Johnson Genealogy

According to W J Lomas, writing in 1982, Isaac Harvey was the father of Elizabeth Johnson's illegitimate child Laban Johnson, born in 1858. He was foreman at the pottery works in Lount where Elizabeth worked.

Isaac Harvey was born 19 Jan 1823 at Rugeley, Staffs.
In 1844 he got Mary Marshall pregnant, the child was born illegitimate on 22 Sep 1844 and named James Harvey Marshall. Soon afterwards Isaac married Mary, the marriage was registered at Ashby, not sure exactly where it was held, most likely around Blackfordby, Leicestershire. Mary was from Swadlincote, just a couple of miles away, and their child James was born in Blackfordby. By 1849 they had moved closer to Lount and were living in Worthington, where additional children were born, Charles in 1849 and Sarah in 1852. Then, in 1856, Mary died.

In 1858 Isaac then got Elizabeth Johnson pregnant, and their son Laban Johnson was born 29 Aug 1858 at Lount. It is not clear why Isaac and Elizabeth did not marry, perhaps Elizabeth didn't want to have to raise Isaac's children.

Subsequently Isaac Harvey married Sophia Johnson nee Glover 9 Dec 1861 in Birmingham.
Sophia had previously been married to Reuben Johnson (no relation to ours) in Ashby 4Q 1854. They had 2 children, Helen b1855 and Lizzie b1858. It is then probable that they divorced, as in the 1861 census Sophia is working as a cook for the local vicar in Hinckley, and her status is "married" (not widowed). Her child Lizzie (aged 3) is also in Hinckley lodging with another family, while Helen (aged 6) is living with her grandparents (Sophia's parents George and Elizabeth Glover).

Reuben seems to have set up a new family, as in the 1861 census he is living in Aylburton, Gloucestershire with a Mary Ann Johnson b1837 in Guildford, and a baby girl Mary Ann Johnson b1858 in Worcester. After 1861 there is no clear trace of any of them. The "wife" and "daughter" may not even really have had the last name Johnson, it could have been attributed by the census collector. There is in fact no trace of a marriage of Reuben around that time.

In any case, Reuben must have either died or, most likely, divorced from Sophia, because on 9 Dec 1861, Sophia re-married, to Isaac Harvey. In her marriage certificate to Isaac Harvey it says she is a "spinster", which is somewhat misleading, although there are various dictionary definitions (e.g. Websters) that define a spinster as "a woman who is not married, divorced or widowed". My suspicion is that she was divorced. There is also another error in the marriage certificate between Isaac and Sophia, concerning Sophia's father, who is named as "George Johnson, Shoemaker". Now her father was in fact "George Glover, Shoemaker", and it looks as if the official mistakenly took her father's last name from her own last name (Johnson). The fact that his first name was George and that he was a shoemaker confirms this I believe. Also the fact the Sophia's youngest daughter Helen Johnson was living with George and wife Elizabeth at the time of the 1861 census, and that one of the witnesses at Sophia and Isaac's marriage was Sophia's brother Francis Glover.

Children of Isaac and Sophia were Isaac b1864, Mary b1866, George b1868, William b1871.
In the 1871 census, Sophia's daughter Lizzie Johnson was also living with the Harveys.

In 1867 (our) Elizabeth Johnson married James Richards, and her son Laban by Isaac Harvey lived with Elizabeth and James.

Isaac Harvey died 3 Jan 1900, aged 77 (b1823).