Quadruple family tragedy 1872 & a murder 1915 & a naval hero 1950 - the Johnston family of Dooraa, Kesh, Co Fermanagh
QUADRUPLE FAMILY TRAGEDY, 1872
Occasionally, when researching families, one uncovers other unrelated families that catch the attention. Whilst looking for a death record for another Johnston family I came across a striking triple death registration for three sons of an Andrew Johnston residing in the townland of Doora, near the village of Kesh, Co. Fermanagh. The three deaths were all registered on the same day, the sixth of April 1872 and made for very sad reading. Andrew had lost three sons within one month; William Andrew aged 4, George aged 9 and Acheson aged 13. It seems that typhoid fever (spread by a bacteria called Salmonella typhi), carried in contaminated water had struck the family with devastating consequences. Outbreaks of typhoid fever were not uncommon in 19th century Ireland.
Having caught my attention I had a look at the family of Andrew Johnston and discovered that he had lost another son Francis Johnston, aged 16 years to the same disease on 16 May 1872. Four sons lost in the period 3rd February to 16 May 1872, an unbearable tragedy.
JOHNSTON OF DOORAA FAMILY HISTORY
Andrew Johnston (son of Francis Johnston, a farmer) was a widower residing at Mullaghmeen, (parish of Magheracross), when he married Mary Ann Hetherington on 11 Sept 1851 in the Church of Ireland parish of Magheracross on 11 Sept 1851. Mary Ann was the daughter of John Heatherington (1787-1873) of Glencoonra, Magheracross & his wife Elizabeth Ross (c1800-1876).
The first child born to Andrew & Mary Ann Johnston was Sarah Anne Johnston born 23 July 1852 and christened in Tubrid Church of Ireland the family address was given as Mullaghmore, which lies contiguous with Dooraa South. The first record I have of the family residing in Dooraa South was the recorded christening of their son Acheson Johnston born 28 Dec 1858 and christened 16 Jan 1859 (Tubrid Church of Ireland parish records).
At the time of Griffiths valuation of tenements (1864 for Fermanagh) the family were residing in Dooraa South townland in the parish of Drumkeeran on a farm of some 37 acres held from the landlord, the Governor's of Vaughan's charity. Andrew's farm was the largest of the seven farms recorded in the townland and was close to the railway line that ran from Enniskillen to Bundoran & Sligo.
Andrew Johnston by his wife Mary Ann Hetherington had nine recorded children - 6 boys (Francis, Acheson, Robert, George, William Andrew and Mervyn) and 3 girls (Sarah Ann, Eliza Jane and Mary Catherine).
Andrew Johnston was of sufficient means to leave a will upon his death on 3 June 1898, his effects amounted to £256-6sh. He left his farm to his youngest son Mervyn Johnston and left legacies to his wife Mary Ann; his daughters Eliza Jane and Mary Catherine Johnston and his son Robert Johnston 'now living in Australia' (subsequently Eliza Jane and Mary Catherine would join their brother in Australia). The oldest daughter Sarah Anne is not mentioned in the will of her father, as she had most likely been provided for at the time of her marriage to John Young in 1882 (John Young held a farm in Altnamullan in Tyrone and they had a family of six as follows - Sara, Mary Jane, Robert John, Matthew, William Andrew and Stewart Johnston Young).
Andrew Johnston's registered death, 3 June 1898
Andrew Johnston is recorded as dying in Dooraa at the ripe old age of 100 years on the 3 June 1898 giving him a lifespan of c1798-1898. No doctor was present and his cause of death was old age, the informant was his wife Mary Ann Johnston (she died 1911). With regard to his age, the informant may have made an educated guess as he was born well before the onset of civil registration (1864 for deaths). Most ordinary people (before the twentieth century) had no idea of their date of birth and birthdays were not celebrated in the way they are today. Some families recorded family events of births, marriage and deaths in a family bible, one of the few means of having accurate family information before the onset of civil registration in 1864.
One son remained on the family farm in Dooraa, the youngest son Mervyn Johnston who married Maggie Ann Moore on 19 August 1903 in Tubrid Church of Ireland. The family is recorded in Dooraa townland in the 1911 census. Mervyn was listed as head of household aged 40 years (two nephews Robert John Young and William A Young were recorded present on census night and they appear to have had a grocery business, probably in the village of Kesh).
Mervyn Johnston by his wife Maggie Ann Moore had issue six children (Violet 1904, William Andrew 1905, Robert Ernest 1907, John Percival 1909, Norman James 1911 and Mervyn Baptist 1913).
The head of the Dooraa household, Mervyn Johnston, with his brother in law William Moore decided to emigrate to America in 1914, with the prospect of starting a new life for the family but unfortunately, tragedy struck, as outlined in the Sierrra Vista Herald (a local newspaper in Arizona, USA). Mervyn was murdered over a land petition dispute.
SIERRA VISTA HERALD 21st July 2000
In 1914 Mervyn Johnston and his brother-in-law William John Moore left Ireland and went to Bisbee, Arizona to seek a new life. He had come with a letter of introduction to the pastor of the First United Methodist Church. He was a member of good standing of the Free and Accepted Order of Masons and the Orangemen, a fraternal Irish group.
A farmer in his native land, Johnston filed claim for a homestead in the Sulphur Springs Valley when he arrived in the new world. Working as a miner, he went to the property and was shot by Cy West. The coroners inquest showed that Johnston, standing outside the closed door to West's cabin, was killed by a shotgun blast to the head. His hands were in his pockets when he fell. West, indicted for first-degree murder, was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced from between two and a half to 10 years in prison. Both men had claimed possession to a 160-acre section of land. The door through which the shot went was ordered to be brought to the trial to help the jury reach a decision.
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The story was soon picked up by local newspapers and covered in the Fermanagh Times in 1915 with it's sensationalised tabloid headlines bearing little empathy for the sufferings of the Johnston family. The article in the local newspaper was useful in extracting some additional information on the family.
FERMANAGH TIMES 23 JANUARY 1915
Mr. Mervyn Johnston, husband of Mrs. Johnston, The Stores, Kesh.
An American local newspaper wrote - 'Johnston was a prosperous farmer in his native country and also operated a merchandise store. He was also a friend of James Aiken, formerly a resident of Bishee who returned of Ireland some years ago. He has been known as a law abiding man who never carried any firearms. He was universally respected by all who knew him. Johnson leaves a widow and six children in Ireland to mourn his death. Deceased was well known and highly esteemed in Fermanagh and the news of his tragic death will be received with the greatest possible regret. It may be mentioned that deceased had no knowledge that West had any claim to the land in dispute. He was a prominent Orangemen and the funeral arrangements were conducted by the members of the Order in the district in which he met his death. Much sympathy is felt for Mrs. Johnston who is most popular in the Kesh district, on the sad and tragic loss she has sustained'.
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In researching the family I came across a website run by Brian Whipp, (his son in law is Keith Johnston of the Dooraa Johnston family), which contains valuable information on the Johnston family including the tragic death of Mervyn Johnston, 1915 and the heroic sacrifice of his youngest son Mervyn Baptist Johnston in 1950.
IMPARTIAL REPORTER 26 January 1950
FERMANAGH HERO. GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIEND:
The headline says it all. Mervyn Baptist Johnston (1913-1950), a naval WW2 veteran, sacrificed his life for a friend in the tragic sinking of the submarine, 'Truculent', which collided with a tanker in the Thames estuary in January 1950, that led to the death of 64 people. Although a poor swimmer, Mervyn gave his life saving apparatus to a companion who could not swim. His companion survived to tell the tale of heroism. Mervyn Baptist Johnston is rightly remembered as a hero.
There is a wonderful photograph of Mervyn Johnston (1870-1915) and his family taken shortly before his move to America, which the family have kindly allowed me to reproduce in this blog.
Mervyn can be seen with his wife Maggie Ann and their six children. On the extreme right is William Andrew Johnston, the father of Wesley Trevor Johnston, who now resides in Leicester, aged 82 years. He is the lineal descendant of Andrew Johnston (1798-1898) of Dooraa, Fermanagh, his great-grandfather.
A random discovery of a triple death entry for the family of Johnston of Dooraa, opened up a vista to a family story of tragedy and heroism. The Johnston family of Dooraa survived the vicissitudes of tragic deaths and a murder, overcame these hardships, and live to tell the tale of a heroic family member who gave his life that a friend might live.
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FIVE GENERATION TREE OF (WESLEY) TREVOR JOHNSTON
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