Johnson, Sir John

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Earle Thomas, “JOHNSON, Sir JOHN,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/johnson_john_6E.html
  • DCB profile:
    • Army officer, Indian Department official, politician, landowner, and seigneur; b. 5 Nov. 1741 at Mount Johnson (near Amsterdam, N.Y.), the only son of William Johnson (later Sir William) and Catherine Weissenberg (Wisenberg, Wysenberk); m. 29 June 1773 Mary Watts in New York City, and they had 11 children who survived to adulthood; d. 4 Jan. 1830 in Montreal.
    • Sir John Johnson came home a staunch supporter of his king, almost contemptuous of anyone who dared disagree with royal policy. He settled at Fort Johnson and took Clarissa Putman as his common-law wife, but in 1773 he yielded to his father’s wish that he marry into the New York aristocracy. He brought his new wife, Mary Watts, to Fort Johnson and set Clarissa Putman aside, although he continued to support her and their two children.
    • In 1774, on Sir William’s death, he moved to Johnson Hall (Johnstown), having inherited the baronetcy and close to 200,000 acres of land. He assumed responsibility for the numerous tenants and accepted the commission of major-general of the district militia.
    • During the early years of the American revolution Sir John and his brothers-in-law Christian Daniel Claus and Guy Johnson strove but failed to keep the Mohawk valley loyal. His brothers-in-law fled to the province of Quebec in 1775 and Sir John followed in the spring of 1776, narrowly escaping the military detachment sent to arrest him. Upon his arrival in Montreal he was commissioned to recruit the first battalion of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York and in 1780 a second one. He participated in the ill-fated siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777 and commanded the force which defeated the Americans at nearby Oriskany. In 1780 he led raids into the Mohawk valley, laying waste the countryside and burning vast quantities of grain and flour intended for the use of the Continental Army. 
    • In the first half of 1782 Sir John was appointed brigadier-general on the American establishment and, by a commission dated 14 March 1782, “Superintendent General and Inspector General of the Six Nations Indians and those in the Province of Quebec.” During his long association with the Indians he never failed to champion their cause and to demonstrate his concern for their interests and rights. He was as well the defender and friend of the loyalists in the province.
    • In 1784 Governor appointed him to supervise the settlement of loyalist refugees on the upper St Lawrence and the Bay of Quinte and, for many years after, these new settlers regarded him as their leader. In the winter of 1785 he presented a petition on their behalf to the king, praying that the new settlements might be separated from the rest of the province in order that they could enjoy freehold tenure of lands and English civil law. When Upper Canada was created in 1791, it was generally expected that Sir John would be named its first lieutenant governor.
    • Bitterly disappointed when the post went to John Graves Simcoe, Johnson resolved to seek a place for himself elsewhere. He moved with his wife and children to London, where a stay of four years was sufficient to convince him that his abilities and contributions were quite unappreciated in England and that the Canadas offered the best opportunities after all for himself and his family. Accordingly, he moved back to Montreal in the fall of 1796. Shortly thereafter he was appointed to the Legislative Council of Lower Canada; from 1786 to 1791 he had been a member of the same council for Quebec. He also resumed his duties as head of the Indian Department.
  • Proven United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=4140
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38706396/john-johnson