Zachariah Johnson Cemetery

A few years ago, Jerome Norman, a local surveyor, told me there was a cemetery in a piece of woods behind the field across from the Pine Tree Cemetery. He never gave specifics on the cemetery, who was there, where exactly it was located, etc., before he died. I kept this information in the back of my mind. A little over a year ago, that piece of woods was logged, and what appeared to be a graveyard could be seen from the road, but as it turned out what I saw wasn’t a graveyard.

This past Sunday (April 17) while sitting around the dinner table, my Uncle Jimmie mentioned he saw a cemetery behind Mrs. Augusta Jones’s house, which is beside the woods mentioned above. So, that afternoon Uncle Jimmie and I went out searching, and I was able to copy the information from the one headstone we could find.

Zachariah Johnson
Born in 1818
Died
Mar 14, 1900

That got me wondering, who was Zachariah Johnson?

Despite the Census Day for 1900 being June 1, 1900, I was unable to locate Zachariah Johnson in the 1900 Census in Craven County. So I went back to the next available census, 1880. I was able to locate “Zack Johnson” in Number 2 Township of Craven County in 1880. He was a black, male, farmer, aged 62, living with his wife, Matilda (black, female, 69) and a granddaughter, Matilda Moore (black, female, 10). [Dwelling 26, family 27 in 1880, Township 2, Craven County, North Carolina; Roll T9-959; Family History Film: 1254959; Page:177C; Enumeration District: 036; Image: 0520, Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010, visited April 22, 2016.] Going back 10 years to the 1870 census, again, I was unable to locate Zachariah Johnson.

Since slaves were not listed by name in the 1860 census, I did not expect to find Zachariah Johnson listed when I searched it. I was pleasantly surprised when I did. The 1860 Census for North of the Neuse River, Swift Creek Post Office, lists a 45 year old Zachariah Johnson, 46 year old Matilda, 10 year old Alonzo and 8 year old Ann. All free persons of color. Zachariah’s occupation was listed as “Day Laborer.” [Family 739, 1860 Craven County, North Carolina; Roll M653-894, Page: 122, Image: 245, Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009, visited April 22, 2016.] Now that I knew Zachariah was a free person, I continued further back and found him in 1850, but listed as “Zaccheus Jonson” rather than Zachariah Johnson. In 1850, his family was composed of himself, aged 30; Matilda, 30; Sidney (a girl), 6; and Zaccheus, 7 months. [Family 1806, 1850 Craven County, North Carolina; Roll M432-626, Page: 376A; Image: 316, Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009, visited April 22, 2016.]

Before 1850, censuses only give the names of the heads of household, and Zachariah Johnson was listed with one male between 16 and 23, one male between 24 and 36, and one female between 24 and 36. He was living next to Ruth Callaway, a free person of color between 55 and 99. [1840 North Side of Neuse River, Craven County, North Carolina; Roll 358; Image: 688, Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, visited April 22, 2016.]

Checking a few other sources, I was able to determine that Zachariah and a possible sister, Lydia, were bound as apprentices in 1824 to Reuben Callaway. Zachariah was 6 years old at the time and was to learn the trade of a cooper, while Lydia was 2 years old and was to learn to be a spinster. They were apparently the children of Mary Johnson, who “died Septr 1th Day 1824” and whose small estate was administered by Reuben Callaway. Mary’s meager estate consisted of one feather bedstead and furniture, 3 tables, 3 water pails, 5 sitting chairs, 2 chests, 2 bread trays, 1 kettle, 1 washing tub, 1 bucket, 1 cradle, 1 trunk, 4 bottles, 1 flat iron, 1 pair of loom gear [?], 1 pair of “Collen Chards” [culling cards?], 1 sugar dish, 1 tin cup, 1 sugar box, 5 knives and forks, 5 cups and saucers, 4 earthen plates, 1 reel, 1 milk pot, 1 “Jorden”, 1 woolen wheel, and 1 basket. [The 1824 estate of Mary Johnson is misfiled in the 1819 estate of Mary Johnston on “North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-24759-3198-95?cc=1911121, images 4 and 20 : accessed 18 April 2016); also 1824 Apprentice Bonds abstracted by me for the library at the library’s website, http://newbern.cpclib.org/research/apprentice/apprent1821.html, visited April 22, 2016.]

That is as much of the early life of Zachariah Johnson that I could find. So let us return to 1841, which is when Zachariah Johnston and John C. Stanly applied for a marriage bond on May 10, 1841. Zachariah Johnston stated his intention to marry Matilda Keas (also Keys) [North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-14863-15921-30?cc=1726957, image 1110 : accessed 18 April 2016).]

Just a few months earlier on March 23, 1841, he sold 30 acres of land for $50 to Nathan Moore, which included land on the Muddy Branch containing all the lands in the Bangs Patent on the East of the Muddy Branch. More research needs to be done to determine where or how Zachariah obtained this property to sell to Nathan, as no earlier deeds have been discovered for Zachariah Johnson in Craven County. There is a later deed (March 25, 1872) where he purchased 25 acres of land on Pine Tree Branch for $25 from Daisy Bell. This is probably the land on which he was buried. [Craven County Deeds Book 55, page 101 (1841) and Book 144, pages 568-569 (1872).]

I am still researching Zachariah Johnson and his descendants which appear to include the Moore and Crump families. As I discover more, another post will be in the making.