Who was the maternal grandmother of President Andrew Johnson?

Question

I have seen a reference that Johnson's maternal grandmother was a daughter of the "traitor" James Lindley -- Lindley-45. Is this correct? Has anyone done research on this?

Answer 1

According to the unofficial records, you could be correct. Andrew Johnson's maternal grandmother was claimed to be Mary Ruth Lindley, daughter of Captain James Lindley. Accordingly, Johnson's maternal grandfather was  Ruth's spouse, Andrew McDonnough. The unofficial records indicated that she was also married to Colville Abercrombie, Sr.

And, for the official records,  Captain Lindley was not a "traitor." He was a British Loyalist. It was the patriots who were considered "traitors of the crown" for the greater good.

Answer 2

This profile claims that Mary Ruth Lindley is the daughter in question:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hadley-121

But Mary Ruth Lindley married a guy named Abercrombie.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lindley-416

Ethnicelebs makes the same claim, but their source is Geni:

https://www.geni.com/people/Andrew-Johnson-17th-President-of-the-USA/361204095530004567

https://ethnicelebs.com/andrew-johnson

so who knows....

Answer 3

Gary Boyd Roberts, in the 2009 edition of Ancestors of American Presidents does not identify Andrew Johnson’s maternal grandmother. WikiTree’s Ancestry for him is consistent with Roberts’ work; very little is known of his ancestry.