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Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet ( C. 1715 – 11 July 1774 ) was an Irish pioneer and army officer in colonial New York , and the British Superintendent Of Indian Affairs from 1755 to 1774. He served on the Governor's Council in New York, earned the rank of Major General in the British forces during the French And Indian War . Sir William was a man of many accomplishments, and ultimately his estate in the Mohawk Valley covered over 400,000 acres (1,600 km&2). IRISH ORIGINS He was born to Christopher Johnson - son of William MacShane and great, great grandson of Sir Turlough mac Henry O Neill - in County Meath , Ireland in 1715. The family were originally the O Neill s of the Fews in Armagh and thus a branch of the Uí Néill , but had been dispossessed by the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War In Ireland . William's father was originally known as William MacShane (O Neill) but changed his name to the English version of MacShane, Johnson. HIS YEARS IN AMERICA William is thought to have originally planned a mercantile or legal career, but in 1738 he emigrated to America to manage the land granted to his uncle (Admiral Sir Peter Warren ). He settled on the Mohawk River about 25 miles west of Schenectady, New York . He learned from and lived with the Mohawk Indians who adopted him, and later made him a civil chief (sachem). He also began to purchase land from the Indians in his own right. HIS INTIMATES AND THEIR CHILDREN Many of these relationships were operated simultaneously. In June 1739 William began a relationship with an immigrant of German Palatine extraction, Catherine Wisenberg ( 1723 – April, 1759 ). She originally came to America as an Indentured Servant , but had run away, apparently with the help of relatives, and became a servant to a family called Phillips. William purchased her contract, and the couple had three children before her death. Their son John Johnson , inherited his father's title and estates. in 1776, has been long thought to be a depiction of Sir William's nephew Guy Johnson and his Mohawk friend Karonghyontye (Captain David Hill). However Fintan O'Toole in his 2005 biography of Sir William Johnson, claimed that the painting actually depicts William himself, as demonstrated in-part by the presence of Niagara Falls - Johnson's greatest military victory - in the background.]] By the time of Catherine's death he had already begun a similarly unmarried relationship with Elizabeth Brant, by whom he had three children, Keghneghtago or Brant, born in 1742, Thomas and Christian, born in 1744 and 1745 — both of whom died in infancy. About 1750 he had a son called Tagawirunta or William by a Mohawk woman, possibly Elizabeth Brant's younger sister, Margaret. By Molly Brant , sister of Joseph Brant he had eight children and by Caroline Peters, niece of King Hendrick , about three. Johnson is also known to have been intimate with the sisters Susannah and Elizabeth Wormwood (daughters of Henry Wormwood), an Irish woman called Mary McGrath (by whom he appears to have had a daughter, Mary), and several other Mohawk women. FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR Commander-in-chief General Braddock commissioned Johnson a Major General and tasked him to lead militia forces against Crown Point . In September, his expedition defeated Baron Dieskau at the Battle Of Lake George . In recognition of this victory he was awarded £5,000 and made a Baronet in November. In 1758 he was part of General Abercrombie's Failed Attempt to take Fort Ticonderoga . Johnson led an Indian and militia force as part of General John Prideaux 's Siege of Fort Niagara in the summer of 1759 . When Prideaux was killed, he took command of the force and captured the fort. He also accompanied General Amherst at the capture of Montreal in 1760 . After the war, King George rewarded him with the grant of an additional tract of 100,000 acres (400 km&2) north of the Mohawk River . DEATH AND LEGACY William Johnson died from a stroke at his home in Johnstown on July 11 , 1774. His role as Superintendent of Indian Affairs was taken over by his nephew (and son-in-law) Guy Johnson . His manor house is now a New York Historic Site and is open to the public. FAMILY TREE Aodh (Hugh) O Neill, fl. 1505, younger son of King of Tir Eoghan; 1st O Neill of the Fews. | ||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Guy_Johnson" class="copylinks">Guy Johnson , c1740-88 |
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| Marie-Louise Holroyd (m 1990) |
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