Smith Dayton Johnson

Brief Life History of Smith Dayton

When Smith Dayton Johnson was born on 27 December 1816, in Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, United States, his father, Didymus Johnson, was 48 and his mother, Ruhamah Stevens, was 48. He married Mary Austin Clark on 22 January 1835, in Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 daughters. He lived in Connecticut, United States in 1870. He died on 7 July 1887, in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut, United States, at the age of 70, and was buried in Indian Hill Cemetery, Middletown, Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America.

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Family Time Line

Smith Dayton Johnson
1816–1887
Mary Austin Clark
1815–1903
Marriage: 22 January 1835
Laura A. Johnson
1835–1863
Louise L. Johnson
1838–1918
Mary E Johnson
1845–1923

Sources (15)

  • Dayton Johnson, "United States Census, 1860"
  • Dayton Johnson, "Connecticut, Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
  • Dayton Johnson, "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934"

World Events (8)

1819 · Panic! of 1819

With the Aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars the global market for trade was down. During this time, America had its first financial crisis and it lasted for only two years. 

1829 · Farmington Canal Opened

Farmington Canal spans 2,476 acres, starting from New Haven, Connecticut, and on to Northampton, Massachusetts. The groundbreaking for the canal was in 1825 and opened in 1829.

1836 · Remember the Alamo

Being a monumental event in the Texas Revolution, The Battle of the Alamo was a thirteen-day battle at the Alamo Mission near San Antonio. In the early morning of the final battle, the Mexican Army advanced on the Alamo. Quickly being overrun, the Texian Soldiers quickly withdrew inside the building. The battle has often been overshadowed by events from the Mexican–American War, But the Alamo gradually became known as a national battle site and later named an official Texas State Shrine.

Name Meaning

English and Scottish: patronymic from the Middle English and Older Scots personal name Johan, Jo(h)n (see John ) + -son. It was often interchanged with Jenson and Janson . In North America, this surname has absorbed cognates from other languages, e.g. Norwegian, Danish, or North German Johnsen , Johannesen , Johannsen , Johansen , Jansen , Jantzen , and Jensen , Swedish Johnsson (see below), Johansson , Jonsson , and Jansson , Dutch Janssen , German Janz , Czech Jansa 1, and Slovenian Janša (see Jansa 2) and Janežič (see Janezic ). Johnson (including in the sense 2 below) is the second most frequent surname in the US. It is also the second most common surname among Native Americans and a very common surname among African Americans.

Americanized form (and a less common Swedish variant) of Swedish Johnsson: patronymic from the personal name John, a variant of Jon (see John ). Compare 1 above.

History: Surname Johnson was brought independently to North America by many different bearers from the 17th and 18th centuries onward. Andrew Johnson (1808–75), 17th president of the US, was born in Raleigh, NC, the younger son of Jacob Johnson and Mary (or Polly) McDonough. Little is known of his ancestors. The 36th president, Lyndon B. Johnson, dates his American forebears back seven generations to James Johnston (sic) (born c. 1662) who lived at Currowaugh, Nansemond, and Isle of Wight counties, VA. — Noted early bearers also include Marmaduke Johnson (died 1674), a printer who came from England to MA in 1660; Edward Johnson (1598–1672), a colonial chronicler who was baptized at St. George's parish, Canterbury, England, and emigrated to Boston in 1630; and Sir Nathaniel Johnson (c. 1645–1713), a colonial governor of Carolina, who came from County Durham, England.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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Life Story

"GEORGE H. HARRIS. In the death of this gentleman, June 15, 1897, there passed away one of the useful men of the city of Middletown. His life was a blessing not only to his family, the corporation and …

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