Johnson Family Connections

Margaret Johnson Frankenbery with grandson, Armyn

One of the things I love about genealogy are the connections I find. I've discovered I was working with a third cousin, once removed  when I was a librarian and I've found several other amazing connections. But, the connection I found this week blew me away!

First, a little background: Margaret Johnson Frankenbery is my great-great-grandmother. She was born in Missouri in 1861 and she married Enos Frankenbery in 1879. They moved to LaVeta, Colorado around 1885, where Enos owned a coal mine. By 1900, they lived in Canon City, Colorado where he was first employed at a hardware store, and later owned a quarry with his son, Roy Frankenbery. Enos and Margaret's daughter, Rosine Belle, married Lewis Daniel Christison. They are my great-grandparents.

Using Ancestry, I found that Margaret's father was Joseph Harrison Johnson. And the matches to my DNA test appear to confirm this. Margaret's obituary states she was one of 17 children! Her mother, Hannah Phillips, was Harrison's second wife. I believe they had seven children together before she died. 

But the surprise was yet to come. As I looked at Harrison's 3rd marriage to Mary Byrd Gunn, I noticed one of her daughters from a previous marriage, Mary J. Gunn had married John Hood Tidwell in Oklahoma. The Tidwell name rang a bell. My daughter-in-law's grandfather's name is Tidwell. I texted Shelby and asked her great-great-grandfather's name. She later texted back, "George Dallas Tidwell." Unbelievable! George Dallas Tidwell is the son of Mary J. Gunn and John Hood Tidwell!

So, my great-great-grandmother, Margaret Johnson (b. 1861), was a step-sister to Mary J. Gunn (b. 1867), my daughter-in-law's 3rd great-grandmother.

Shelby's mom and I are 4th step-cousins, Kenny and Shelby are 5th step-cousins. Crazy, huh?