNSON. JOHNSONS abound.

I know quite a lot about my JOHNSON kin, but as always, there is plenty more to know!


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