Husband Judge Samuel Porter Johnson 1 2 3
Born: 31 Jan 1809 - Scrubgrass Twp, Venango Co, PA 4
Christened:
Died: 3 Feb 1892 or 1893 4 5
Buried:
Father: Rev. Robert Johnston ( - ) 2 6
Mother:
Marriage: 1859 7
Other Spouse: Martha Hazeltine ( -1858) 7 8 - 1837 7
Wife Martha L. Brown 7
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: George Brown (Abt 1784-1868) 9
Mother: Temperance Plumb ( - ) 9
Other Spouse: Aaron S. Parmlee ( -Bef 1859) 7
Children
1 F Martha Johnson 7 10
Born:
Christened:
Died:
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Spouse: Charles D. Crandall (1855- ) 7 11
Marr: 1887 10
General Notes: Husband - Judge Samuel Porter Johnson
When sixteen years of age he entered Jefferson College at Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, whence he was graduated in 1830. He began teaching the same year at Danville Academy, then Columbia County, and at the same time studied law under Robert C. Grier, later and for many years a justice of the supreme court of the United States. He was admitted to the bar at Sunbury, Northumberland County, November 3, 1833, and in January, 1854, located at Franklin, Venango County. In September of the same year he settled in Warren, Pennsylvania, where he was in practice until his death. For the first six years in Warren, he was the working partner of the legal firm, Struthers & Johnson, Mr. Struthers having practically withdrawn from active practice. In 1840 he formed a partnership with Rassellas Brown and for twenty years, Johnson & Brown were the leading attorneys of the Warren county bar. In 1860, Mr. Johnson was elected president judge of the sixth judicial district, composed then of Warren, Erie and Crawford counties, Elk being added later. He served a full term on the bench and displayed the highest qualities of judicial acumen and fairness. But he preferred the practice of law to the life of a jurist and refused to accept a second term. He retired from the bench in 1871 and soon secured a large practice in the counties of the sixth district. He continued in active practice for fourteen years, when he gradually withdrew from the more exacting duties and finally retained little but an advisory capacity in the firm Johnson, Lindsey & Parmlee.
In 1836, three years after his admission to the bar he began practice in McKean County under the administration of Governor Ritner. The next year he extended his practice to Potter County, and later to Elk County. In these three counties and in Venango County, in which he always retained a practice, he was in constant attendance at all their courts. He thus kept up a leading and successful practice in five counties, beside his annual pilgrimage to the supreme court. This continued until his elevation to the bench. He was always the inveterate foe of intemperance and delivered many temperance lectures and addresses during his half century of public life. He was a hard worker, but of a splendid physique. Good health and temperate habits enabled him to endure a vast amount of labor. He was bold, fearless and independent, never courted public favor, never drank, gambled or danced, and had the courage to act up to his convictions. His style made him some enemies, but he never sought the goodwill of any one at the sacrifice of principle or self respect. He was a Whig and a Republican, the strong foe of slavery and an earnest partisan. He worked for party success on the "stump" during early life but would never ask or accept nomination for political office. He took a great interest in church, state and municipal affairs; was for several years school director of Warren and during his term of office the first Union school was established. He was an able historian and an authority on Warren county. In 1876, when Dr. Egle published his "History of Pennsylvania," Judge Johnson wrote a most complete and valuable condensed history of Warren county, forming one of the most valu-able and interesting chapters in the work. [GPHAV, 734]