History

 

The Johnson Family roots can be traced back to a small plantation in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The original family name was “The Hillards.,” There were two (2) brothers that lived on this plantation. They were remembered as being very big, strong and muscular, and due to their large stature, they were used as breeders (in other words, studs).

 

One of the brothers married and had four children, two (2) sons and two (2) daughters. Being large in stature had its advantages, as no one would bother their families. In those days, it was not uncommon for the master of the plantation to rape or abuse female slaves whether they had families or not. The master (“massa”) or overseer of the fields made advances towards the wife of one of the Hillard brothers, and was killed. It was unclear as to who killed the ‘massa,” the brother or his wife. As a result of the murder, the two Hillard brothers were separated from their families and sold.

 

The brothers were shipped from Winston Salem, N.C. to South Carolina to be sold. One of the brothers was sold to the Rush Plantation and the other brother was sold to the Johnson Plantation near Olanta, S.C. Data could not be obtained to provide information on what happened to the family members in N.C. However it is believed that they are still in the N.C. area, carrying the “Hillard” name.

 

Our ancestry has been traced back to the brother that was sold to the Johnson Plantation out from Olanta, S.C., beginning with John and Elizabeth Johnson. John and Elizabeth had six ( 6) sons and three (3) daughters for a total of nine children. Their names were Robert, Isaiah, William, Charlie, Sam, Boley, Elizabeth Johnson Hampton, Jane Johnson McFadden and Emma Johnson Reardon. Data was available to validate one thousand (1,000) descendants focusing on eight (8) generations. A brief history of each of the children and family chart plotting out the eight (8) generations are provided in the subsequent section.

 

Source: Abraham Johnson Fayetteville, N.C.

 

The decedents of John and Elizabeth Johnson:

 

Boley Johnson, Charlie Wesley Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson Hampton, Emma Johnson Reardon, Isaiah Johnson, Jane Johnson McFadden, Robert Johnson, Sam Johnson, and William Johnson.