Johnson, Ransford

   General Notes:

<Jack Hawker>
One of the old tales that circulated around the family was that Ransford Johnson was the 2nd son of a wealthy Scottish ship owner and he came to this county because he thought he would not inherit anything. His older brother died making him the heir to the fortune, but he never claimed it. Others in the family tried to claim the estate but were unsuccessful.
The few facts I have found on Ransford do not support this story. The 1880 census shows him being 49 years old and lists his birthplace as New York, his fathers as New York and his mothers as Vermont. I have not been able to locate any information on him or his parents in New York. Found a book on the internet Genealogy Library website, "History of Chenango and Madison Counties N.Y." Ransford was the surname of a very prominent family in the area and also saw a number of mentions of people with the first name Ransford. Perhaps Ransford was from this area and his mothers maiden name was Ransford and she married a Johnson.
In the 1860 census Ransford is listed as Johnston and living in a lumber camp in Muskegon County, the Town of White River. He was working as a Mill Hand. He gave the value of his estate as $10.00.
The earliest mention located on Ransford was in the book "Evart History, 1865-1972 by Mrs Charles Lovell Rose". Here he is listed as one of the first of eight settlers in Hartwick, Michigan, the book doesn't say when he first came to the area. The 1870 census shows Ransford and Sarah Jane with their 5 year old daughter Merrill living in Hartwick
They had three more daughters, Nelly, Martha and another that died in infancy, could not make out her name on the census record, may have been Minnie. He and Sarah were in Hartwick at least until 1880, at some point after that they separated, don't know if they actually divorced or not. I was not able to find a record of their marriage either.
No one seems to know any thing about Ransford after he left Sarah. The January 11, 1889 edition of the Evart Review includes a line under the Hartwick news heading that " Ransford Johnson is on the sick list".

   Events:

• Appeared on the 1870 US Census 5 Aug 1870 in Hartwick Township, Osceola County, Michigan, USA, Page: 2.

Name: Johnson, Ransford
Age: 38
Sex: M
Color: W
Occupation: Farmer
Value - Real Estate: 800
Value - Personal Property:
Birth Place: New York
Father Foreign Born: N
Mother Foreign Born: N
Month Born in Census Year:
Month Married in Census Year:
Attended School in Census Year:
Can Not Read:
Can Not Write:
Deaf and Dumb, Blind, Insane, or Idiot:
Eligible to Vote: Yes
Date of Enumeration:

• Appeared on the 1880 US census 8 Jun 1880 in Hartwick Township, Osceola County, Michigan, USA, Page: 5.

Name: Johnson, Ransford
Color: W
Sex: M
Age Prior to June 1: 49
Month of Birth in Census Year:
Relationship: Head of Household
Single: N
Married: Y
Widowed: N
Divorced: N
Married in Census Year: N
Occupation: Farmer
Other Information:
Can't Read or Write: N
Place of Birth: New York
Place of Birth Father: New York
Place of Birth Mother: Vermont

Ransford married Sarah Jane Lytle, daughter of John Lytle and Mary Maria Perry, on 12 Sep 1861 in Duck Lake, Osceola County, Michigan, USA. (Sarah Jane Lytle was born on 14 Jul 1844 in Sandusky County, Ohio, USA, died on 23 Aug 1941 in Seattle, King County, Washington, USA and was buried on 25 Aug 1941 in Seattle, King County, Washington, USA, Crown Hill Cemetery.)