Johnson Roots

The surname, "Johnson," is the second-most prevalent name in the records of the U.S. Census Bureau's 1990 survey of the United States. There are almost as many Johnsons as there are Bobs.

I am a Johnson. My great-grandmother, wife of Charles S. Foulks, was Harriet Johnson -- a daughter of James and Rebecca. Prior to a couple of years ago, I maintained only a casual interest in such family linkages. I was not eager to jump into an active search of that side of my family tree. How many million Johnsons might I have to contact? Mind-boggling.

Then, in mail from a cousin, up popped a four-page family newsletter, named "Johnson Roots" -- which showed my great-grandmother Harriet as one of those for whom the group was seeking more information. Harriet was one of fourteen children of James and Rebecca Johnson, and this loosely-knit group has gathered information on many of the others.

-- Thom Foulks

The Johnson Roots Conference has a goal to identify, record and preserve a record of all descendants of James and Rebecca (Baxter) Johnson. The Conference holds an annual meeting in Allen County on the 4th Saturday of July. Their 20th annual session, in 2003, will be on July 26th, at the Fairview Church Of God, Fairview, IN, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Fairview is near Yoder, west of Indiana State Highway #1.) Those attending should bring a covered dish and table service.

For much of the 1990s, volunteers of the Conference staged annual playlets, based on facts from the lives of James and Rebecca. They provided an innovative and unique tale of the family's history. Here's a synopses of the playlets.

This year's program will be a visit to the nearby Uniontown Cemetery, where James and Rebecca Johnson are buried. The oft-remodelled original James Johnson log home is roadside on the route to the cemetery. (Yes, bring cameras!)

For information on attending, contact MAKientz@aol.com (Marge Kientz) by email or Jo Lauer (below) by snailmail. Note that the group is confined to information of the James and Rebecca family...sizable, in itself. (When they moved from Columbiana County, Ohio, to Allen County, Indiana, they had 12 children and 3 grandchildren.)

Marge and other members (Jo and Beth Lauer) of the Johnson Roots group are now sharing information with me, and I have raw data on a number of Johnson family members outside my immediate family tree. Such information as I have that plugs in rather directly to my own Foulks linkages is now being included in my online ancestral files.

For more information on the Johnson Roots Conference, write:

Jo Lauer
4223 Tacoma Ave.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46807

More Foulks Family Information

Email Send E-mail to thomfoulks@foulks.com