Person Page - 665

     Reuben was born on 20 August 1922 at Fulton, Georgia, United States. He married Lillian Nativa Johnson, daughter of Carlie Washington Johnson and Bonnie Josephine Stewart, on 28 January 1965 at Austell, Cobb, Georgia, United States.¹ Reuben died on 6 October 1994 at Stockbridge, Clayton, Georgia, United States, at age 72. His body was buried on 8 October 1994 at Faith Baptist Church Cemetery, Luthersville, Meriwether, Georgia, United States.

     Doris was born on 9 January 1925 at Madison, Florida, United States. She married John Frederick Johnson, son of John William Johnson and Annie Laurie Memory, on 3 October 1948 at Madison, Florida, United States.¹ Doris died on 10 October 1969 at Gainesville, Alachua, Florida, United States, at age 44.

     John was born before 1829 at Georgia, United States. He married Pheba Sapp, daughter of William Sapp and Savila Roden, on 20 January 1857 at Madison, Florida, United States.¹ John died on 22 July 1870 at Ellaville, Madison, Florida, United States.
     Biography of John W. Johnson:
According to the "Widow's Application for Pension": Mrs Pheaby Johnson further swears that her said husband John W. Johnson was killed at Ellavile, Madison, Florida by a Negrew deserter on the 27th day of July 1870 by being shot by the said negrew who the Sheriff was persuing. The Negrew taking John W. Johnson for the Sheriff shot him as aforesaid.

In her second application for Pension, Phoebe gave her husbands death as July 22, 1870. She was 72 at this time and 66 the first time she gave his death date.

     Pheba was born on 22 November 1834 at Lowndes, Georgia, United States.¹ She was the daughter of William Sapp and Savila Roden. She married John W. Johnson, on 20 January 1857 at Madison, Florida, United States.² Pheba died on 19 July 1908 at Madison, Florida, United States, at age 73. Her body was buried in July 1908 at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Madison, Florida, United States.³
     Biography of Pheba Sapp:
The below information was provided Richard Radzic by his mother - Lillian Nativa Johnson:

There are two versions of the Phoebe (Sapp) Johnson story. The 1st was told to me by my Uncle Wes (John Wesley Johnson):

"J.W. Johnson and Phoebe Sapp Johnson came from some place 'up north'. On the way 'down south', Nathan* Johnson, their oldest son was killed while working for some railroad. Then J.W. Johnson and Phoebe Sapp came on into Florida and settled in the Hamburg Precinct, about ten miles northwest of Madison in Madison County, Florida. There they had three more sons, Robert, William Benjamin and George W. Johnson, my Grandfather."

The second version is as follows: Aunt Mandy (Amanda (Jerkins) Johnson, wife of William Benjamin Johnson) told this account to my brother, Charles, after he was a grown man, but Charles had never told it to me. Some years ago, I went to the community where my grandfather, father and I lived and talked to a Mrs Sue Huey, who had grown up in the same community and who was about the same age as my grandfather. She said that her account had come from her mother who had lived there when Phoebe (Sapp) Johnson came into the community. This version was approximately the same as Aunt Mandy had given Charles.

"Phoebe Sapp came alone sometime during the Civil War in a covered wagon and settled (homesteaded) on a very rough piece of land in the "Hamburg Community", which is about ten miles north of the City of Madison, Florida. She was able to subsist there alone by growing her own food. As time passed and men were returning home from the war, three of them stopped at her place, each staying for approximately one to three years. They lived with her and helped plant her crops and build her a cabin, would get her pregnant and go on their way. (Mrs. Huey gave me their names, but I was so surprised by the story that I forgot all of them except for the name Beauregard Henderson, which was the name of the man who sired my grandfather, George W. Johnson.) Mrs Huey went on to say that there had been no disgraceful stigma attached to either Pheobe Sapp Johnson or her three sons, and as proof spoke of the fine families each of the wives of the three sons had come from. Her expression was "Phoebe Sapp Johnson did the bestshe could during the Civil War and what followed in the aftermath of that war."

I honestly think there is more truth in the second version. Mrs. Huey told me that right after my grandfather died that my Uncle, John Wesley Johnson, had gone to her and asked her about his father and family and she told him the same thing she told me. She said Uncle Wes and Aunt Bessie had gotten very upset about it and left very angry with her. Right after I got back from that trip, Uncle Wes and Aunt Bessie were over here in Atlanta and we invited them and their son, John A. Johnson, and his wife over for supper. Gloria, John's wife, had heard the story from Charles and also probably from Uncle Wes and being the mischievous person she is, she mentioned my trip that night and said she wanted to know what I found out. Uncle Wes and Aunt Bessie got very upset with her so I did not go into any details in their presence. Later when Gloria and I were alone in the kitchen, she told me that if the community where Phoebe (Sapp) Johnson lived had not condemned her, why should Uncle Wes and Aunt Bessie. Thereis no record of the death or burial of J.W. Johnson or Nathan Johnson in the Madison County Records. Signed by: Nativa (Johnson) Steele

* We have not been able to prove or disprove the existence of Nathan Johnson. Uncle Wes was the only person ever to mention him.



Phoebe applied twice for her husbands pension from the CSA, once in 1897 and again in 1903. According to the pension application, one can assume that Phoebe could not write since her signature on both applications was by her "X". A further indication that she could not read or write was the fact that there are two spellings for her name.

     Nathan Johnson was the son of John W. Johnson and Pheba Sapp.

     Brigitte was born on 10 June 1959 at Wiesbaden, Kreis Hessen, Germany. Brigitte died in 1997 at Germany.

     Carlie was born on 4 November 1923 at Chattahoochee, Gadsden, Florida, United States. He was the son of Carlie Washington Johnson and Bonnie Josephine Stewart. Carlie died on 11 February 1924 at Chattahoochee, Gadsden, Florida, United States. His body was buried in February 1924 at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Madison, Florida, United States.

     John was born on 2 January 1898 at Madison, Florida, United States. He was the son of William Benjamin Johnson and Amanda Melvina Jerkins. He married Annie Laurie Memory, on 26 July 1919 at Madison, Florida, United States.¹ His body was buried in May 1959 at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Madison, Florida, United States.

     John was born on 25 May 1920 at Madison, Madison, Florida, United States.¹ He was the son of John William Johnson and Annie Laurie Memory. He married Doris Welch, on 3 October 1948 at Madison, Florida, United States.¹

     Annie was born on 4 June 1901 at Inverness, Citrus, Florida, United States. She married John William Johnson, son of William Benjamin Johnson and Amanda Melvina Jerkins, on 26 July 1919 at Madison, Florida, United States.¹ Annie died on 27 July 1986 at Madison, Florida, United States, at age 85. Her body was buried in July 1986 at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Madison, Florida, United States.