Daniel Johnson, Veteran of War of 1812 honored

BLODGETT, COY, JOHNSON, WARD

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 4/20/2018 at 15:12:26

Grave of Veteran of War of 1812 in Griffis Cemetery Decorated by Legion
Members of Booth-DeVries Post, No. 275, American Legion, decorated the grave of Daniel Johnson, a soldier in the War of 1812, at Griffis cemetery southeast of Prairie City Memorial Day.
Daniel Johnson served in the War of 1812 as a drummer in Captain David Elliott’s company, 1st Regiment (McDonald’s) Ohio Militia.
He was the fourth child of a family of eleven children born to Bailey and Hannah Johnson and at the time of the war of 1812 his mother and family lived in Twin township, Ross county, Ohio. His father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and served as a private of Captain Andrew Waggoner’s Company of the 12th Virginia Regiment (which became the 8th Virginia Regiment about September, 1778), commanded by Colonel James Woods. Records show that he was wounded Oct. 4, 1777, that he was promoted to be corporal in May 1778, and that he was promoted to be sergeant in May 1779. He was discharged Dec. 9, 1779. Bailey Johnson died in Pennsylvania in 1805 and a search is now being made by the Legion Graves Registration Service for his grave. Bailey Johnson was a resident of Fauguier county, Va., where his father, Jeffry Johnson, settled on a grant of 232 acres of land on July 20, 1715, records of the Virginia Land Office disclose.
Daniel Johnson was born April 20, 1789, and died June 18, 1863, records of the pension bureau at Washington, D.C., reveal. He married Elizabeth Ward May 12, 1813, in Twin township, Ross county, Ohio. She was born Oct. 24, 1793, and died near Prairie City Jan. 7, 1890, aged ninety-six years. She is buried in Waveland cemetery north of town. They came to Jasper county in 1858 with his family where they lived the remainder of their lives.
It is believed that Daniel Johnson is the only soldier of the War of 1812 and a true S.A.R. (Sons of the American Revolution) buried in this vicinity.
He was the grandfather of Mrs. Clara Coy and Lyle Johnson of Prairie City, Frank W. Johnson of Monroe, Chas. D. Johnson of Eugene, Ore., and Mrs. Ida Blodgett of Santa Barbara, Calif., Lee S. Coy, a great-grandson, provided the Legion Graves Registration Service with the above information through his search of government and other records.
Legionnaire who made the pilgrimage: C. S. Baldwin.
Source: The Prairie City News; June 7, 1934