I first came across Vernon Johnson on the 1900 Missouri Census. He was listed as a boarder in the household of Robert Louis Lankford. They lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. With this new discovery, I wondered! Was Vernon a relative?
Back Story:
I was searching the Lewis County Missouri index records for Lankfords marriages. I came across a Miss Annie Lankford who married Westley Johnson. I found Lewis Lankford who married Miss Charlotta Dade. They were my great grandparents.
I started searching for Annie (Lankford) Johnson. I discovered a 1914 article that mentioned a R. L. Lankford from St. Joseph, Missouri. He attended Annie’s daughter’s wedding in Kansas City, Missouri.
I also discovered that Anna “Annie”(Lankford) Johnson was born in Washington County, Kentucky. And so was Robert Louis Lankford. Isn’t this a coincident?
New Discoveries:
In early January of 2025, I began to search for Vernon Johnson, again. I was thinking. What happened to him? The only information I found on him was on the 1900 Missouri census.
I search and come up with no leads. However, I finally came across a family tree on ancestry. This linked a Vernon Johnson as the son of Wesley Z. Johnson and Anna / Sarah (Langford) Johnson. They lived in Iowa.
Yes, this is the same Anna / Sarah in whom I’ve been searching for. I began to search old newspaper for all of Anna / Sarah ‘s children. I located some of them in Des Moines Iowa. This led me to search for Fort Madison, Iowa and Burlington, Iowa.
Then things began to click. Bert and Vernon Johnson’s names were listed together in a short news clip. I kept searching. And I found Vernon’s obituary. I read that Vernon passed due to tuberculosis.
The crop photo is of Vernon Johnson’s 1905 obituary. This was the link to discover who he was. And that he did live in St. Joseph Missouri. .
The newspaper clip was published on page one of the The Bystander in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, March 3, 1905. I believe that Vernon was born in La Grande, Lewis County Missouri. Because on the 1880 Missouri census, the family was living in La Grande, Lewis County, Missouri.
A question from Amy Johnson Crow
Who is someone in your family tree who you haven’t researched very much?
It appears that not many are searching for Vernon W. Johnson. (1878 – 1905)
At first, it was hard to find information on Vernon Johnson. The clues came from searching his siblings. This linked me to discover who Vernon was. I’m still wondering how Anna / Sarah (Lankford) Johnson Lankford. I believe that she was a relative to Robert. That’s another blog.
I posted this blog on January 23, 2025
Thanks for reading.
Was Mr. Vernon W. Johnson Forgotten? Overlooked
God bless you,
S.A. Blakley
Week 4 Amy Johnson Crow’s #52Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge for 2025
“The theme for Week 4 is “Overlooked.” It’s close to impossible to research everyone equally. Who is someone in your family tree who you haven’t researched very much? You could also consider those ancestors for whom it feels like you are the only person in the world searching for them.”
