John Fletcher Johnson Family

John Fletcher Johnson family of Marsden. The picture was taken during June 1909. It was found in the estate papers of the late Addie Jane Russell Stanley, granddaughter of John Fletcher Johnson and his first wife Nancy Jane Huitt.

Addie Jane’s son Ricky Russell kindly gave me a copy, and I am pleased to submit it.

Shown in the photo, beginning at viewer’s left are:

Reba Johnson, then 9 years old, only partially seen. Seated holding the two small children is their and Reba’s mother, Della L. Mann Wilkinson Johnson, wife of William Thomas (Bill) Johnson, 33, father of the three children. He is seen standing behind Della. The children on Della’s lap are, left to right, Gordie Johnson, 1, and John Holyar Johnson, nearly 3.

Seated next to Della is John Fletcher Johnson, 55. Standing in the front row next to him is Mattie Wells Johnson, then 9 years old. When she grew up, Mattie married John Roscoe Hickman, and they became my parents. Seated next to Mattie is her mother, second wife of John Fletcher Johnson, Sarah Larkin (Sally) Callaway Johnson, 51.

Standing, back row, next to Bill, is Beulah Lee Belle (Beulah) Corker, 18, fiancée of John Houston (Hugh) Johnson, also 18. Standing next to Hugh is his brother James Fletcher (Fletcher) Johnson, 16.

Standing next to Fletcher is his sister Lula R. (Lou) Johnson Sharp, 22. Seated in front of Lou is her husband Charlie Columbus (Lum) Sharp, 26. Lum is holding their infant son Corbett C. Sharp.

Seated next to Lum is George Earl (Earl) Stanley, husband of Effie Webb Johnson Brooks Stanley. Effie is seen standing back row at the viewer’s right. The two children with Earl are William Leciel (Leciel) Stanley, almost 2, and infant Garland Stanley.

Notes: John Fletcher Johnson (1847-1932) was born in Mississippi. He served in the Mississippi cavalry during the Civil War, enlisting at 16. After the war he settled in Bradley County where he farmed and traded horses and mules.

His first wife Nancy Jane Huitt (1847-1885) was the descendant of early French settlers of Bradley County, and the mother of Bill and Effie seen in the photo. His second wife, Sarah Larkin (Sally) Callaway (1858-1929), mother of daughters Lou and Mattie, is pictured along with them.

Four Bradley County lines descended from John Fletcher Johnson: The Stanleys through daughter Effie, the Johnsons through son Hugh, the Sharps through daughter Lula and the Hickmans through daughter Mattie. Son Bill Johnson and family moved to Mobile, Alabama leaving no descendants in Bradley County.

This photo was submitted to the website by Gerry Hickman