Johnson Genealogy

Born 17 Mar 1754 at Melbourne, Derbyshire, to parents John and Elizabeth. Married Sarah Allt of Breedon at Breedon 24 Jun 1776 (Melbourne-Breedon 5m). Their children were born at Heathend-Staunton Harold, Leicestershire (Melbourne-Staunton 3m; Staunton-Breedon 2m). Most likely the name "Warren" became "Watson". There are no Watsons local to the Staunton area before the birth at Heathend in 1778 of Sarah Watson, who, like her siblings Thomas, Sarah (2) and John (our ancestor) were all born in Staunton and baptised at Calke. I have checked for marriages and births in Calke, Ticknall, Melbourne, and Breedon, but no Watsons found. Henry's siblings were John b1751 and Edward b1756.

There are various other Warrens in Melbourne at the time. We have William Warren who married Sarah Johnson in 1750 and had 9 children. We also have Henry Warren who married Mary Pass in 1761, with children Samuel and Elizabeth. There is no trace of the Warrens in Melbourne before 1750, and there is no trace of (our) Henry's parents (John and Elizabeth) marriage in Melbourne, while the other two, William (m1750) and Henry (m1761) both married in Melbourne. It is still unknown where they came from.

There were also various Johnson families in Melbourne, starting from 1726 when Thomas Johnson married Hannah Doer in Melbourne. There were 2 other Thomas Johnsons between 1730 and 1750, married to a Mary and a Jane, but no trace of their marriages, and they were contemporaies, as they were having children at the same time. The Thomas married to Jane had children starting in 1740, and the last one I found was Isaac, born in 1750. The Thomas married to Mary had children in Melbourne starting in 1741.

In the same timeframe as the Warrens (after 1750), we have 2 Johnson families, John Johnson who married Elizabeth Pass in 1762 (children Mary and Elizabeth), and Thomas Johnson who married Mary Etherle in 1754 (children Thomas, Lydia and Robert. Although the Johnson link seems interesting, latest indications are that "our" Johnson line came through William (b1784), Abraham (b1753), John (b about 1732) and John (b1710). This still needs to be definitively proved.

Coming back to Henry Watson/Warren, there was a Henry Watson who married Elizabeth Wilton in Breedon 24 Jan 1797 (ref: 3358.jpg). This could possiby have been a 2nd marriage, but there is no trace of the death of Sarah in that timeframe at Breedon or Melbourne. This marriage was at Breedon, because perhaps Elizabeth was from there, so the possible death of Sarah could be elsewhere.

There is also a William son of George and Ann Watson b14 Nov 1790 in Staunton, baptised in Calke. I have no idea where George has come from, there don't seem to be any children named George in the Warrens.