We reveal the history of the community through the stories of its dead
individual record

id
first
middle
last
dob
dod
cod
118ThomasJohnson1/7/1876

veteran
exhumed
purchaser
cemetery
FALSEAdams Street

lot
plot
R9 G3 south face, name and "1801-1876"
relations
Jane Johnson (wife, 1803-24 Sept. 1874) Edwin Johnson (son, b. c1830) Eleanor Johnson (daughter, b. 12 Jan 1831, d. 13 Mar 1851) William Johson (son, b. c1836) Mary Jane Johnson (daughter, b. c1837) E. D. Giberson (son in law)

comments
Although newspaper obituaries claim that Thomas Johnson's family moved to Middleburg Twp c. 1834, they were first enumerated in Middleburg Twp. in the 1850 census. Thomas was 50, a grocer with real estate worth $300, from Ireland. Wife Jane was 43, also from Ireland. Children were Edwin, 20, a sailor, born in NY; Eleanor, 18, born in NY; William, 14, born in Ohio, attending school; and Mary J., 13, born in OH, attending school. Also in the household were Daniel Sullivan, 16, a laborer, born in Ireland, attending school; and John Sullivan, 12, from MI, attending school. There are 38 deeds under the name Thomas Johnson on the Cuyahoga County Recorder's Office web site, dated 1854-1875; there are at least two Thomas Johnsons in Berea (the other's wife's name was Sophia), so not all of the deeds belong to this Thomas. These have not yet been researched. The family was enumerated in 1860, in Berea, Middleburg Twp. Thomas Johnson was 60, a grocer with $2,000 of real estate and $500 personal property, born in Ireland. His wife's name was given as Ellen or Eilen J., age 60, also born in Ireland. Children at home were William, 23, an officer, born in OH; and Mary Jane, 23, born in OH. Thomas and Jane were enumerated in the 1870 census in Berea; Thomas was age 66, keeping a grocery, with real estate worth $5,500 and personal property worth $1,200, from Ireland. Jane was 64, keeping house, from Ireland. Jane died on Sept. 24, 1874, after being an invalid for a long time. Thomas died 7 Jan 1876; Berea's record of burials from that year say "Jan. 9 Thos. Johnson [age] 75". His obituary was printed in the Grindstone Advertiser, 13 Jan 1876: "Death of an Aged Pioneer. Thomas Johnson, for many years a resident of Berea, died at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. E D Giberson, on Friday, Jan 7th 1876 aged about seventy-five years. We are informed that the deceased had been longer a resident of Berea, than any man now living in the place. The funeral services were held at the M.W. [M.E.?] Church on Sunday afternoon, sermon by Rev. U. Richards. Notwithstanding the rain, the house was filled to nearly its utmost capacity." We could not locate a marriage license in Cuyahoga County for either Johnson daughter and a groom with initials E. G. In 1904, his tombstone was transcribed as "Thos. Johnson, b.---, d.---". In 1934, it was transcribed as "Thomas Johnson, 1801-1876". In 2007, his tombstone was found grouped with that of his wife Jane and daughter Eleanor. The Grindstone City Advertiser mentioned Thomas Johnson on 17 July 1869: "Oysters.—One of our inveterate jokers assisted Mr. T. Johnson in making a sale of a bucket of tar the other day, by representing it to contain oysters, of which the purchaser is very fond, Mr. Johnson has a few buckets left, who wants a dish?" Thomas placed a classified ad in the 27 Jan 1871 Grindstone City Advertiser: "Piano for sale, on a year’s credit—A sweet toned instrument, in good condition. Apply to Thomas Johnson."

sources
1850 US Federal Census, Thomas Johnson, Series: M432 Roll: 673 Page: 185 1860 US Federal Census, Thomas Johnson household, Series: M653 Roll: 954 Page: 114 1870 US Federal Census, Thomas Johnson household, Series: M593 Roll: 1193 Page: 421 E. S. Loomis and D. T. Gould, "Inscriptions from the Old Berea Cemetery," 1904, Berea Historical Society "List of Burials and Names 1856-1871," City of Berea Records "Number of burial lots and price," Adams Street Cemetery folder, Berea Historical Society "Cuyahoga Cemetery Inscriptions," Vol. I, compiled by the Western Reserve Historical Society, 1934 Thomas Johnson obituary, Grindstone Advertiser, 13 Jan 1876 Jane Johnson obituary, Grindstone City Advertiser, 24 Sept 1876 Grindstone City Advertiser, 17 July 1869 GCA, 27 July 1871