He was born in Covington, Pennsylvania on March 1, 1848, to Jay Chauncey (1819-1908) and Hannah (Crandall) Johnson. He joined older brother Edward Francis Johnson, who was born on March 17, 1846.
John's middle name, Lebbeus, comes from his grandfather, Lebbeus Johnson (1783-1949), as well as his great-grandfather, also named Lebbeus Johnson (1759-1823).
It's through the elder Lebbeus Johnson's wife, Anna/Ann Claghorn (1763-1810), that we have our Mayflower connection (see this post).
Back to Covington, PA in the late 1840s. Here is a letter written by John's maternal grandfather, Asa Crandall (1787-1849) from 1847 that describes life at that time and mentions Hannah and baby Edward as well as Jay Chauncey. The Crandalls were in the lumber business, and Jay Chauncey may have been working for his father-in-law at the time.
Transcription of this letter (I have bolded the parts that refer to John Lebbeus's parents, Jay Chauncey and Hannah Johnson).
Covington June 27th 1847
Letter from Asa and
Matilda (Saunders) Crandall and daughter Hannah (Crandall) Johnson to daughter
Sarah Matilda Crandall
Dear Sarah M, we received your letter in due time, were glad
that you were well and that you enjoyed yourself as well &. C. perhaps we ought
to have written before in answer but for two Sundays past, when we would have
written we found ourselves out of paper. we were glad to hear from Eliza also
and M. E. we are all well. I have been well except now and then a cold. &
your Mother has for a few weeks enjoyed I think better health than common for
her to enjoy. R. A. and C.M. are well,
we have had no news from Asa since your Mother’s and Hannah’s last to G. F., we
enjoy ourselves full as well as we could expect, we like the place where we
live. We think is as pleasant as any situation in the neighborhood especially
for a summer seat—our garden is large and well arranged & looks fine
insomuch as to attract attention and many remark that they are disappointed in
as much as the ground was thought to be very poor but it may not hold out very
well yet. Mr. John Knights lives just across the street from us who are pleasant
neighbors. Caroline Johnson that married Wm. West lives just above in the white
house and the neighbors are all pleasant, we enjoy our Meeting priveleges first
rate. Doctor Spratt & family are now here on a visit. He preached for us
today and will this eve in the seminary.
(Back of page 1)
we often think of you as well as the rest of our children
that we have left behind—we received a letter from George Frink. tell him we
will write to him next Sunday eve. he gave some encouragement of coming to see
us in the fall. we hope it will be so and wish George Backus and Eliza would
come with them. Chauncy and Hannah and son are well we think Han will write in
this to you. George Booth & family are in usual health. George is
plastering his house and intends moving into it next week . . . it is I believe
a general time of health here at present, tho there is some sickness round
about as usual in every place. Sarah we think you (if well) have kept school
about 2 months, and think you will come after a while. we miss you very much
especially Sundays. I must stop with love to you and all the rest. Do write
soon from A. & M. Crandall
Dear Sister Sarah. As Father has left me a place I will try
and write a few lines and let you know I have not forgotten you. I enjoy myself
first rate this summer but I am in a hurry to tell you that you had better
fulfill your promise to come out here and live in a [sort of] Wood house for I
have seen one walking about the streets here looking as though he had lost
something had on sky blue pants and a hooked hose. he called on our folks and
amongst other inquiries asked mother how much you had a week for keeping
school. he is a traveling agent
Page 2
for the state of Pa. He is here every few days . . . . What
are you going to do about it—I want you to write and let me know when you will
be here and how you are coming. I am making a new dress to wear to the coming
celebration on Monday next. Tell Mary E to write me and Eliza and Mary F and
all the rest—tell them all to come out here this fall and see me. give my love
to all. Em sends her love to you and
says hurry yourself out here. I expect Chauncey will start for New York next
week with his lumber. I have nothing new to say cunning or important so good
by. From your sister Han Johnson
I send you a few seals to seal your notes with
To S. A. D. W Crandall
(Back of page 2)
Covington PA
July 6/47
Miss S.M.
Crandall
Montrose
Susq. Co. Pa
You need not send this back. burn
it if you wish or bring it to me when you come when that will be
The reason I'm including this letter in this post is because it gives a glimpse into the small-town life of this family at that place and time: you see how the letter was shared between three family members, each chiming in with news, and you can see Hannah Crandall Johnson here as a young mother, slyly trying some match-making, and sounding generally happy, reporting on her new dress, etc.
(Incidentally, Charles Martin Crandall who is referred to here as CM, was 14 at the time this letter was written. He was Asa Crandall's youngest son, Hannah's younger brother. He went on to be a famous toy manufacturer).
In less than two years, everything changed for this family. Hannah gave birth to John Lebbeus Johnson on March 1, 1848. She died on January 18, 1849 leaving behind 10 month-old John Lebbeus as well as Edward Francis who was not yet three years old.
Then on October 20, 1849, Asa Crandall (John and Edward's maternal grandfather) died. Just a little over two weeks later, on November 7, Lebbeus Johnson (their paternal grandfather) died.
John Lebbeus lost his mother and both his grandfathers in the span of 11 months.
(Leigh visited the grave of Lebbeus a few years ago and took pictures: thanks, Leigh and Todd!)
What happened next? The 1850 federal census shows Jay Chauncey, Edward, John Lebbeus and Jay's sisters Emeline and Laura all living with Jay's mother, now a widow, Abigail (Blanchard) Johnson in Covington.
(At the age of 16, Hannah's brother Charles Martin Crandall took over his father Asa Crandall's lumber business after his death in 1849 and turned it into a profitable business, later focusing on toys and puzzles).
Emeline Johnson, Jay's younger unmarried sister, took over much of the care for her two motherless nephews. In 1860 Jay Chauncey remarried: his new wife, Emma Kinsey, already had a son (Jessie Savage) from a previous marriage (?)/relationship.
Emma and Jay Chauncey had two children: Hannah Louise, "Pidgie" (born in 1861: interesting that she was named after Jay's first wife) and Ulysses Grant Johnson (born 1864: guess who he was named for?)
At some point in the early 1860s the family moved to New York State, with Jay Chauncey working first as a lumber dealer, and later as some kind of traveling salesman. Rochester seems to have been their home base. Grandma wrote that Jay Chauncey never was very successful at business: he sold items like buggy whips and it seems he never owned any property in his own name.
John Lebbeus joined the army at Rochester, NY in 1864. He was only 16 but was listed as 18 years old. He joined the 3rd Calvary regiment, Company A: I can't find at the moment which specific division he was in but I do have that info somewhere.
What we do know based on his letters and also Grandma's journals is that he spent much of this time in and around the Dismal Swamp near Norfolk, Virginia, which was a strategic location in the war. You can read more about that here.
Grandma wrote in one of her letters that her father joined the army impulsively. Indeed, there is a letter from John Lebbeus to his father, Jay Chauncey, dated March 12, 1864 (written from New Bern, North Carolina, where he was stationed) in which he described his actions and emotions at the time of his enlistment.
(Note: in transcribing John's letters in this post I am sticking pretty much to the original spellings, etc. but am adding some punctuation for clarity as he very much tended to skip periods and commas altogether).
Despite John's initial prediction/hope of good health for his three years of service, he appears to have been quite ill frequently during his 17 months in the Union army. We do have a number of handwritten letters from John Lebbeus to his father in NY, telling him of his health woes and asking for various food and other items to be sent to him.
It doesn't appear that he saw any significant military action in the war. He was often on watch/guard duty.
After John Lebbeus was mustered out (along with the rest of the 3rd NY Cavalry regiment) in 1865, we don't know much about him except for a letter from 1868 in which he is trying to make a living working on the railroad (Sunbury line?) in Pennsylvania.
John Lebbeus later returned to New York state, relocated to Buffalo at some point, and married Mary E. Hulbert (spellings of her last name vary) in 1871. They had two daughters: Etta Maud, 1872 and Mabel in 1874.
By Nov. 13, 1878, John Lebbeus and Mary H. Johnson had initiated divorce proceedings in Buffalo. My understanding is that he simply did not provide for the family. The final divorce was granted in Buffalo, NY on March 28, 1879. Sadly, both daughters died, Etta Maud as a teenager in 1889, and Mabel some years before that, although there is no official record that I can find of either of their deaths or burials. However, there are a number of letters from Jay Chauncey to John Lebbeus telling his son about the horrible suffering of Etta Maud (not sure what illness she died of, but it was a slow and painful death).
For years I tried to find information about what happened to Mary after her divorce from John Lebbeus. Based on what I was able to find out last year, she apparently never remarried and worked as a music teacher to support herself. She lived with her mother for many years.
That same year (1879), John Lebbeus remarried: his second wife was Mary Louise Hutchings, who had a son, Albert (Malone?), from a previous marriage. John and Mary had three children together: Harry Chauncey (1881-1946), Florence Mary (1887-1973), and Edward Frederick (1882-1888) and moved to Chicago sometime before 1900. There are many lengthy and flowery love letters dating from the time of their marriage that John Lebbeus wrote to Mary on various hotel stationery while traveling as a salesman.
Mary died in Chicago in 1906 at the age of 51. John Lebbeus was 58 that year: son Harry Chauncey Johnson was 25, and their daughter Florence Mary was 19.
On January 26, 1906, just a few months before his mother's death, John's son Harry married Olga Lindhagen. Harry worked as an electrician for the telephone company in Oak Park for 40+ years, according to census records. He owned a house in Oak Park at 547 Cuyler Ave and raised his family there: his widowed mother-in-law, Caroline Lindhagen, also lived with Harry and Olga for their entire marriage.
Here is what Harry's house looked like in 1908-9
Names mentioned in
this letter:
Writers of
letter = Asa and Matilda (Saunders) Crandall, and daughter Hannah (Crandall)
Johnson
Sarah M = Sarah
Matilda Crandall
Eliza= Eliza (Crandall) Backus
R. A. = Rebecca
Crandall
C. M. = Charles
Martin Crandall
Asa = Asa
Crandall (son)
G. F. (George
Frink?)
John Knights
Caroline Johnson
(sister-in-law of Hannah Crandall Johnson)
William West
George Frink
(husband of Mary)
George Backus (husband
of Eliza)
George Booth
Rev. George
Spratt (who officiated at the wedding of Hannah Crandall and Jay Chauncey
Johnsonin 1845)
? Woodhouse
(traveling agent for state of Pennsylvania)
Em = possibly
Emeline Johnson, sister of Jay Chauncey Johnson (Hannah Crandall’s husband)
Mary F = could
be Mary (Crandall) Frink
Chauncy = Jay
Chauncey Johnson, Hannah Crandall’s husband
The reason I'm including this letter in this post is because it gives a glimpse into the small-town life of this family at that place and time: you see how the letter was shared between three family members, each chiming in with news, and you can see Hannah Crandall Johnson here as a young mother, slyly trying some match-making, and sounding generally happy, reporting on her new dress, etc.
(Incidentally, Charles Martin Crandall who is referred to here as CM, was 14 at the time this letter was written. He was Asa Crandall's youngest son, Hannah's younger brother. He went on to be a famous toy manufacturer).
In less than two years, everything changed for this family. Hannah gave birth to John Lebbeus Johnson on March 1, 1848. She died on January 18, 1849 leaving behind 10 month-old John Lebbeus as well as Edward Francis who was not yet three years old.
Then on October 20, 1849, Asa Crandall (John and Edward's maternal grandfather) died. Just a little over two weeks later, on November 7, Lebbeus Johnson (their paternal grandfather) died.
John Lebbeus lost his mother and both his grandfathers in the span of 11 months.
(Leigh visited the grave of Lebbeus a few years ago and took pictures: thanks, Leigh and Todd!)
What happened next? The 1850 federal census shows Jay Chauncey, Edward, John Lebbeus and Jay's sisters Emeline and Laura all living with Jay's mother, now a widow, Abigail (Blanchard) Johnson in Covington.
(At the age of 16, Hannah's brother Charles Martin Crandall took over his father Asa Crandall's lumber business after his death in 1849 and turned it into a profitable business, later focusing on toys and puzzles).
Emeline Johnson, Jay's younger unmarried sister, took over much of the care for her two motherless nephews. In 1860 Jay Chauncey remarried: his new wife, Emma Kinsey, already had a son (Jessie Savage) from a previous marriage (?)/relationship.
Emma and Jay Chauncey had two children: Hannah Louise, "Pidgie" (born in 1861: interesting that she was named after Jay's first wife) and Ulysses Grant Johnson (born 1864: guess who he was named for?)
At some point in the early 1860s the family moved to New York State, with Jay Chauncey working first as a lumber dealer, and later as some kind of traveling salesman. Rochester seems to have been their home base. Grandma wrote that Jay Chauncey never was very successful at business: he sold items like buggy whips and it seems he never owned any property in his own name.
John Lebbeus joined the army at Rochester, NY in 1864. He was only 16 but was listed as 18 years old. He joined the 3rd Calvary regiment, Company A: I can't find at the moment which specific division he was in but I do have that info somewhere.
What we do know based on his letters and also Grandma's journals is that he spent much of this time in and around the Dismal Swamp near Norfolk, Virginia, which was a strategic location in the war. You can read more about that here.
Grandma wrote in one of her letters that her father joined the army impulsively. Indeed, there is a letter from John Lebbeus to his father, Jay Chauncey, dated March 12, 1864 (written from New Bern, North Carolina, where he was stationed) in which he described his actions and emotions at the time of his enlistment.
(Note: in transcribing John's letters in this post I am sticking pretty much to the original spellings, etc. but am adding some punctuation for clarity as he very much tended to skip periods and commas altogether).
Dear Father
I now set down to inform you that I am well and expect to be the remainder of my 3 years. Father, the night I left home I was mad at you but I have bin thinking about it and I am now mad at myself for being so foolish as to get mad at nothing at all but Father I hope that you will forgive me for being so foolish. But I will return to the day I saw you down on the island. I went to Corning (NY) and stayed there till 3 o'clock p.m. and then went to Rochester and stayed till Monday the 2nd and was examined and sworn in without eney trubel (any trouble). And then went to Elmira and stayed there 5 days and then went to the famous city of New York and stayed there one day then went to Philadelphia and then went to Baltimore, Md and stayed there one day and then went to fortress Monro, Va. and stayed there 5 days. I saw George Kelts, Harry Graves and Mr. Goodrich, and Harry Graves expected to go home before a great while.(The Battle of New Bern, NC had been fought just a month before this, Feb. 1-3, 1864--John missed some exciting action!)
Despite John's initial prediction/hope of good health for his three years of service, he appears to have been quite ill frequently during his 17 months in the Union army. We do have a number of handwritten letters from John Lebbeus to his father in NY, telling him of his health woes and asking for various food and other items to be sent to him.
U.S. General Hospital
August 5, 1864
Dear Father,
I received yours (letter) this morning was Right glad to hear from you. I wrote you a few days since, stating that I would be at home in a few days but I am no better. The doctor was just in he said for me to tell you to come and get me. If you wanted me to come home I shall not be able for a good while to be alone. You had not better stop to answer this but come here. No more this time from your son,
John L. Johnson
P.S. You had better come and get your son home for he is very sick and he is getting worse every day. Sergeant W. C. Hammand
It doesn't appear that he saw any significant military action in the war. He was often on watch/guard duty.
After John Lebbeus was mustered out (along with the rest of the 3rd NY Cavalry regiment) in 1865, we don't know much about him except for a letter from 1868 in which he is trying to make a living working on the railroad (Sunbury line?) in Pennsylvania.
Sunbury, PA
December 3, 1868
Dear Father
Your very welcome letter of the 15th of Nov. was reciev in due time but I have ben so buissey (busy) I have not had time to answer it till now I have Just ben on the go night and day Ever since I came on the RR. Oh Father it is (an) awful life I do not like it at all. Their has ben 4 or 5 men killed since I came on the road but it is the best I could do and I have got to work. Father do not think for one moment that I would be angry with your kind and Fatherley Advise. On the contrary, Father it does me good to have you Advise me in all things. Father I am a Boy no more. I am a man and I try to Act like one . . . it is true that I have not sent Aunty eney (any) money but Father you must remember this is my first Attempt at trying to support myself and on the whole I have a hard time this Season but am in hopes next year I may be more successfull.
. . . Father, you spoke of the company I associate with. Well, I can not say as I do asociate with very good company. I asociate with just such as their is on the Road it is Just like the army: you have but one class for company but I try to keep straight.
John Lebbeus later returned to New York state, relocated to Buffalo at some point, and married Mary E. Hulbert (spellings of her last name vary) in 1871. They had two daughters: Etta Maud, 1872 and Mabel in 1874.
By Nov. 13, 1878, John Lebbeus and Mary H. Johnson had initiated divorce proceedings in Buffalo. My understanding is that he simply did not provide for the family. The final divorce was granted in Buffalo, NY on March 28, 1879. Sadly, both daughters died, Etta Maud as a teenager in 1889, and Mabel some years before that, although there is no official record that I can find of either of their deaths or burials. However, there are a number of letters from Jay Chauncey to John Lebbeus telling his son about the horrible suffering of Etta Maud (not sure what illness she died of, but it was a slow and painful death).
For years I tried to find information about what happened to Mary after her divorce from John Lebbeus. Based on what I was able to find out last year, she apparently never remarried and worked as a music teacher to support herself. She lived with her mother for many years.
That same year (1879), John Lebbeus remarried: his second wife was Mary Louise Hutchings, who had a son, Albert (Malone?), from a previous marriage. John and Mary had three children together: Harry Chauncey (1881-1946), Florence Mary (1887-1973), and Edward Frederick (1882-1888) and moved to Chicago sometime before 1900. There are many lengthy and flowery love letters dating from the time of their marriage that John Lebbeus wrote to Mary on various hotel stationery while traveling as a salesman.
Mary died in Chicago in 1906 at the age of 51. John Lebbeus was 58 that year: son Harry Chauncey Johnson was 25, and their daughter Florence Mary was 19.
On January 26, 1906, just a few months before his mother's death, John's son Harry married Olga Lindhagen. Harry worked as an electrician for the telephone company in Oak Park for 40+ years, according to census records. He owned a house in Oak Park at 547 Cuyler Ave and raised his family there: his widowed mother-in-law, Caroline Lindhagen, also lived with Harry and Olga for their entire marriage.
Here is what Harry's house looked like in 1908-9
Harry's house is on the right. Based on Google maps, it looks like these houses are still in good shape today, although they've been altered somewhat (and the house numbers have been changed). If you look at the windows on these houses at this link you can see they are the same homes as in the old picture.
Here is a photo showing Caroline Lindhagen (Olga's mother), to the left, then Florence, John Lebbeus, Harry, and Olga to the right. Olga looks tired (she probably cooked the meal!).
The earliest photos we (as a family) have of John Lebbeus, to my knowledge, date from this period (1906-1909). Grandma used to comment that she only knew father as an older man, and that is reflected in all of the photos we have of him.
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