Johnson Families from Walpole As It Was and As It Is (1880)

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Surname: JOHNSON
Source: Walpole As It Was and As It Is by George Aldrich, 
        The Claremont Manufacturing Co., Claremont, N.H., 1880, pages 296-298

JOHNSON, ISAAC. There was a man, who lived, and owned a large farm, in the early settlement of 
the town, somewhere in district No. 5 or 9, by the name of Isaac Johnson, whose wife’s name was 
Mary. He was an early member of parson Fessenden’s church, and was in the habit of taking too much 
"overjoyful." (See ch. his.) He had a large family who were baptized by the parson and among the 
number was one whose name was Stephan, who was baptized in 1773; five years after the birth of Dr. 
Stephen Johnson; he, also, had a grandson, Stephen, who was baptized in 1788. The Johnsons 
suddenly disappear from the various records belonging to the town, and it is supposed they went away. 
It is claimed by the descendants of the Johnson family that the Doctor, whose history follows, came 
from Connecticut, which might be the case, and still the Stephen baptized in 1773 might be one and the 
same person. It is, however, a matter wholly hypothetical. He might have been born in town and left 
when the Johnson family did, to return to his native town as Dr. Stephen Johnson.

JOHNSON, Dr. STEPHEN, came to town about 1790, a full-fledged physician, from Connecticut. 
No knowledge has been gained of the place where he was educated, nor with whom he studied. He 
commenced practice with Drs. George Sparhawk, Jesseniah Kittredge, sen., and Abraham Holland as 
competitors. He was married, Dec. 31, 1793, to Persis,--or Percy,--the oldest child of Col. 
Christopher Webber by his wife Hannah. He spent the remainder of his life in town, and d. Jan. 29, 
1836, aged 68. She d. April 6, 1846, aged 78. His farm and home were in dist. No. 5, a few rods 
north of the residence of David C. Thompson. His practice could not have been large, although the 
services of a physician were more frequently required in those days than at present. From recounts 
given of him by those who knew him personally his character was a strange compound of gentleness 
and the opposite ---- winning at one time with smiles, and repulsing at another with frowns. His wife 
was highly esteemed by her friends and neighbors for gentleness of character and good sense; but her 
patience was sorely tried at times, by the unreasonable demands of her husband, whom she had done 
her best to please. He would, at times, when his services were required at a distant part of the town, in 
unpleasant weather, severely berate the messenger, and declare he would not go; but no sooner would 
the words escape his mouth than he would order his horse brought to the door. It is related of him that 
he kept a large number of geese, which together with their goslings, in summer, made his door yard their 
headquarters, and sorely annoyed him. One day he told his hired man that he would pay him twenty-five 
cents for every gosling’s head he would chop off; not thinking he would do it; but, hearing an unusual 
clamor among his geese, he stepped to the door, and found his man making brisk work at decapitation, 
when he immediately broke his engagement, and paid the man for four heads he had already severed. 
His family consisted of only five children:
I. Maria, b. Apr. 13, 1795; m. Capt. Stephen Tiffany, Oct. 18, 1818; d. Mar. 1, 1872.
II. Sally A., b. Jan. 18, 1797; d. unm., Dec. 14, 1845.
III. Stephen Sumner, b. Apr. 18, 1801; m. Content B., dau. of Israel Wightman, of this town, Apr. 
23, 1823. Ch. 1st, Frederick, d. in infancy. 2d, Eliza Ann, b. 1828; m. Elijah Holbrook, of 
Surry, and removed to Wisconsin. 3d, William Herman, lawyer in N.Y. City, b. July 12, 1833; 
m. first, Sarah, dau. of Benjamin Gates, of this town; ch., Grace E., Edward S., Wm. G.; m. 
second, S. Jennie, dau. of Wait Chatterton, Rutland; ch. Wait C. and Stanley M. 4th, Percy 
W., b. 1830; d. March 4, 1849. 5th, Stephen, was a merchant at Keene, b. 1836; m. dau. of 
John Draper, in 1863; d. May, 1869. 6th, Fanny, b; 1834; m. George H. Babbitt, and lives at 
Bellows Falls. 7th and 8th, George, d. in infancy, and Henry, m. Ella Uptegraph, Mt. Vernon, 
Ill. and res. there. 9th, John, b. Aug. 9, 1841; m. Augusta, dau. of Erastus Hines, Rochester, 
N.Y., is a physician in N.Y. City.
IV. Frederick, b. July 16, 1804; d. July 16, 1825; He was a physician.
Percy, b. Oct. 25,1808; m. Alpheus Clark, had one son, Frederick and died Jan. 9, 1829.