MIAMI COUNTY OHIO - BIO: JOHNSTON, John (published 1880)
***************************************************************************
OHGENWEB NOTICE:  All distribution rights to this electronic data are
reserved by the submitter.  Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted
material will require the permission of the copyright owner.
***************************************************************************
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
LeaAnn Rich 
leaann1@bellsouth.net
April 10, 1999
***************************************************************************

Historical Collections of Ohio
Henry Howe LL.D.
Miami County

JOHN JOHNSTON

From near the wedded trees I had a view of Upper Piqua,  shown in our
sketch of 1846.  He was the largest contributor to my original edition. 
He was of Scotch-Irish and Huguenot stock,  was born in Ballyshannon,
Ireland in 1775, and died in Washington D.C. in 1861.  When a lad he
came to Pennsylvania with his father's family;  at 17 yrs was in the
Quartermasters Department in Wayne's army;  was later clerk in the war
department; participated as an officer at the funeral services of
Washington; was Indian Agent, appointed by Madison, at Upper Piqua for
30 years, having control of the affairs of 10,000 Indians, comprising
many tribes, and giving great satisfaction;  negotiated for a treaty of
cession of the Wyandots,  last of the native tribes of Ohio.  In 1844,
as a delegate to the Whig convention in Baltimore, he rode on horseback
the whole way from Piqua, and made speeches for Henry Clay along the
route.  He established with his wife the first Sunday-school in Miami
county;  was one of the founders of Kenyon College;  a trustee of Miami;
a member of the Visiting Board at West Point;  President of the
Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, etc. etc. His "Account of
the Indian Tribes of Ohio" is in the fifth volume of the "Collections of
the American Society Antiquarian."  Three of his sons were valued
officers; one, Stephen, was in the Navy,  another, A.R., was killed in
the Mexican War, and a third, James A., was killed in the civil war.

I remember as of yesterday my first interview with Col. Johnston at
Upper Piqua.  He was a tall dignified man, and of the blonde type,  then
71 yrs of age.  He was at the time plainly clad, but impressive, 
seeming as one born to command.  It was a warm summers day, and he took
me to his well and gave me a drink of pure cold water,  the quality of
which he praised with the air of a prince.  No man had the power and
influence with the Western Indians that he possessed, and it arose from
his weight of character and his high sense of justice.  After leaving
Upper Piqua he resided for years with his daughter, Mrs. John D. Jones,
at Cincinnati.  He was indeed a sterling man every way,  and Ohio should
never forget him.


==== OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List ====