I just broke my whole family tree, well not the whole tree but definitely the Johnson line. Family oral history says that my great-grandfather Charley Johnson was born Charley Lesane but due to circumstances in the South he changed his name to Johnson when he moved to Philadelphia.

But then I found this marriage notice from Mayesville in 1916, I was definitely confused. Here was my great grandfather in South Carolina with the surname Johnson.

(Related: License to Marry Issued to Great-Grandparents on the Johnson Side)

I followed him back on the census.

In 1930, you see Charley in Philadelphia listed with his wife Rebecca, children Maggie, Elizabeth, Mary and Moses, and some lodgers.

In 1920, you see Charley Johnson in Mayesville, South Carolina, listed with his wife Rebecca and two daughters Maggie and Elizabeth.

In 1910, you see him listed as a son of Eliza Johnson who was a widow.

But I couldn’t find him on the 1900 Census. Here you see Jack and Eliza Johnson’s household.

Looking at the 1880 Census, I see Jack and Eliza Johnson’s household had children Maggy, Milton and John.

If you look at the ages here in the 1880 Census vs. the 1900 Census, the children listed in 1900 are at least 20 years younger than those in 1880 and those from 1880 are no longer in the house.

There were several of the Johnson sisters that married Lesanes so my question was “I know we are Johnsons but are we also Lesanes or related by marriage?”

I had a theory that maybe Charley was not a child of Jack and Eliza Johnson but instead a grandchild because other grandchildren were listed in the household. So one of my cousins on the Johnson side and I scoured the 1900 Census for anyone named Charlie, Charley, or Charles around the age of my great grandfather, first in Sumter County and then in the state of South Carolina. At least we thought we did.

Months passed.

One day I saw what was going on with the 1900 Census. We just couldn’t read the Census (the transcription is off as well).

What does this say?

I think it says Charles Lesane, grandson. (You can’t imagine the number of different ways that Lesane/Lesesne is spelled on the Census.) There’s also something else there that I can’t read.

Since I only see one daughter in the 1880 Census, I have assumed that Maggy was his mother. Since there’s no 1890 Federal Census to look for, I am looking for the family in the South Carolina state census. And I plan to verify both his parents with any new information.

I have a lot of information on the Lesanes. I am no longer confused about the Lesane connection though I don’t have the exact person. I still have a lot to verify with the oral history and relationships. I have so much more to research now.

Sources:

• Newspapers.com – The Watchman and Southron – 1916-12-16 – Page 5
• Year: 1930; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0322; FHL microfilm: 2341831
• Year: 1920; Census Place: Mayesville, Sumter, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1712; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 132
• Year: 1910; Census Place: Mayesville, Sumter, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1465; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 0105; FHL microfilm: 1375478
• Year: 1900; Census Place: Mayesville, Sumter, South Carolina; Roll: 1543; Page: 17; Enumeration District: 0111; FHL microfilm: 1241543