He is 23 in the 1850 Census and 43 in the 1870 Census, so his birth year is about 1827.

He is present in the 1870 Census with wife Margaret and 6 children. He is not present in the 1880 Census, though Marget E is with the 5 younger children. His will was proved in 1871. I don“t know his exact date of death but it would have been a short time before his will was proven in New Hanover County 3 Jul 1871.

His tombstone is noted in a book on Sampson County graves. No dates were transcribed, but it does note that he was in Company B, NC 1st Heavy Artillery, CSA. The grave is supposed to be ”just south of the waterworks in Harrells• and Mary and I spent a lot of time one day looking for his grave near those waterworks to no avail. And then, on a different day, while driving around Harrells, we happened to spot a lone tombstone in what turned out to be the yard of Sarah Eakins Ragan. It turned out to be Robert's and we met Sarah and learned she is some kind of distant cousin of Mary's.

Sarah told us the tombstone was erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy. It must be the case that some family member knew that he was buried in that place but apparently no permanent marker was put there by the family. Robert owned a lot of land near Harrells and so his burial there is quite possible. I have a hunch his wife is there too, also an unmarked grave -- or at least no marker survived.

Sarah also said she is descended from Soasbe Johnson. Soasbe, I believe, was the son of Solomon. Solomon was a brother of Joab and he and Joab were the founders of the Johnson family in Sampson County.

To learn about Robert's war experience, I turned to a book that provides the background of the different regiments and companies that served and it says this about Robert's Company. "Shortly after the outbreak of the war in 1861...to defend the entrance to the Cape Fear River and the Port of Wimington..formation of a battalion of heavy artillery consisting of three companies.... The members of Company B were mainly from Brunswick, Duplin and other counties near New Hanover.....They became known as the "River Guards".....and were stationed at various forts along the river, finally at Fort Anderson until it was evacuated in February 1865. It took part in the engagements at Fort Fisher, Kinston and Bentonville and was stationed in Elizabethtown when word was received that General Johnson had surrendered and the unit was disbanded and the men returned home."

This book states that Robert C Johnson enlisted as a Private at age 34 on 16 May 1862. Since that age agrees with what I know about his age from Census, I truly believe it is him. It also says he was present and accounted for through August 1864. I could infer that perhaps he was then wounded and left the service and that also perhaps his death at age 44 may have had something to do with his injuries in the war, but I do not know that.

Robert Johnson is descended from a distinguished Scots-Irish family (in earlier generations variously named Johnston, Johnstone and de Johnstone

Before I tell the story of the Johnstons as told in that book, let me first review the Johnsons who lived in Sampson County because I have verified what the book said about them and their position in the Lawther family tree. The Johnson book we found said that Emma“s father was Robert Calvin Johnson and his father Nathan and we also found while at that library a Census index for 1870 showing that Robert Calvin was actually to be found in New Hanover County.

Sure enough, I did find him there in both 1860 and 1870 Censuses, in the area of New Hanover County soon to be annexed to Sampson. And in fact that is why we never could find Emma when looking for her as a girl in Sampson County — she was hiding out in New Hanover County all along. [Sampson County was first created mostly from once had been New Hanover County — which originally was very large — and then later a small additional part of New Hanover was annexed into Sampson.]

Robert Calvin is 32 in the 1860 Census, a farmer, living with wife Margarett (nee Lee, per the annotated Sampson County Census) 24, Alice 5, Laura 3 and Mary K 1. Living with them is G R Lee age 17, whom one might think was Margaret“s brother but I really haven“t been able to determine who he was. In the 1870 Census, still in New Hanover County, we find Robert age 43 a merchant, Margaret 36, Emma 15, Laura 13, Nathaniel 11, Margaret 8, Robert 3 and Mary 7 months. By 1880, Marget E Johnson, apparently a widow, lives in Sampson County (though probably hasn“t moved) with Laura C 23, Nathan L 19, Marget 17, Robert H 13, and Mary E 9. Robert Calvin has died and Emma Alice has married.

Robert“s marriage is documented in a book compiled of North Carolina Marriages 1827-1900. He married Margaret E Lee 22 Dec 1853. Robert is said to have been Nathan“s son by the Johnson Book and that seems proven by the 1850 Census in which he lives in Nathan“s household.

Margaret E Lee was born on 3 Sep 1836 in then New Hanover County. I have seen several instances where women seemed to age only 8-9 years between each Census listing, but Margaret Lee goes the other way. She is 14 in 1850, 24 in 1860, 36 in 1870 and 48 in 1880. And then she disappears.

Her marriage to Robert C Johnson is documented in several NHCL books on marriage bonds and licenses. They married 20 Dec 1853. They were married by Lewis Highsmith, JP.

I do not know when she died. She is present in the 1870 Census with husband Robert and 6 children and she is still present in the 1880 Census with the 5 younger children, husband Robert has died and daughter Emma Alice has married.

The last mention I can find for her in any public record is 1893 when she is taxed on 824 acres in Taylor's Bridge. She is also taxed on 33 acres in Franklin Township, though this entry for the first time in 1893 says "Milton Lee, agent". Milton is her brother.

I believe she signed a deed as late as 17 Nov 1894. Then in late 1897, her children appear to be dividing up land Margaret E seems to have inherited from her family. So, it seems that Margaret died in 1895-1897.

I cannot find any record of her burial or tombstone. There is no tombstone beside her husband's, though it should be noted that his stone was put there by the Daughters of the Confederacy to mark his war service and there is no separate stone of the kind that would have been put there by his family. There are listings in books at NHCL that purport to list every tombstone in every cemetery in Sampson County -- and hers is not listed. It is possible that she remarried late in life and thus her tombstone has some other name -- but I tend to doubt that.

We know from her husband's will, that all his lands were left to his widow during her lifetime or widowhood and then to pass on to his children. So, it is curious that on 24 Jan 1879 Robert's lands are divided among his children, raising the question: Did the widow die or remarry?

Neither actually, because she is present in the 1880 Census, living with her (mostly minor) children, the youngest being Mary E at age 9. I know that Margaret's daughter Emma Alice married in about 1878. And I know from tax records that in 1877, Margaret E is taxed on 1410 acres but by 1882 that total has dropped to 834 acres. Meantime, the taxable land of Frank W Herring (husband of Emma Alice) has gone from 176 acres in 1877 to 424 in 1882. The 424 represents exactly the acreage he got in the division. (Throughout this time period -- 1877-1893), Margaret is also taxed on 33 acres in Franklin Township, about the same amount as her siblings.)

I also have found deeds dated 1897 wherein four of Margaret's children each took possession of a very small plot of land -- four to nine acres -- in Sampson County, township not named.

I therefore reason as follows:

1.) Margaret E Johnson died sometime between 1893 and 1897. I don't think she ever remarried (if she did it was after 1893 and before 1897). The only reason I still keep that possibility open is the lack of a tombstone.

2.) She did inherit all her husband's lands when he died in 1871. But she had also inherited a small amount of land from her parents after a split of such lands among she and her siblings.

3.) In 1879, after her oldest daughter marries, a decision is made to go ahead and divide up Robert's lands among his children. Frank and Emma Herring take possession of one piece and the remainder is divided among each of the remaining children. Thus in 1879, deed ownership of the rest of the land passed to Margaret's other children, most of whom were minors, so Margaret retained the responsibility to run the farms and pay the taxes.

4.) After Margaret died, there was no need to divvy up her husband's lands -- that had been done in 1879. But there still was the matter of that 33 acres passed down from her family. That's what was being parcelled out in small shares to several of the siblings in 1897.

Conclusion. I do not know Margaret's exact date of death. I believe it was before 13 Dec 1897 -- the date of the deeds for the small parcels. That is what her children were doing in 1897 -- dividing up the small piece of Margaret's land they had inherited jointly. I believe it was after 1893 -- the last date that I know she was taxed on the land (though I haven't yet been able to examine later tax records which may allow me to narrow the dates down further).

For now, I'm calling it about 1894.