Early Johnsons of Goochland and Fluvanna Counties in Virginia

Today’s boundaries of Goochland and Fluvanna Counties, with the Cities of Richmond and Charlottesville shown for reference.  (Earlier Johnsons lived in Middlesex County, also shown.)  There have been many boundary changes in Virginia’s counties since its first counties (shires) were established in 1634 – see http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/virginia/viewer.htm.

Source:  http://www.yellowmaps.com/map/virginia-blank-map-157.htm (base map free for download and use).

 

 

Introduction and Caution

 

On an earlier rendition of this website, we confidently began our Early Johnsons discussion with Henry Johnson (~1670-1722) and his wife, Elizabeth Mussett Bond (~1675-). 

(We believe that Mussett [sometimes transcribed as Muffett] was Elizabeth’s maiden name, and that she was later a stepdaughter in a Bond household.  As an adult before she married, at different times she seems to have used both Mussett and Bond as her surname.) 

Although we have no formal documentation to support it, family tradition say that William Johnson (~1700-1722) and Silvanus Johnson (~1697-1763) were sons of Henry and Elizabeth – also, that William and Silvanus had a sister, Esther (1711-), but we know nothing more about her.  As researchers of the William Johnson line, we were comfortable with the apparent family connections, albeit loosely substantiated ones.

But, then, science entered in.  Y-DNA tests of William’s male descendants and of Silvanus’s male descendants have produced significantly different DNA profiles, meaning that William and Silvanus are from different paternal lines and could not be brothers.  In parallel, we found that the DNA profile of William’s descendants aligns closely with a contemporary Horton line, but not with another Johnson line, although there is a match to a Johnstone clan in Scotland several hundred years ago. 

We can’t explain all of this – an adoption, an unknown father, or what? – but descendants of William, of Silvanus, and of the Hortons continue to research the matter.  Please contact us if you have relevant information.

In the meantime, we had to decide what to do with our website.  After careful consideration, we decided to do this:

·       Publish this caveat in a prominent place

·       Retain Henry (because of family tradition), and make the Henry-William line the focus of our website

·       Isolate the Silvanus line in a separate report on our website, so as not to deny his information to researchers who might be able to help us get beyond our impasse

Table of Contents

«     Descendants of Henry Johnson

«     Surname List

«     Index of Names

 

Contact Information

About the research:  [email protected]

 

About the website:  [email protected]

 

 

This page was updated on 09-March-2015.