Catherine (Hommen) Johnson (abt. 1770 - abt. 1840)

Born about 1770 in Maryland or Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died about 1840 at about age 70 in Toronto, Canada

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Biography

Abram Johnson married Catherine Hommen (or Hommon) Fisher, a widow with three daughters and one son. Her history as known follows: Her name was Hommen. She was born in Pennsylvania or Maryland in a region tributary to Hagerstown, Maryland. Her father was shot by an Indian as he was riding into Old Fort Frederick, Md., during or prior to the Revolutionry War, where the settlers had taken refuge in these troublesome times. He with a number of others had gone out of the fort to their farms for supplies and, as they were nearing the fort on their return, he was shot off his horse but not scalped.

It seems that both of her parents died while she was young and she was brought up by some friends, whether she had brothers or sisters is not known. I have heard my mother say there were some of her relatives in Canada, think they were of her maiden name. She came into a small inheritance in a small wooden box, brass trimmed, filled with silver dollars. The box is now in the possession of Mrs. Catherine Fish, of Winnipeg, Canada (no relation of the Fishers), a granddaughter of Catherine and Abram Johnson. Catherine Hommen was married to Jacob Fisher in Pennsylvania by whom she had three daughters and one son before spoken of, all born in Pennsylvania. They with Jacob Fisher's parents, brothers and sisters, a somewhat large family, emigrated to Toronto, Canada, about 1796 and probably were entitled to land under the U. S. Loyalist Grant.

Not long after their arrival In Canada, Jacob Fisher died leaving a widow with these four children. The tradition is that by the then laws of descent, the widow was left without means of support from her husband's property, which seems to have consisted of a large tract of land which went to the oldest child, but I think was divided among the children by common consent.

It hardly seems possible that all this could be the case, but it seems to be the fact. After the death of the husband, the children who were then of some age, were brought up by his relatives and the widow supported herself. After her marriage to Abram Johnson her children never lived with her. She was of German descent and probably at one time could not speak English, but spoke English entirely in her second family as none of these children could speak a word of German, whilst the children of her first family spoke it fluently all their lives. These children were Eva, afterward Mrs. Holley, Katie afterward Mrs. Horner, Elizabeth afterward Mrs. Daniel Strong. The son was pressed into military service in 1812 and died of camp fever before he was in active service. (Written by John Poole, 1912)

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