Johnson Genealogy

The youngest child of Joseph Johnson and Sarah Watson, she had quite a complex life, being involved with 18 children (12 of her own and 6 of her first husband). She also married the brother of her nephew's wife! (From the point of view of her husband, she was his brother-in-law's aunt!)

Sarah was born in 1848, and in 1868 had her first child, which was illegitimate and called Fred Johnson, b 19 Aug 1868. The father was unknown, possibly William Laban, whom she married 14 Nov 1869. He was a widower with 6 children, 1 of whom had died by the time of their marriage. William's first wife Mary Cooper had died 13 Sep 1868 aged 29, so only a year had passed before he re-married. Probably the necessity of someone looking after all these orphaned children. In the 1871 census Sarah's son Fred is registered as Frederick Laban, but by the 1881 census he had reverted to Frederick Johnson, and was living with his grandparents, Joseph Johnson and Sarah Watson. With William Laban, Sarah had two children, Alice and John, before William died in 1872 aged 35.

In 1873, Sarah (as Sarah Laban) was a witness at the wedding of her nephew Thomas Johnson (b1852) and Sarah Rushton Reed (b1854). The other witness was Joseph Reed (b1852), the brother of the bride. In 1876, Sarah Johnson and Joseph Reed would marry in Tibshelf. After marrying, they moved back to Worthingon.

With Joseph, Sarah had 9 more children, bringing her total to 12. The two children she had had with her first husband were both born as Laban, but registered in the 1881 and 1891 census returns as Reed, but both reverted to the name Laban when they married, respectively in 1898 and 1899. As mentioned previously, Sarah's firstborn Fred reverted to Johnson.

Sarah Johnson died in 1914, while her husband Joseph Reed died in 1919.