THE DYER JOHNSON FAMILY

Dyer Johnson was born a slave in Virginia in 1818. Although illiterate, he learned the craft of carpentry. He was sold to a man in Maury County who, recognizing Johnson’s expertise, hired him out as a carpenter. Dyer was allowed to keep some of the money he earned and saved up enough to buy his freedom in 1849. Prior to liberating himself he married Betty Kelley, a slave owned by a woman named Nancy White. Betty was the sister of Edmund Kelley. In 1852 Dyer bought Betty from Nancy White.

Dyer was one of the founders of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in Columbia. In 1860, the U.S. Census shows Dyer living in Columbia owning real estate valued at $500 and personal property valued at $2,000. The 1870 U.S. Census lists Dyer and Betty with four children: Edward, born 1854; Mary A., 1856; Robert, 1860; and John W., 1867. Interestingly, Jane Kelley, daughter of Edmund Kelley, born 1854 in Massachusetts, is listed in the household. The property was owned by Nancy White, age 70, who once owned Betty Johnson and was also living there.

The four children were educated by their uncle, Edmund Kelley, who returned to Maury County after the Civil War ended and established a school at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church. Kelley set a high bar for his scholars.

Second Generation

Mary Ann Johnson: Received education at Union College in Christian County, Kentucky. She married Rev. El Williams, a professor at Union. Mary died in Hopkinsville, Ky., in 1929.

John William Johnson: Received higher education at Roger Williams University in Nashville. His work was so outstanding he was given a scholarship to Brown University. After completing his master’s degree, he returned to Roger Williams and eventually became its first Black president. After Roger Williams closed, he taught at Morehead University in Atlanta until his retirement. He returned to Columbia, where he spend the rest of his life, he and his brothers living into their nineties.

Robert Grave Johnson: Received his higher education at Roger Williams University. He returned to Columbia and devoted his life to the education of Black children at College Hill School, where he taught and became principal, retiring after almost 40 years. In 1887 he married Maggie Pew, daughter of Solomon Pew. Together they had nine children.

Third Generation

The eight children of Robert Graves and Maggie Johnson, with the exception of Neil Johnson, left Maury County for Louisville, Chicago, and New York. All seven were college educated. The most notable was Lyman Johnson, who successfully sued the state of Kentucky, ending segregation in schools in that state. A dormitory at the University of Kentucky is named in his honor.

Fourth Generation

Among the great-grandchildren of Dyer and Betty Johnson are a Harvard professor, a female superior court judge in New York, and a prominent doctor in Los Angeles. As with the family of Edmund Kelley, no descendants of Dyer Johnson live in Maury County.