Helen (Johnson) Hubbell (1906 - 1995)

Born 7 Jul 1906 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Wife of William Hubbell — married 29 Dec 1933 in Manhattan, New York, New York, United States

Died 7 Jul 1995 at age 89 in Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States

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Biography

Helen (Johnson) Hubbell is Notable.

Helen Johnson was regarded as one of the best poets of the Harlem Renaissance.

Helen Johnson was born 7 Jul 1906 to George W. Johnson and Ella Benson. She was a cousin of notable Harlem Renaissance writer Dorothy West.

In 1910, Helen is living in the household of her uncle Isaac C West, Dorothy West's father. Her mother, Ella Johnson, is also living there with her sister, Rachel, and brother-in-law, Isaac, and recorded as their servant.^[1]

Helen and Dorothy West moved to Harlem in the 1920’s and Helen attended Columbia University for a time. Helen became known as one of the best poets of the Harlem Renaissance. She reached the height of her popularity in 1927 when her poem "Bottled" was published in the May issue of Vanity Fair.

She married William Warner Hubbel III in 1933, and they had one child, Abigail.

Johnson’s last published poems appeared in Challenge: A Literary Quarterly in 1935. Then, suddenly, she disappeared from the literary scene, and for more than fifty years wrote only for herself. She wrote one poem a day.

Eleven of her poems can be found here: 11 Poems by Helen Johnson

She passed away in 1995. Obituary in the Journal News^[2]The Tallhassee Democrat^[3] She was 89.

Sources

1. ↑ 1910 Census:"1910 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 21, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_623; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 1583; FHL microfilm: 1374636
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7884 #134455905 (accessed 22 May 2022)
   Helen V Johnson (3), single niece, in household of Issac C West (43) in Boston Ward 21, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA. Born in Massachusetts.
2. ↑ Obituary:"U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current"
   The Journal News; Publication Date: 13 Jul 1995; Publication Place: White Plains, New York, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/165405590/?article=b1a65dd3-1a2a-4704-95a3 ea6cb3a6082c&focus=0.6667867,0.8146735,0.8221318,0.84839433&xid=3355
   Ancestry Record 61843 #606402827 (accessed 22 May 2022)
   Gender: Female; Obituary Date: 13 Jul 1995; Residence Place: America; Obituary Place: White Plains, New York, USA; Newspaper Title: The Journal News; Birth Date: abt 1906; Death Age: 89; Death Place: New York City; Name: Helene Johnson; Death Date: Abt 1995.
3. ↑ Obituary:"U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current"
   Tallahassee Democrat; Publication Date: 12 Jul 1995; Publication Place: Tallahassee, Florida, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/247200662/?article=0444127b-dc51-4599-b30c 465aeabf1b71&focus=0.51815045,0.62496865,0.677436,0.7254659&xid=3355
   Ancestry Record 61843 #607203267 (accessed 22 May 2022)
   Gender: Female; Obituary Date: 12 Jul 1995; Obituary Place: Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Newspaper Title: Tallahassee Democrat; Birth Date: abt 1906; Death Age: 89; Name: Helene Johnson; Death Place: New York; Death Date: Abt 1995.

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_Johnson

• African American Registry: https://web.archive.org/web/20061027022455/http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/992/Helen_Johnson_wrote_words_with_a_melody

• Birth: "Massachusetts, U.S., Birth Records, 1840-1915"
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5062 #1721203 (accessed 22 May 2022)
  Helen Johnson born on 7 Jul 1906, daughter of George W Johnson & Ella Benson, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHB8-52N : 20 May 2022), Helen Johnson, 7 Jul 1906; citing Birth, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 004267427.

• "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24D2-RRY : 21 August 2022), William Hubbell and Helen Johnson, 1933.