- Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet (
5 November 1741 –4 January 1830 ), was a loyalist leader during theAmerican Revolution . He was the son of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs,Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet , who had promoted the British settlement of theMohawk Valley and founded the community of Johnstown inTryon County in theProvince of New York .Sir John Johnson, who assumed office in 1771, was the last Provincial Grand Master of
Masons in the colonies ofProvince of New York ,New Jersey andPennsylvania . Johnson married Mary Watts (daughter of John Watts ofNew York ) on30 June 1773 . The couple had eight sons, all of whom served in the British army and navy, and three daughters.In 1774, John Johnson inherited his father's title and estates, making him a wealthy landowner. In 1775, he was appointed doorkeeper of the New York Provincial Assembly.
American Revolution
In January, 1776, nine months after the outbreak of the American Revolution, Johnson gathered several hundred armed supporters at Johnstown. He sent a letter to Governor
William Tryon , through CaptainJohn McDonell , stating that he and his loyalist neighbors had conferred about raising a battalion for the British cause. He also said he could also raise five hundred Indians which when used with his regular troops could retake all of the forts captured by the "rebels". On January 20, 1776, General Schuyler, with a force of Continental troops and theTryon County militia numbering around 3,000, disarmed Johnson and about 300 of his loyalist supporters. Sir John was released on his parole of honor.When Johnson heard of another force being sent to arrest him in May 1776, he decided to flee to
Canada . He led about 170 of his tenants and allies among theIroquois Confederacy toMontreal, Quebec . Sir John's loyalty to the King cost him his home in Johnstown and extensive property in the Mohawk Valley, all of which was confiscated after the war. Johnson and his followers formed the core of theBritish military regiment known as theKing's Royal Regiment of New York , which saw substantial action under his command throughout the war. Johnson was promoted to the rank ofbrigadier general in 1782. On March 14, 1782 he received the appointment of Superintendent General and Inspector General of Indian affairs. His authority extended over all northern Indians allied with the crown.After War Years
In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed, establishing the independence of the
American Colonies . Johnson and thousands of other loyalists found themselves in permanentexile inCanada . In 1784, Johnson was assigned by the British government to distribute crown lands along theSt. Lawrence River and the north shore ofLake Ontario to the loyalists who had come toCanada during the Revolution and to help them settle on these lands. Johnson estimated that he had arranged the settlement of 3,776 loyalists during that year. In 1791,Lord Dorchester recommended him as lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, but London turned this recommendation down.In 1796, he moved back to
Montreal and served in theLegislative Council of Lower Canada and as head of the Indian Department forLower Canada . He held extensive land holdings in Upper and LowerCanada , including the seigneuries of Monnoir and Argenteuil.Johnson died in
Montreal in 1830 at the age of 88. He was succeeded to thebaronetcy by his eldest son, William.Legacy
His last surviving child, an unmarried daughter, died in London on
1 January 1868 .The Sir John Johnson House in Williamstown was declared a Canadian National Historic Site.
ources
*"White Savage: William Johnson and the Invention of America",
Fintan O'Toole , 2005.
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2937 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
*, byHarold Frederic , 1877
* [http://www.genealogie.org/club/shhr/arch/archaeology.htm Sir John Johnson Burial vault (for reference only)]
* [http://www.nymasoniclibrary.org/ The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of New York: The History of the Grand Lodge of New York]
*rayment-b
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