James Harvey Johnston (1868 - 1959)

Born 13 Sep 1868 in Larne, Antrim, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Lillia Annie (Kermode) Johnston — married Jun 1900 in Auckland, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 2 Jan 1959 at age 90 in California, U.S.A.

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Wendy Johnston [send private message]

Biography

James Harvey Johnston migrated to NZ with his parents, arriving in NZ prior to 1871. His father owned land to the south of Auckland in Mauku.

James worked as a teacher in a number of locations north and south of Auckland (Source: NZ Electoral Roll 1896; teacher, residence Waiotemarama, electorate Bay of Islands).

In 1900 he married Lily Gallagher (born Kermode) see source image of their marriage notice. Lily and James had two children - Wilfred Harvey and Elizabeth Blackburn in New Zealand.

James applied to study medicine in England. In July 1903, James resigned from his Head Teacher position at Tamahere school, Waikato (WAIKATO TIMES, VOLUME LIV, ISSUE 6169, 17 JULY 1903). His farewell write-up (WAIKATO ARGUS, VOLUME XV, ISSUE 6031, 30 JULY 1903) mentions the high regard he was held in, his intention to return to the district, the work he did turning the school around from "a miserable state of disorganisation". He was presented with a microscope, presumably because it was known that he was setting off to attend university.

James sailed (steerage) to U.S.A. on the Sierra , arriving in San Francisco on 17 August 1903 to enter medical school there.

His wife and children followed him a short time later. James graduated, and seems to have worked in medical fields thereafter. They had another daughter - Ethel W - in San Francisco.

He and Lily seem to have lived the rest of their lives in California (San Mateo County).

James remarried after Lily's death. In April 1949, he married Eleanor Smallwood in Santa Clara. ^[1] His find a grave Memorial records him as husband of Eleanor. ^[2]

James died in 1959, and is buried in the Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, United States of America PLOT Garden / Section: C Row/Tier: TIER 4 MEMORIAL ID 87746608 · View Source[4]. Some of the information on the Find a Grave record is not quite correct. For example, it has him being born in Dublin, but he was born in Ulster. Also, his parents are recorded as being born in England, when they are believed to have been born in Ireland.

Sources

1. ↑ California Department of Health and Welfare. California Vital Records—Vitalsearch (www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com). The Vitalsearch Company Worldwide, Inc., Pleasanton, California. Accessed on ancestry.com
2. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87746608/james-harvey-johnston

• Birth: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FPZ7-P8Y
• Marriage: 1900/2733 ?spouse surname Kermode?
• Death: http://search.findmypast.com.au/record?id=us%2fmcv%2f786204%2f06932757120592657158

[4] U.S. Find a grave index 1600 to current. Accessed via Ancestry