UPPER PIQUA OHIO, 1815
Abraham Robinson Johnston was born to John Johnston and Rachel Hoping Robinson Johnston
in May of 1815. His father, John, was an Irish immigrant from Enniskillen Parrish, County
Fermanagh in Ireland. John Johnston's clan was known there as the 'gentle Johnstones'.
Robinson's ancestors had been given land by King William for military service, but apparently the
family was not cash wealthy. John's father, Stephen, who came to Fermanagh as a soldier fighting
the Catholics, married Elizabeth Bernard, a child of Huguenots, who had inherited her
grandparents' fortune of approximately 10,000 pounds sterling. It is my personal belief that this
woman not only brought the family to America by her wealth, but continued throughout her long
life of 89 years to have great influence over both her son, and his sons and daughters. Robinson
would have known her well. His mother, Rachel, was from Philadelphia, the daughter of Quakers.
She grew up in the country's capital in the midst of the forming of the new nation, living near
both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. In marrying John Johnston, Rachel abandoned
her faith and family, and traveled with him into the American wilderness and a kind of life she
most likely had never conceived.
Robinson was one of 15 children, 14 of whom survived to adulthood. He was the second son of 5
boys, giving the Johnston's 10 girls! Robinson was close to his elder brother, Stephen, in spite of
the fact that 12 years separated them and, when Robinson was only 5 years old, Stephen left to join
the Navy. In a way he was another 'first' son. It is my belief that Robinson, more than Stephen,
reflected his father's personality and interests. I believe he was also closer to his father. Stephen's
letters begin 'honoured father' and often end with your 'dutiful' or 'obedient' son. There is a
formality to them, not a bad one, but they are the letters of one accomplished man writing to
another. Robinson's letters are to his 'Pa'. Signed most often 'your affectionate' son, they are
almost always addressed 'my dear father'.
If one takes the letters and lives of John Johnston's family and tries to piece them together - there
is precious little info about the children in what is available from 1800 to 1840 - one comes away
with an impression of a very well-educated, intelligent and humorous group of people. They were
not immensely wealthy, but were comfortable. As John Johnston put it himself - 'I had not
wealth, but a competency, stayed out of debt, and made two ends of the year meet." ref.
Recollections of Sixty Years by John Johnston . They had fine things like Wedgwood and silver, were
of good social standing, and connected with all of the 'right' people including General William
Henry Harrison and the Patterson family of Dayton. Their girls were boarding school educated -
all of them. In their letters every one of them is literate, writing with only rare mis-spellings and
very few mistakes. They lived a life somewhat rare for Miami County, Ohio in the earliest years of
the nineteenth century - until a change in political fortunes cost John Johnston his federal job.
John was a Whig and the new president, Andrew Jackson, a Democrat. John lost his job and a
salary of over $200,000 dollars per annum by today's standards.
With this, in 1830 when Robinson was 15, everything changed. It is my opinion, backed by his
father's words, that this is why Robinson was sent to West Point. It was a free education.
With his admission to West Point, Robinson's time as a 'boy' ended and so did his days at Upper
Piqua.
Abraham Robinson Johnston was born to John Johnston and Rachel Hoping Robinson Johnston
in May of 1815. His father, John, was an Irish immigrant from Enniskillen Parrish, County
Fermanagh in Ireland. John Johnston's clan was known there as the 'gentle Johnstones'.
Robinson's ancestors had been given land by King William for military service, but apparently the
family was not cash wealthy. John's father, Stephen, who came to Fermanagh as a soldier fighting
the Catholics, married Elizabeth Bernard, a child of Huguenots, who had inherited her
grandparents' fortune of approximately 10,000 pounds sterling. It is my personal belief that this
woman not only brought the family to America by her wealth, but continued throughout her long
life of 89 years to have great influence over both her son, and his sons and daughters. Robinson
would have known her well. His mother, Rachel, was from Philadelphia, the daughter of Quakers.
She grew up in the country's capital in the midst of the forming of the new nation, living near
both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. In marrying John Johnston, Rachel abandoned
her faith and family, and traveled with him into the American wilderness and a kind of life she
most likely had never conceived.
Robinson was one of 15 children, 14 of whom survived to adulthood. He was the second son of 5
boys, giving the Johnston's 10 girls! Robinson was close to his elder brother, Stephen, in spite of
the fact that 12 years separated them and, when Robinson was only 5 years old, Stephen left to join
the Navy. In a way he was another 'first' son. It is my belief that Robinson, more than Stephen,
reflected his father's personality and interests. I believe he was also closer to his father. Stephen's
letters begin 'honoured father' and often end with your 'dutiful' or 'obedient' son. There is a
formality to them, not a bad one, but they are the letters of one accomplished man writing to
another. Robinson's letters are to his 'Pa'. Signed most often 'your affectionate' son, they are
almost always addressed 'my dear father'.
If one takes the letters and lives of John Johnston's family and tries to piece them together - there
is precious little info about the children in what is available from 1800 to 1840 - one comes away
with an impression of a very well-educated, intelligent and humorous group of people. They were
not immensely wealthy, but were comfortable. As John Johnston put it himself - 'I had not
wealth, but a competency, stayed out of debt, and made two ends of the year meet." ref.
Recollections of Sixty Years by John Johnston . They had fine things like Wedgwood and silver, were
of good social standing, and connected with all of the 'right' people including General William
Henry Harrison and the Patterson family of Dayton. Their girls were boarding school educated -
all of them. In their letters every one of them is literate, writing with only rare mis-spellings and
very few mistakes. They lived a life somewhat rare for Miami County, Ohio in the earliest years of
the nineteenth century - until a change in political fortunes cost John Johnston his federal job.
John was a Whig and the new president, Andrew Jackson, a Democrat. John lost his job and a
salary of over $200,000 dollars per annum by today's standards.
With this, in 1830 when Robinson was 15, everything changed. It is my opinion, backed by his
father's words, that this is why Robinson was sent to West Point. It was a free education.
With his admission to West Point, Robinson's time as a 'boy' ended and so did his days at Upper
Piqua.
| The south face of Robinson's home as it looks today... and might have looked yesterday. |
John Johnston and Rachel Hoping Johnston, original wedding portraits courtesy of Mike Thomas Haydock Jr, a descendant through their eldest daughter, Elizabeth. John Johnston was 27 years old and Rachel, just two days away from 17. They married July 12th, 1802. |