Freestone County, Texas
Biographies


Joseph Burton Johnson, Sr.


 
  On October 7, 1873 in Dallas, "Colonel" Joseph Burton Johnson of Freestone 
County, Texas was elected to be the first "master" of the statewide office 
for the "Texas State Grange" of the "Order of Patrons of Husbandry". [This was 
basically a social organization for farmers]. Six months later, the First Texas 
State Grange Convention was held in Austin on April 14, 1874 with W. W. Lang now 
leading the same state organization since Colonel J. B. Johnson died on Jan 18, 
1874 after the October gathering.  W. W. Lang oversaw a lot of the initial 
foundational organizational work of the Texas State Grange.