When the Person You Find Isn’t the Person For Whom You Were Looking

Ella Louise Smith Johnson was born March 1, 1870, in Patoutville, Iberia Parish, Louisiana. She was the sixth child of Charlotte Phillips and Joseph ‘Young’ Smith, my 4th great-grandparents. She was my 3rd great grandaunt. Ella and husband Thomas Johnson were listed on the 1900 Iberia Parish federal census with sons: Foote 12, Edward 10, Albert 9 and Joseph 8. Everyone in the household could all read and write. Thomas was employed as a day laborer. By 1910, Ella was recorded on the U.S. Census living in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana with three sons: Lincoln 22, Edward 20 and Albert 18. Most likely, Lincoln was the son named Foote on the 1900 census. Census details depicted Ella as a thirty-nine-year-old married woman who had given birth to 4 children who all were still living. Her husband Thomas and youngest son Joseph were not listed in the household–I have not found either man on any 1910 census roll. Ella and son Edward were still living together in Calcasieu Parish at the time of the 1920 census. Ella was then listed as a widow. Included in her household was a twenty-seven-year-old married male whose first name was recorded as ‘Johnson’, his wife Blanch 22 and 4-year-old daughter Ella. The twenty-seven-year-old male was most likely Joseph Johnson. I later found Joseph’s WWI draft registration form which indicated that he lived in Calcasieu Parish and was a married man with 1 child. I was initially unable to definitively find Lincoln or Albert Johnson in 1920. Ella and Edward continued to live with one another and were recorded together on the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Census in Calcasieu Parish. Edward served in WWI in the 522nd Engrs Battalion, Company B. He sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey to Brest, France on August 30, 1918, on the Susquehanna. His mother was listed Ella Johnson, living in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He left France June 3, 1919, and arrived in Newport News, VA on June 11, 1919. Information on Ella’s 1949 death certificate provided her parents’ names as Joseph Smith, born in Frankfort, KY and Charlotte Smith. She was buried in East Side Cemetery. The informant was A. L. Johnson. Joseph Johnson was a little hard to trace because there were a number of men born about the same time with the same name. I was ultimately able to positively identify Joseph through his World War II draft registration form which listed his nearest relative as Blanche Johnson and his place of residence as Port Arthur, Texas. Once I knew that Joseph lived in Port Arthur, I was able to find he and Blanche listed in multiple Port Arthur city directories. I then found Joseph’s 1963 death certificate. His parents were reported as Thomas Johnson and Ella Louise Smith. The informant once again was A. L. Johnson. I theorized that A. L. Johnson was Foote and also referenced as Lincoln Johnson. I theorized that his name was probably Abraham Lincoln Johnson. I searched U.S. Census rolls for Abram or Abraham or Lincoln Johnson. I changed Foote’s name to Abraham Lincoln on my Ancestry tree and just like that, a leaf appeared. Abraham Lincoln Johnson appeared on family trees for several Ancestry.com users. Many of those trees had a Find-A-Grave link to an Abraham Lincoln Johnson who had died in 1964 in Galveston, Texas. Included on the Find-A-Grave listing was the name of Abraham’s wife Serena Washington and 2 children: Lloyd Johnson and Fabeola Johnson as well as a copy of his death certificate. His parents were recorded as Tom Johnson and Ella Smith and his birthplace as Jeanerette, Louisiana. A.L. Johnson was reported to have been a forty-two-year Galveston resident. The informant was Della Johnson. A.L. Johnson was buried in Mainland Cemetery. So, I now had information on A.L. aka ‘Foote’ or Lincoln Johnson and the names of 2 children. I researched backwards to find Lloyd and Fabeola Johnson with a mother named Serena living in Galveston, Texas. I found both children with a mother named Serena and a father named Abraham on the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Census. The family lived in Beaumont, and not Galveston. In any case, I added Fabeola, Lloyd and siblings to my Smith family tree. There were stories about their marriages, deaths, etc. in Newspapers.com. I continued to run across many more family trees that included descendants of Abraham Johnson and Serena Washington. Every time I found a new tree I’d check to see in the profiled person was a DNA match to my mother and every time I was disappointed. This went on for 2 or 3 years–finding trees with Abraham Johnson and Serena descendants but none were DNA matches to my family. In the intervening years I’d obtained death certificates for Ella’s sister Louvenia Smith Perkins and their mother Charlotte Phillips Smith as well as a 1972 death record for Ella’s son Edward Johnson. Charlotte died March 12, 1913, in Lake Charles and was buried in Tab Nicole Cemetery. My niece later correctly identified the cemetery as Tabernacle (now known as Zion Tabernacle Cemetery). The informant on Charlotte death certificate was J. A. Perkins (her son-in-law and husband of Louvena). Louvena (Lavina) was born about 1868 and had also lived in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana from 1910 until her death in 1947. Louvena was buried in Pryce Cemetery. The informant was her daughter Effie Perkins. Quite recently I found the obit of James A Perkins. His daughter Effie Perkins Lewis was mentioned, as was Louvena’s daughter Priscilla Marshall Williams of Chicago. James was a member of Old Emmanual Baptist Church and was buried in the adjoining cemetery. My niece Latrice and I researched the locations of and the current names of the above-mentioned cemeteries in Lake Charles. I decided to drive to Lake Charles to visit the cemeteries and perhaps find headstones with the names of family members. I’d telephone the Old Emmanuel Baptist Church in hopes obtaining information related to Louvena and/or James Perkins. The phone number listed on the internet for the church was a non-working number, so I decided to just drive to Lake Charles to see what I could see. Well, I started for Lake Charles from Houston on what seemed a little overcast, but okay day. By the time I reached Beaumont, I’d begun to think about turning around. But you know that I didn’t. I continued driving. I was near Orange, TX and finally decided to pull off the road and wait for the thunderstorm to pass. An hour and half later, I was back on the road. I was close behind the storm, but I was, behind it. When I arrived in Lake Charles the ground was a little damp, but the sky was a beautiful blue. I drove to Old Emmanuel Baptist Church on 1200 N. Prater Street at See St. The church was a total wreck–it had been damaged by Tropical Storm Claudette in 2021. That explained why the phone number was no longer working. There was no one around to ask questions, so I walked the adjoining cemetery grounds. There were a number of headstones with the last name of Johnson, but not Edward Johnson. I found James A Perkins on the 3rd or 4th row nearest to the church. I did not any other names of interest. I next drove to Zion Tabernacle Cemetery located at 1304 Pear Street. The cemetery is a very short walk from Old Emmanual Baptist Church and is located off N. Prater and Griffin St. Because of how close the 2 locations are, I think that 2 cemeteries and church may have at one time served a united congregation. Charlotte Phillips Smith was most likely buried here. The cemetery covers almost a full city block. The grass had been freshly cut and the graveyard was free of debris and weeds. But the brick vaults are in bad shape and few headstone markings are legible. I feel Charlotte is here!! I just don’t know where. I wanted to go to Eastside Cemetery, which I think is the new name for Pryce Cemetery. Both Louvena Smith Marshall Perkins and Ella Smith Johnson are buried there. I’d researched the cemeteries online and have not seen headstones for either woman. I had almost 2 hours less research time left because of the earlier storm delay. So, I opted to go the courthouse to look up deed, marriage and probate records. In less than 15 minutes I found a 1924 deed recording the sale of land to Ella Johnson, born Smith, widow of Tom Johnson, by Mr. John L. Wasey. Lots 13 and 14in Sec 34 of the Joseph Lawrence Ryan Subdivision were conveyed to Ella for $1250 on October 13, 1924. I found a marriage record for Abraham Lincoln Johnson and Cerena Washington. Per the marriage certificate, Abraham was born in Jennings, Louisiana and his father was Vaurillya Johnson. This did not fit! My Abraham Lincoln Johnson’s father’s name was known to be Thomas Johnson. My Abraham Johnson was born in Jeanerette–I had a death certificate that correctly stated so. I drove back home and took another look at the Abraham and Cerena Washington family that was recorded on the U.S. Census in Beaumont for 1920 and 1930. After 1930 Cerena is no longer listed in a household with Abraham. Perhaps there were 2 men who lived in Calcasieu Parish named Abraham Lincoln Johnson–one who married Cerena and had children named Floyd and Fabeola in Beaumont and another who lived in Galveston for forty-two years and knew someone named Della. Who was Della? Finding out who Della was provided the answer to my question. I found a 1953 Galveston City Directory listing for a Della C and Abram L Johnson who lived at 1217 Avenue M. I searched earlier Galveston City directories and found a 1924 listing for Abraham L Johnson, (c colored) and Claudine living at 1512 34th Street as well as a listing in 1928 of Claudine and Abr L (transcribed by Ancestry as Afar L) Johnson. I next searched the 1920U.S. Census for Claudine Johnson and found a record for a nineteen-year-old Claudine Johnson and thirty-year-old Abron (sp) Johnson who worked at a cotton press. I later found a marriage record for Claudine Vincent and Abram L. Johnson dated May 14, 1919. I next found that someone named Abram Lincoln Johnson had married Mrs. Lucy Nichols on November 21, 1928. I found Abram and Lucy on the 1930 U.S. Census living in Galveston as well as twenty-nine-year-old Claudine Vincent. Claudine’s marital status was divorced. I have not yet found Abram on the 1940 census. I did find Abram L Johnson and Della on the 1950 U.S. Census living at 1217 Avenue M. Abram worked as a cotton stenciller at a cotton compress and Della as a ‘Telephone Girl’ for a plumber. I have not found a marriage record Abraham and Della, but I have learned that she had been previously married to L.D. Canada, hence the middle initial of C included on the 1953 Galveston city directory. Her maiden-name was Sledge. So, I went back to see what became of Cerena’s husband Abraham Johnson. I found his April 15, 1952, death certificate. Per the death certificate, he was married, lived at 546 Niecy Street in Beaumont and was buried in Blanchett Cemetery. The informant was Ivan V Garlow, a descendant of Serena Washington Johnson.  So, I’d found an Abraham Lincoln Johnson. A man whose family tree is easily traceable and has many branches. There are newspaper stories and several photographs of this Abraham Lincoln Johnson’s descendants. Unfortunately, this is not my Abraham or Abram Lincoln Johnson. I have not found that my Abraham ever had any children. His brother Edward died in Lake Charles in 1972. I found his probate at the courthouse. Edward was apparently married once, but his wife died while young and they had no children. Joseph Johnson and wife Blanche appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census with their daughter Ella. I have found a Blanche listed with a Joseph Johnson in Port Arthur, Texas city directories for 1931, 1933, 1933 and 1947. But I have not found a Blanche Johnson living in Port Arthur, TX without Joseph Johnson for any census after 1920. Similarly, I cannot find Joseph’s daughter Ella. When searching for a marriage record for Joseph Johnson and Blanche I keep getting leaves that pop up on my Ancestry.com family tree regarding a 1923 marriage in Manhattan, New York for Joseph Johnson and Blanch Curtis. I am quite sure this Joseph Johnson is not my Joseph! My last hope of finding a descendant of Ella Louise Smith and Thomas Johnson is with their son Albert Johnson who was born about May 1891 and last listed with the family on the 1900 Iberia Parish Census. I have temporarily included an Albert Johnson on who married Eva Woods and lived in Lake Charles Arthur at the time of the 1920 and 1930 census. He was listed in the 1917 Lake Charles city directory and on the 1940 U.S. Census living in Arizona. I have not yet found a death certificate for Albert to indicate the names of his parents. So, I’ll keep looking to see if this Albert Johnson causes any leaves to pop up on my family tree that lead to profiles with DNA matches to my mother! Or perhaps Joseph Johnson and Blanch Curtis in Manhattan are actually my Joseph and Blanch! Who knows? Best,