Jesse Johnson's Character

The following excerpts are from: The Family Record of Peter Johnson and His Descendants: Together with notes on related families. This work relies heavily on the oral traditions of the Richard Johnson family of Jefferson County, Ohio.^[1]

A Good Neighbor

Jesse Johnson's span of life reached back into the pioneer days, and he preserved in his language, manner of thought, and general habits much of the quaintness of the past greatly to the enrichment of his personality. 

He was popular in his community because of his agreeable manners and neighborliness. No one loved the companionship of others more than he, and yet in private among his own relatives no man ever flayed neighbors as he did his. He knew all their foibles, inconsistencies, and sins and spared neither high nor low. 

Though never assuming to be superior he was nevertheless conscious of his superiority and often expressed a longing for the fellowship of equals and superiors. He took good care to give no offense to his neighbors and never neglected an opportunity to be useful to them. He wrote their wills and other legal papers, and gave advice in many kinds of trouble. 

He was once much amused to find himself presiding over a Republican rally immediately after guiding the deliberations of a Sunday-school meeting. Politics and religion were then supposed to be very antagonistic.^[2]

Strong Build, But Poor Health

Jesse Johnson was a large and powerfully built man, though not always robust in health. As early as 1862 he had his land cultivated on the shares, being unable to do heavy work himself. 

Many stories were once current about his strength three of them being as follows:

On one occasion he wished to purchase a tea kettle from a hardware dealer in Steubenville, Ohio, but thought the bottoms of those shown him were too thin and too liable to crack (they were the old-fashioned cast-iron kind). Holding one up he remarked critically, "Why, I could knock the bottom out of this with my fist." 

"Do it," said the dealer, "and I will present you with a good kettle and not charge you for the broken one." Instantly his fist crashed through the bottom.

At another time in the same place he saw two or three men struggling with a stove. He laughed and said, "I could put that on my back and walk away with it." The remark being taken as a banter, he did as he said he could do.

There was once a big bully in Steubenville who kept the lives of a number of people miserable by his mean abusive conduct. On one occasion he tried to show off before Jesse Johnson by annoying a stupid fellow. He could have made no greater mistake; Jesse Johnson would never permit a defenseless or helpless person to be abused in his presence. The man was warned, but he ignored it with provoking insolence. Then followed such a thrashing as bullies rarely receive.^[3]

Religion

In religion he was much like all his brothers, very skeptical. He was never quite able to accept the sincerity of religious profession, though he saw the importance of it and affiliated with the church. 

On one occasion he went to a prayer-meeting, and on the way homeward said to his wife, "If I could not make better prayers than those men, I would not pray at all." 

His wife's feelings were wounded, and she resolved to have him punished. Accordingly, she notified the officers of the church to call on him for prayer if he should attend again. He returned, and the prayer was requested. Remembering what he had said to his wife he felt obliged to respond, and so began after the manner of a man of superior education. 

It was said that up to a certain point no such prayer had ever been heard in that church. The thoughts were transparent and complete, and the diction perfect. So elevated was the pitch and dignity of the prayer that the performer found himself unable to descend to a suitable level for closing it. On and on he went, but still no satisfactory ending offered itself. At last, in desperation, he closed with an abrupt "Amen," and sat down. Nothing was said on the way home. 

On the next Sunday morning, to the surprise of his wife, he was ready for church without the need of any persuasion. When the minister arose to announce a hymn, Jesse Johnson, like the hero that he was, arose in his pew and requested the privilege of making some remarks. Of course, everybody was amazed at such a request in the midst of a service, but nothing less would atone for what had happened at the prayer meeting. 

He then told the whole story of his unwise criticisms and of his mortifying effort to pray, and then added, "I wish to cast in my lot with this church." He was promptly received into its membership. 

However, he never learned the broad charity that would have added greatly to his happiness. His charity was largely forbearance. He never ceased to denounce all that was sham in religion sparing neither priest nor people. Indeed, the English language was by him put to the utmost strain when he wished to express his dislike for things false, especially in religion. But his most vehement outbursts were those made in confessions to his mother.^[4]

Published: 29 March 2025