My current email is edies49@gmail.com if you want to reach me. (I don't use the yahoo email anymore.)

So anyway....

I have over 1,000 people just in the Johnson family tree, and have 2 other trees for the other side of my family and my husband's side. I am just trying to figure out what else to put up here.

Haven't posted in a while...

I've been busy though and when I get more together I will post it. I always wondered how the cousin/removed thing worked. I figured it out (thank you wikipedia) For example, President John Adams was my 3rd cousin, 7 times removed. His son John Q., would be my 4th cousin, 6 times removed.

The Adams Family...but how are we related to the Presidents?

Yes, indeed, we are related. We're cousins of the late Presidents of the United States. The Adams family can be traced back to Henry Adams, one of the founding fathers of the United States. He and his wife, Edith Squire, had seven sons. Documentation can be found in the book "A Genealogical History of Henry Adams of Braintree, Mass. and his descendants", written by Andrew N. Adams and published in 1898. Generations are stated as follows:


The Presidential Line:

*1st - Henry Adams
*2nd - Joseph Adams, Sr. (1626-1694)
*3rd - Joseph Adams, Jr. (1654-1737)
*4th - John Adams, Sr. (1690-1761)
*5th - President John Adams (1735-1836)
*6th - President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)


Our Line:

*1st - Henry Adams
*2nd - Peter Adams
*3rd - Joseph Adams. (1668-1748)
*4th - Joseph Adams (1707-___)
*5th - Samuel Adams
*6th - Simon Adams
*7th - Anson Adams
*8th - Fanny Adams
(*included in book which ends with Fanny)
9th - Robert Johnson
10th - Arba Johnson

Lewis and Amanda Johnson

Lewis Robert Jr. & Amanda Johnson had five children Mary, Andrew, Levi, Abigail, and Zilpha Jane.

TIMELINE
1800 - Lewis was born in the state of Vermont
1814 – Amanda Gates was born in Vermont
1820 – Residence Rupert, Bennington, Vermont
1835 – From "A History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, Michigan"
Lewis originally came from New York leading a cow and carrying an axe. His wife, Amanda, was carrying a bundle of clothing—their sole possessions.
From the same resource it states, “On one occasion they (the wolves) held meeting to such good purpose as to carry off two stray calves belonging to Lewis Johnson.”
1844 - Amanda died August 10, 1844, in Lawrence, Michigan
1860 – Residence Hamilton, Van Buren County, Michigan
1872 – Levi died on July 13, 1872 in Hamilton, Van Buren County, Michigan

Lewis’ parents were Lewis Robert Johnson and Abigail Lord
Lewis Sr. was born in Vermont in 1780
Abigail was born in Connecticut in 1780. Abigail died May 30, 1879 in Lawrence, Michigan at the age of 99

This ends my search on the Johnson side; no more information was found.

Levi Johnson & Fanna Johnson

TIMELINE

From the U.S. Census and Family Stories:

1839 Levi was born November 6, 1839, in Hamilton, Van Buren County, Michigan

1843 Fanna was born February 3, 1843, in Andover, Allegany, New York

1860, Levi married Fanna V. Adams in Paw Paw, Michigan.

They lived in a log cabin on 51^st St. in Hamilton Township.

1870 Residence – Lawrence, Michigan

1880 Residence – Lawrence, Michigan

1891 Property - They owned a great deal of property in Hamilton Township and made money farming and threshing grain in the area. They gave each of their children a large parcel of land and built a large, red, three story brick house on the same location as the original cabin. The house was built with a double row of bricks all around it and Great Grandmother Johnson helped lay the bricks.

Levi died in January 2, 1902 in Lawrence, Michigan

Fanna died in 1919

1900 U.S. Census

This Census shows that Levi & Fanna's children Albert, Robb, May all lived within close proximity of each other.

Grandpa Arba's Brothers and Sister

Roe Erman Johnson –Born July 4, 1894-in Lawrence – Died March 12, 1954 in Allegan, Michigan. Roe was married to Margie Utter Oct. 7, 1916. They had 10 children: Clair, Earl, Don, Alice, Carl, Marvin, Bernice, Ruby, Roscoe, and Rex.

A great deal of information comes from Aunt Margie who lived to be 104 years old!

Fannie Maria (pronounced Myria) Johnson – 1895-1966. Fannie married Doc Fitzwater, who was a veterinarian and they divorced. After that she married Edgar Hays.

Roe and Fanny went to Corwin School, a one room schoolhouse in Lawrence. Roe went through 10^th grade, then he and Rex went to Lansing to Michigan State University Agriculture Extension Classes.

The Story of Robert Lewis Johnson

TIMELINE

Census Data and Stories from Family

Born July 4,1867, in Hamilton, Van Buren County, Michigan.

1870 Residence Lawrence, Michigan

1880 Residence Lawrence, Michigan

1890 Age 23 – Marriage to Lenna Corwin

1900 Residence Lawrence, Michigan

1910 Residence Lawrence, Michigan

1920 Residence Lawrence, Michigan

1926 – “Robb” built a white wood house with a porch around it and it had a dumb waiter. He also built a white house in Lawrence with a stone porch around it. It is located near the park in Lawrence. They lived in town briefly.

1926 – Death of first wife Lenna

1927 - Marriage to Grace Graham

1929 - Robb owned a lot of land and made his money threshing and farming. He was listed on the New York Stock Exchange during the Great Depression, about 1929, with over a million dollars. He invested in oil wells from a guy in Texas. When his wife Lena was alive, she wouldn’t let him mortgage the land, but after she died he married a woman named Grace and what he didn’t lose to the oil man , the stock market and, and the sawmill business she took in the divorce.

1942 – Robb was in the barn at Rex’s house milking the cows. He suddenly threw up his arms and said, “I’m gone”, and he was. He and Lenna are buried in the Hamilton Township Cemetery along with his father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother.

Grandma Bertha's Sisters and Brothers

• Frieda Agnes Steel – born July 5, 1907 in Dowagiac, Michigan. Married in 1925 to George Maurice Osborn. Died September 2, 1970 in Benton Harbor, Michigan

• Otto Steel – born in 1909

• Edward G. Steel – born in 1912

• Garold Steel – born in 1915

• Alfred Steel – born in 1917

• Nola May Steel – born in 1921

Bertha Steel Johnson Family Tree

People in this tree who are pictured are Bertha, Millard Steel, Bessie Hardenbrook Steel,
and Agnes Hardenbrook Blair.

Arba Johnson Family Tree

People from this tree who are pictured are Arba, Robert Lewis Johnson and Lenna Corwin
(click on tree to enlarge),

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson

Agnes Hardenbrook

In the back row in front of the right window is Uncle Rex and to the right of him Aunt Alberta. She is the tall lady with the hat.

Bertha with her first grandchild, Ken Peters

Bertha and her sister Nola

Aunt Fanny, Arba, and Bertha

Aunt Fanny was Arba's sister. She was married twice, but never had any children.

Grandma Bertha

Grandma at work in the kitchen at Lawrence school where she was the head cook.

Side view of house in Lawrence.

Bertha and Arba's house in Lawrence

This is Grandma and Grandpa's house in Lawrence. The Lawrence Post Office stands in this spot now. If you look closely, on the porch, you can see Edie, Tim, and cousin Ken Peters.

Great Great Grandma Hardenbrook

This is Agnes Ermine Blair Hardenbrook. She was Bertha's grandmother on her mother's side. With her are three of her four sons. The sons names were Otto, Orlo, Almont, and Franklin, but I am not sure who is pictured.

Great Grandpa Millard Steel and Great Grandma Besse Clerassa Hardenbrook Steel

Great Grandpa Steel's birthplace.

Grandma Bertha's father Millard Steel was born in Forest City, Missouri.

Adams Family Reunion

There aren't too many I can identify. The woman in the back row holding her hand up at the other one who is pointing is Hope Brown. Great grandfather Robert is right beneath their hands. On the far right is Rex holding baby Ada.

Adams Family Reunion

This is an early picture of the Anson & Alma Adams family reunion. They were Arba's great grandparents. It is still held every other year in August. Role is taken and all present report from each of Anson and Alma's twelve children. Back row 6th from left Aunt Fannie, middle in back in suit is Rex and to his left is Arba. Bertha is left of Arba in the back row. Front row - oldest girl, in dress is Ada. To the right is Lenna, Frank, Glen?, and Dick. Right behind Dick (with the vest on) is Grandpa Arba's father Robert Johnson.

Lenna Corwin

Christmas time...in the 1950's

Grandma Bertha

Family Portrait

More pictures of Arba