Jacob Johnson (father of Andrew Johnson)

Early life

Jacob Johnson was born on April 17, 1778. Some sources indicate he was born in Newcastle, England and sailed to America around 1795, but others say he was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it was his grandfather who came from England.

Historian Rev. Nash A. Odom writes, "In the year 1760, Peter Johnson, migrated from Kintyre Scotland to North Carolina with his large family and settled in Cumberland County. The preaching instinct broke out again and a number of the Johnsons became ministers. One was the father of Jacob Johnson, who moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and was the father of President Andrew Johnson."

Billy Kennedy writes that Jacob's father, an Ulster Presbyterian named Andrew Johnson, emigrated to North Carolina about 1750 from Mounthill, now in Northern Ireland.

Marriage and family

Jacob Johnson married Mary "Polly" McDonough (July 17, 1783 – February 13, 1856) on September 9, 1801 in Wake County, North Carolina. They had three children: William Patterson Johnson (1804–1865), Elizabeth Johnson (1806–??), and Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875).

Career

Known as "mud-sills" (lower-class people), Jacob and Mary Johnson were both employed at Casso's Inn, where Mary worked as a weaver and clothes washer, and Jacob was a hostler. Jacob also was a militia Captain of Muster Division 20, a sexton for the Presbyterian Church, and a porter for the State Bank of North Carolina (chartered in 1811). Jacob Johnson is also said to have been the sole bell toller in Raleigh.

Home

The Johnson family log home was on property owned by Casso's Inn, a popular antebellum inn northeast of the present-day North Carolina State Capitol building. Casso's Inn was owned by Peter Casso, a Revolutionary War soldier.

The Johnson home is now preserved at Mordecai Historic Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Death

Jacob Johnson saved the lives of Colonel Thomas Henderson, the young editor of the Raleigh Star, and his friend Mr. Callum, when the enthusiastic group of fishermen capsized their fishing skiff on Walnut Creek near Hunter's Mill in December 1811. The third occupant of the skiff, Mr. William Peace, had no trouble getting to shore. Johnson jumped in the water and saved Henderson and Callum, to the detriment of his own health. He died several weeks later, ironically, while ringing the funeral bell at the State Capitol Building. He was buried at the Old City Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Johnson's obituary from the Raleigh Star of January 10, 1812, read:

Following his death, Mary (McDonough) Johnson married Turner Daughtrey (or Daugherty) on May 6, 1812 in Wake County, North Carolina. She is buried in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Greenville, Greene County, Tennessee.

Gravesite Dedication by Andrew Johnson

Jacob's grave remained marked only by “J.X.J.” until 1867, when the current marker was erected. The writing on the marker has been obliterated from weather and vandalism, but an early account indicates that it was inscribed as follows:

Then-president Andrew Johnson was invited by Raleigh Mayor William Dallas Haywood to attend the public erection of Jacob's monument. He agreed to attend the dedication; this marked Johnson's only trip to the south during his term as President. He departed Washington, DC on June 1, 1867, stayed at Richmond, Virginia on the 2nd, and arrived in Raleigh on the 3rd. Johnson stayed at the Yarborough House Hotel on Fayetteville Street during his stay, and delivered a lengthy speech about various topics shortly after arriving. The gravesite dedication took place on June 4. At the ceremony, the president called his father an "honest and faithful friend, a character I prize higher than all the wordly fortunes that could have been left me.” He spent the 5th and 6th in Chapel Hill, where he attended one of the commencement ceremonies for the University of North Carolina, and left for Washington on the 7th.