Wm. Esq. of Antrim

William Johnston and Jane Mussenden

William¹ Johnston is said to have been a son of one John Johnston and _____ Leathes.¹ During the reign of William of Orange (William III), and directly after the massacre of Glencoe in 1692, John (and an unnamed sister) came from Scotland to Ireland.² Conversely, it has also been said that William was a son of George Johnston of Glynn, County Antrim. George was a truly notable individual who was involved in the Siege of Londonderry in 1689. He was “one of the leading members of the Co. Antrim Association for mutual protection and defence of the Protestant religion, was probably present with the county forces in the operations up to the investment of Derry. His name figures in the list of attainted in James’ [VII] Dublin Parliament, 1689.”³ In 1723 William was High Sheriff of County Antrim.⁴ He was also Commisioner of Customs at Belfast.⁵ William married Jane Mussenden, a daughter of John Mussenden, (some sources say William Mussenden) who died in 1700, and Jane Leathes.⁶ Evidently, both William Johnston and his wife Jane Mussenden had mothers whose maiden name was Leathes (they were sisters), and so there was a strong connection with this family. This Leathes family originated in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England.⁷ William and family resided at Newforge, near Belfast. In 1733 William received a 41-year lease in perpetuity to almost all water sources for Belfast from trustees of the Earl of Donegal. Subsequently, William engineered and built the waterworks of Belfast and was known in the area as “Pipewater Johnston”. This endeavor failed to become lucrative and it was eventually decided in 1762 to sublet the venture to others, although the family continued to receive some income from it.⁸ William died about 1768. William and Jane Johnston had issue ten children.⁹

1. Leathes² Johnston. Leathes was born circa 1710. He became a Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry. He married Miss Bloomfield, daughter of Sir Benjamin Bloomfield, Keeper of the Privy Purse. Leathes died in Bombay, India. Leathes and wife had five children.

i. Thomas³ Johnston. Rev. Thomas Johnston married Miss Thomson of Somersham (or Somerton). Thomas and wife had four children.
ii. William³ Johnston. William was a Lieutenant General. Served in the West Indies. He died at College Green, Bristol, England. William had two sons.
iii. George³ Johnston. George was a Lieutenant Colonel. George died in India.
iv. Henry³ Johnston. Henry worked at Ordinance Department, Tower of London, dsp.
v. Lucy³ Johnston. Lucy died unmarried.

2. Jane² Johnston. Jane married Rev. James Saurin, Vicar of Belfast (1747). They had two sons.¹⁰
3. John² Johnston. John was a Lieutenant Colonel of Marines, dsp. He married Miss O’Neill.
4. Mussenden² Johnston. Mussenden was Captain of Buff’s, dsp.
5. Michael² Johnston. Rev. Michael Johnston was an Army Chaplain, dsp.
6. Nancy² Johnston. Nancy remained unmarried.
7. Mary² Johnston. Mary married Rev. Robert Heyland, Rector of Coleraine. They had one daughter.
8. Nicholas² Johnston. Rev. Nicholas Johnston was Rector of St. Dunstans, dsp.
9. Penelope² Johnston. Penelope married a merchant by the name of Johnson.
10. William² Johnston, born 1727. William, his father’s namesake and youngest son, also led a notable life. In the mid 1700’s, during the Seven Years War (also called the French and Indian War), he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a midshipman, and “served at the capture of Louisbourg in 1758 (June 8th-July 26th).” Louisbourg was the a French stronghold on Cape Breton Island. Peace was declared on 26 July 1758. Probably in about 1759, after to the events at Louisbourg, William married Elizabeth McNeil (d 1804), a daughter of John McNeill, Esq., possessor of the quarterlands of Currysheskin and Craigballynoe (Craig), in Ballantoy Parish.¹¹ After William returned home from Louisbourg he was subsequently appointed Surveyor of Port Rush and the Barony of Dunluce in County Antrim. William died in 1771 at 43 years of age.¹² William and Elizabeth had five children; three daughters and two sons.¹³ They were:

i. Jane³ Johnston, circa 1758-1821. Jane married John Moore. John died in 1810. On 6 March 1814 Jane was living in Wexford, Ireland.
ii. John³ Johnston, 25 August 1762-22 September 1828.¹⁴ John was probably born in Port Rush, County Antrim. In 1792 John married Oshauguscodaywayquay, daughter of Ojibway Indian chief Waubojeeg. John and his wife, who was given the English name Susan, had eight children.

John Johnston’s gravestone
(photographed by the author 26 July 2002)

1. Lewis Saurin⁴ Johnston, 16 October 1793-1825.
2. George⁴ Johnston, 10 April 1796-6 January 1861.¹⁵
3. Jane⁴ Johnston, 31 January 1800-22 May 1842.16
4. Eliza4 Johnston, 10 November 1802-24 June 1883.
5. Charlotte4 Johnston, 5 January 1806-17 January 1878.17
6. William Miengun4 Johnston, 18 October 1811-15 November 1863.
7. Anna Maria4 Johnston, 4 March 1814-12 February 1856.
8. John McDougall4 Johnston, 12 October 1816-14 February 1895.18

iii. Eliza3 Johnston, between 1762 and 1770-after 1785. Eliza married Rev. Henry Kearny, dsp.
iv. William3 Johnston, before 1771-circa 1821. William died in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, Island of Hispaniola.
v. Charlotte3 Johnston. before 1772-about 1777. Charlotte died at age 7 from smallpox.

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¹ The Descendants of John Johnston and Oshauguscodaywayquay of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Compiled by Margaret Curtiss Weaver with the assistance of: Elizabeth Hambleton, et al., n.d., page 2 “Pedigree of John Johnston” [1762-1828].
² The John Johnston Family of Sault Ste. Marie, edited by Elizabeth Hambleton and Elizabeth Warren Stoutamire, The John Johnston Family Association, 1992, page 1. Printed by Hundley Incorporated, Washington, D.C., 1992.
³ William R. Young, Fighters of Derry, Their Deeds and Descendants, 1688-1691, (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1932), page 47.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ontarian Families: Genealogies of United Empire Loyalist and Other Pioneer Families of Upper Canada, Edward Marion Chadwick, 1894, Volume 2, page 45.
⁶ The Descendants of John Johnston and Oshauguscodaywayquay of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Compiled by Margaret Curtiss Weaver with the assistance of: Elizabeth Hambleton, et al., n.d., page 2 “Pedigree of John Johnston” [1762-1828].
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ George Benn, A History of the Town of Belfast from the Earliest Times to the Close of the Eighteenth Century, (London: Marcus Ward & Co., 1877), pages 485 – 489.
⁹ Ontarian Families: Genealogies of United Empire Loyalist and Other Pioneer Families of Upper Canada, Edward Marion Chadwick, 1894, Volume 2, page 45.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ The John Johnston Family of Sault Ste. Marie, edited by Elizabeth Hambleton and Elizabeth Warren Stoutamire, The John Johnston Family Association, 1992, page 1. Printed by Hundley Incorporated, Washington, D.C., 1992.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ John Johnston, “Autobiographical Letters of the Late John Johnston, Esq. of the Falls of St. Mary’s, Michigan.” Introductory Remarks by Henry R. Schoolcraft, 1844. Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections 32 (1903): page 330. The christian names of John’s siblings have continued to be used in the family until nearly the present day.
¹⁴ John Johnston gravestone, Riverside Cemetery, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U. S. A. Photographed by the author 26 July 2002. John’s gravestone inscription reads:

SACRED
to the memory of
John Johnston, Esqr.
who was born in Antrim, Ireland
August 25th, 1762, and died
September 22nd, 1828
aged 66 yrs, 28 days.
¹⁵ George Johnston gravestone, Riverside Cemetery, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U. S. A.
¹⁶ Jane Johnston Schoolcraft gravestone, St. John’s Anglican Cemetery, Ancaster, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁷ Charlotte Johnston McMurray gravestone, St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁸ John McDougall Johnston gravestone, Riverside Cemetery, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U. S. A.

This page last updated 24 February 2005