Joan (Clark) Johnston (1821 - 1899)

Born 18 Jul 1821 in St David, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Descendants

Died 24 Sep 1899 at age 78 in Convalescent Home, Bexhill, Sussex, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jessie Gregor [send private message]

Biography

Written from the perspective of Jessie Gregor, great-great-granddaughter.

(Research note: I'm still working on this profile to tidy up loose ends and check contradictions. Various records have her name as Joan, Johan, Johanna and Joanna; and Clark or Clarke. Her given age also varied a lot! On the plus side, I have confirmed DNA matches to both Joan and husband William, and to her parents George and Joan, which is reassuring.)

My great x2 grandmother, Joan Clark was born in St David, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland on the 18th July 1821. Her birth record on Scotland's People is very difficult to read (especially the middle initial) but it looks like: Joan B Clark, lawful daughter of George Clark, machinemaker, and Joan Pollock. The witnesses were David McHaffie and James Taylor.

With such a common name, her earliest census in 1841 is debatable but the most appropriate one I can find is one at Shuttle Street Eastside, Glasgow. The residence, parents and occupation all fit but she is listed as Jane! The occupants are listed as George Clark, 70, wright; Joan Clark, 60; Jane Clark, 20, sewer; and Mary Ferguson, 65, sewer; all born in Lanarkshire.^[1]

Her next official record is her marriage on the 29th August 1841 in Glasgow. The record I purchased from Scotland's People is quite brief and just states: William Johnston Clerk in Glasgow and Joan Clark residing there. (Research note: the only question mark I have over this is that, on their daughters Alexandrina and Christina's birth records, their marriage date was given as 21st September 1841 but I haven't been able to find that?)

In the 1851 Census, the family are living at Neather Place Field, Mearns, Renfrewshire. They are listed as: William M Johnston, clerk for Bleachfield, 31; Joanna Johnston, wife, 29, born in Glasgow; Margrat Johnston, daughter, 2, born in Glasgow; and William Johnston, son, 6 months, born in Mearns. Also living in this household were four lodgers and a house servant.^[2]

The family had moved again by the 1861 Census and were now living at 10 Madeira Place, North Leith, Midlothian. They are recorded as: William Johnston, head, 38, clerk, born in Greenock; Johan Johnston, wife, 37, born in Glasgow; and children Margt, 12, and George, 2, both born in Glasgow. (In reality, Joan was actually 39 not 37 but she started to shave a few years off her age from now on!)^[3]

The original image of the next census in 1871 is not available because it was destroyed but the transcript records the family as living at 5 Arthur Street, South Leith, Midlothian: Wm M Johnston, 47, clerk (commercial), born in Renfrewshire; J. P. Johnston, 46, born in Glasgow; M.W. Johnston, 22, born in Glasgow; W. J. Johnston, 9, scholar, born in Leith; A. M. Johnston, 6, scholar, born in Edinburgh; and C. C. Johnston, 3, born in Edinburgh.^[4]

A momentous change happened in the next ten years because the family moved down to England. In the 1881 Census they were living at 29 Wellington Road, Bromley, Poplar, London. They were all recorded as being born in Scotland and sharing the household with the Payne family: William M. Johnston, 60, clerk and bookkeeper; Johanne B. Johnston, 58; and three of their daughters, 'Wilhemina' J. Johnston, 19, s machinist, 'Alexandria' M. Johnston, 15, collar maker, and Christina E. Johnston, 13, nursemaid.^[5]

Sadly, just six years later when they were living at 30 Merchant Street, Bromley, Joan's husband William died. In her final census in 1891, Joan is living at 12 Lesbia Road, Lower Clapton, Hackney, London. The occupants are listed as: Joan Johnston, head, widow, 66, living own means, born in St David, Glasgow; Alexandrina Johnston, daughter, single, 26, dress maker, born in Edinburgh; Christiana Gerald, daughter, married, 23, living own means, born in Edinburgh; and Ivy Pearl Gerald, granddaughter, born in Clapton.^[6]

According to her death certificate, Joan died on the 24th September 1899 at the Convalescent Home in Bexhill, Sussex.^[7] The given death age was 73 but she was actually 78. The cause of death was bronchitis and debility, and hypostatic congestion of lungs. She was described as the widow of William McKay Johnstone, an accountant of London. Her death was registered on the 29th September 1899 by Sara Elizabeth Pettitt, the matron present at the death. Joan was buried at the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery in London. (See gravestone photograph attached.)

Sources

1. ↑ "Scotland Census, 1841," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VYZD-DP6 : 10 July 2019), Jane Clark in household of George Clark, Lanark, Lanarkshire, Scotland; from "1841 England, Scotland & Wales census," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing p. 12, PRO HO 107, New Register House, Edinburgh; FHL microfilm 1,042,749.
2. ↑ "Scotland Census, 1851," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VYYS-LLH : 4 November 2019), Joanna Johnston in household of William M Johnston, Upper Ward, Renfrewshire, Scotland; from "1851 England, Scotland & Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing p. 6, PRO HO 107, The National Archives UK, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 1,042,364.
3. ↑ "Scotland Census, 1861," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VB4T-VP4 : 4 November 2019), Johan Johnston in household of William Johnston, North Leith, Midlothian, Scotland; from "1861 England, Scotland & Wales census," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012.); citing p. 11, PRO RG 9, The National Archives UK, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 103,881.
4. ↑ "Scotland Census, 1871," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VB5Z-CRN : 17 July 2019), J P Johnston in household of Wm M Johnston, South Leith, Midlothian, Scotland; from "1871 England, Scotland & Wales census," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing p. 45, PRO T 1, The National Archives UK, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 104,060.
5. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27S-T4JQ : 8 December 2017), Johanne B Johnston in household of William M Johnston, Bromley, London,Middlesex, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 37, Piece/Folio 497/22, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,279.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3RL1-TT2 : 1 May 2019), Joan Johnston, Hackney, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, London county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
7. ↑ UK death registration: Battle, Vol 2b, Page 39, September quarter 1899.

• Birth, marriage and death certificates held by Jessie Gregor.
• Old Parochial Registers: Births 644/01 0300 0218 Glasgow; CLARK Joan, accessed through Scotland's People at [1]. Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland.
• Old Parochial Registers: Marriages 644/01 0420 0485 Glasgow; JOHNSTON William, accessed through Scotland's People at [2]. Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland.