David Garth Johnson

Brief Life History of David Garth

David Garth Johnson was born on 8 May 1931, in Oakland, Alameda, California, United States. He married Mary Catherine Laffey on 23 August 1975, in Stateline, Douglas, Nevada, United States. He lived in Lafayette, Contra Costa, California, United States in 1954 and Santa Rosa, Riverside, California, United States in 2011. He died on 6 October 2007, in Ukiah, Mendocino, California, United States, at the age of 76, and was buried in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, United States.

Photos and Memories (1)

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Family Time Line

David Garth Johnson
1931–2007
Mary Catherine Laffey
1944–2011
Marriage: 23 August 1975

Sources (13)

  • David G Johnson, "United States 1950 Census"
  • Dave, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014"
  • David G Johnson, "Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005"

Spouse and Children

World Events (8)

1932

Amelia Earhart completes first solo nonstop transatlantic flight by a woman.

1934 · Alcatraz Island Becomes Federal Penitentiary

Alcatraz Island officially became Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on August 11, 1934. The island is situated in the middle of frigid water and strong currents of the San Francisco Bay, which deemed it virtually inescapable. Alcatraz became known as the toughest prison in America and was seen as a “last resort prison.” Therefore, Alcatraz housed some of America’s most notorious prisoners such as Al Capone and Robert Franklin Stroud. Due to the exorbitant cost of running the prison, and the deterioration of the buildings due to salt spray, Alcatraz Island closed as a penitentiary on March 21, 1963. 

1951 · The Twenty-Second Amendment

Before the Twenty-second Amendment, the Presidency didn’t have a set number limit on how many times they could be elected or re-elected to the office of President of the United States. The Amendment sets that limit to two times, consecutively or not, and sets additional conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors.

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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