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Doraville Whitney was the
first Black settler in Isabella County in 1860. The first documentation of
an African-American settler in Mecosta County Michigan was James Guy.
His deed was signed by Abraham Lincoln. He obtained 160 acres in Wheatland
Township on May 30, 1861. Lloyd & Margaret Guy were the first
Black settlers in Montcalm County in 1861. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed each
settler 160 acres in Michigan. By 1873 African-Americans owned
1,392 acres in the three counties of Isabella, Mecosta and Montcalm.
In the 1860's most of the land in Remus was owned by the Old Settlers. |
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Absalom Johnson
Pictures Courtesy of: Judy Caldwell
Daughter of Marguerite Berry-Jackson & Fern Johnson-Cross
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Thomas
Johnson
Belle Johnson, Anna
Johnson
Mary
Luke |
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Uncle Jim Johnson
(Known as "The Hermit of the West")
Son of Absalom & Cynthia Johnson
Died
in Mecosta 1951. |
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| Mary Luke &
Jim Johnson |
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Bertha Johnson |
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Fern & Cynthia Johnson |
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James Johnson |
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Beatrice, Elizabeth, Dorothy
& Little George Johnson |
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Cynthia (Wilson) Johnson
&
Hazel Luke |
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Russell Edwin
Johnson |
Absalom
Johnson of Virginia married Cynthia Wilson of North Carolina. They
immigrated to East Windsor in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. All of
their children were born in Canada except the youngest daughter who was
born in Michigan. They came to Morton Township (Little River Area)
in August of 1877 and homesteaded 80 acres of land. They farmed,
cleared land and raised their family on this homestead. The
following is a list of their children: Hattie Jane, Thomas H., James
Edward, George Andrew, John Absalom, Mary Lucinda, Annie Frances and Ida
Belle. Absalom and Cynthia are buried in West Wheatland Cemetery.
Hattie Jane
married Arthur Archie. Thomas Henry Johnson married Bertha Gladys
(Feb. 9, 1879 - Oct. 22, 1964) of Illinois. To this union four
children were born: Cynthia and Fern, twin daughters, Lela Marie and
Thomas Henry, Jr. Thomas Henry, Jr. died shortly after birth.
Back to Top
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There are "Old Settlers"
who came from Canada via "The Underground Railroad." It was the
most dramatic nonviolent protest against slavery in the United States
that began in the Colonial Era and reached its peak between 1830 and
1865. An estimated 30,000 to 100,000 slaves
used the "railroad" to get to Canada; many others escaped to Mexico,
the Caribbean, and Europe.
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