MRS. JOHNSON

-

 Democrat Richard Mentor Johnson was Vice President under President Martin Van Buren. He fought in the War of 1812 and it was believed that Johnson was the soldier who personally killed the famous Shawnee Indian chief Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames. Johnson used this to his political advantage when he ran for Vice President. His campaign slogan was "Rumpsey Dumpsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh"

 Johnson did not hide the fact that he was in a common-law marriage with his Black mistress Julia Chinn. She was born into slavery in 1790. Upon Johnson's fathers death he inherited Julia. In the South there was such a thing as the "one drop rule". If a person had one drop of Negro blood in them they were considered to be Black. Julia was light skinned and known as an "octoroon" because she was seven-eighths White.

 She looked after his Kentucky plantation while he was away on business and was technically a slave. By law Johnson could not have married her even if he wanted to. The couple lived together as man and wife eventually having two daughters. Johnson gave them his surname. This relationship hampered Johnson's political ambitions. He became such a political liability that the Democrats refused to renominate him for Vice President in 1840.

 Julia died in a cholera epidemic in 1833 and Johnson deeply grieved her loss. Soon after he began a relationship with another of his slaves. When she left him for another man Johnson sold her off in a slave auction. He then began a relationship with the woman's sister. Johnson died of a stroke on November 19, 1850. Only one of his daughters by Julia Chinn survived him but she was not allowed an inheritance because the state of Kentucky considered her to be illegitimate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE DEATH OF JAYNE MANSFIELD

-
Image
Jayne Mansfield   Jayne Mansfield died way too young on June 29, 1967 at the age of 34 in a gruesome car wreck, She was killed instantly but contrary to urban legend she was not decapitated. Jayne was called the poor man's Marilyn Monroe. She had enjoyed about a four year stint of popularity on Broadway and in Hollywood from 1954 until 1958. Her career was in decline in the late 50's and early 60's but she was still popular in Europe and on the nightclub circuit. She took her last name from her high school sweetheart Paul Mansfield when she married him at the age of seventeen. Her second husband was a former Mr. Universe named Mickey Hargitay who was from Norway. The third and last husband was Matt Cimber. Mansfield was highly educated, attending Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and U.C.L.A. She supposedly had an IQ of 163 and was called the smartest dumb blonde ever. Of course she couldn't be too smart. In 1966, a year before her death, while...
Read more

CARNTON PLANTATION

-
Image
   My first association with the Carnton Plantation in Franklin was when I would see the old house while hunting for Civil War relics in the early 1970's. There is a subdivision near Carnton today in the area where I hunted when it was primarily farm land. I knew it was an antebellum home but I wasn't aware of how historic Carnton was. It was in a horrible state of disrepair and I have learned since then that a farmer was using the house as his hay barn. In 1977 the owner of the property donated the house and ten acres to the Carnton Association and they have done a fantastic job of restoring the plantation to it's former glory. Originally the McGavock's owned 1400 acres. It was built by Randall McGavock in the 1820's. He was mayor of Nashville and a close friend of Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk. Jackson on several occasions was an overnight guest in the home.    His son John took over the plantation in 1843 upon the death of Randall. In 1848 John mar...
Read more

NASHVILLE AND JESSE JAMES

-
Image
The James brothers with their mother Zerelda James   Most everyone has heard of the notorious outlaws Jesse and Frank James, however; did you know that they lived in Nashville from 1875 until March 1881? Jesse's oldest son Jesse James Jr. was born in Nashville along with his sister Mary. Jesse Jr. was born at 606 Boscobel Street on August 31, 1875. Mary was born on West Hamilton Road in Bordeaux on July 17, 1879. Jesse Jr. went by the name Tim and as far as he knew his last name was Howard. He and his sister would not know their real last names until after Jesse was killed in 1882. Jesse and his wife Zerelda would also lose two male twins in infancy.  Jesse's brother Frank lived on Clarksville Pike. While living there he and his wife Annie Ralston James gave birth to a son named Robert Franklin on February 6, 1877. For a time he would be dressed as a girl and go by the name of Mary. Why his parents did this I do not know.  The brothers were on the run. Nashvill...
Read more