Johnson & Hanson Family Trees: Johnson & Hanson

OUR FAMILY

When dad married mom he did it just for love. He had no idea what a bunch of wily characters came with the deal. Nor did she.

All in all, our family are a remarkable lot. If you search deep enough into our history you will find the usual mix including the great, the famous, the scoundrel, the poor, the rich and thank goodness, those who kept the family laughing over the centuries in spite of the circumstances.

The majority of ancestors we know about came from England. This is true for both the Johnson line and the Hanson line, each of which can be traced back to the 12th century. Both sides of the family have a sprinkling of Knights who fought in wars for their kings and were rewarded for their loyalty and bravery. Not all cases were fairy tale endings though. Following the English Civil War in 1649, the vendictive Cromwell punished a number of ancestors and thier lands were forfeited for supporting King Charles I.

And, our English ancestors were among the first to settle the New World arriving in Jamestown Virginia in 1607. Over the years, many of the family members migrated from Virginia to North Carolina and then to Georgia.

SOME ANCESTORS OF NOTABLE MENTION

Uncle Ira Jennings 1896: The oldest stage driver in the world..the finger of time has traced many deep lines in his face and exposure to the elements have furrowed his brow and hardened his skin, but his spirit is still young, his step is quick and the fires of democratic ardor burns brightly and unceasingly in his breast.

William Newsome 1445: William Newsom (or Newsham) may have been the first resident of Newsham Hall in Lancashire, England. The Newsom family lived in the house for at least seven generations. The first Newsome to arrive in America was also named William (the seventh great grandson of the original William Newsome) and came to Virginia aboard the "George" in 1635.

Harry S Truman: 33rd President: During his few weeks as Vice President, Harry S Truman scarcely saw President Roosevelt, and received no briefing on the development of the atomic bomb or the unfolding difficulties with Soviet Russia. Suddenly these and a host of other wartime problems became Truman's to solve when, on April 12, 1945, he became President. He told reporters, "I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me."

Col Henry Duke 1690: Henry Duke emigrated from Suffolk County England first to Bermuda and then to York County, VA and later moved to James City County. On July 25, 1690 (as Capt. Henry Duke), he was appointed by Gov. Francis Nicholson to solicit subscriptions for building a college and free school in the colony. Today, William & Mary is America's second oldest college.

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