Contra Costa County CA Archives Biographies.....Johnson, Sampson W. 1828 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 27, 2005, 4:09 am

Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882)

SAMPSON W. JOHNSON.—This old pioneer of the coast is the son of William and Mary
Wood Johnson, and was born in Russell county, Virginia, August 20, 1828. When
but four years of age his parents moved west, locating in Greene county,
Illinois, where he received a common school education, and resided until his
coming to California. In April, 1846, Mr. Johnson, then in his eighteenth year,
started with a party of friends to cross the plains to Oregon, but upon arriving
at the Humboldt the company changed their minds on account of one Applegate,
misrepresenting a new route to Oregon. Then the party concluded to come to
California. Upon arriving at Sutter's Fort, where Sacramento City now stands,
young Johnson, learning of the outbreak of the Spaniards, volunteered, with
others of the party, and joined General Fremont's army in San Jose, and followed
the General during all his marches through the country. While in Los Angeles,
Johnson, with others, was detailed under Captain Ben. Hedgepeth, to make a raid
against the Indians, down towards San Diego. He remained with the General till
the Spring of 1847, when the battalion was disbanded. Then he returned to
Monterey, remaining there until the discovery of gold, then drifting with the
tide to the gold mines, where he remained until 1849, when he located in San
Jose, and found employment in a store until he was elected to the office of
Constable—being the first Constable in that place—serving two terms. In 1854, we
next find our subject on a farm in San Joaquin valley, where he followed
ranching until the Fall of 1859. He then moved to Contra Costa county and
engaged in the livery business in Pacheco until 1879, when he established his
present livery business in Martinez. Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss
Annie McClellan, in San Jose in August, 1850. They have four children: Charles
Oscar, James Ewing, Kate Adelaide and Perley Marion.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.

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