From Gravedigger to General

by Sally Watters

                                                  Nathan Johnson (1779-1852)

 As we move further and further from the time that the Old Burial Ground was an active cemetery, trying to learn about the people buried there becomes increasingly challenging. While doing research about the people in the Old Burial Ground, one resource that has proven to be invaluable is the Burial Book containing the names of the people buried there starting in 1794. There are also church records extant from 1799 on and town records beginning in 1727. By using all these sources, one can piece together most of the deaths that occurred in Southborough from its creation as a separate town forward. The sources complement each other because sometimes a record appears in one source, but not another. The thing that makes the Burial Book fascinating is that it often includes interesting comments about the cause of death. It also notes if someone died elsewhere, but was buried in Southborough, or if someone died here, but is buried elsewhere. The Burial Book was started in 1794 by Nathan Johnson when he was fifteen years old. I became curious as to the identity of this young gravedigger and began to dig into his life. I was amazed at the trajectory that his life took.

Nathan was born in Southborough in 1779, the oldest child of Elisha Johnson and his second wife, Sarah Perry. He was the great-grandson of William Johnson, an original settler of Southborough. His father and at least three uncles fought in the American Revolution. Service to the country and community was part of Nathan’s DNA. He began digging graves for the town in 1794 and began keeping records of deaths in the Burial Book. One of the first deaths he recorded was that of Rachel Johnson. Next to her name was the simple notation, “my grandmother.” There were only twelve deaths that year. Nathan, apparently a very devout young man, wrote “This year has been very healthy, no epidemical diseases has been suffered to come in among us to destroy our happiness. Let all mankind improve their health to the glory of their Maker.” The following year, he recorded the death of Hannah Johnson, age 2, and added “my sister.” The town had enjoyed another healthy year with only nine burials. One of those burials had been challenging he said because “What is here astonishing to be remarked of this gentleman is that he was one of the most corpulent persons, perhaps, in this country, He weighed in March last 430 pounds, and it is altogether likely that when he died, he weighed much more.” The next year, 1796, was far from a healthy year for Southborough. Nathan had to dig 36 graves, including many for children who succumbed to a scarlet fever epidemic that swept through Massachusetts. Eight of Reuben Fay’s children died in a six-week period. The following few years averaged twelve to fourteen burials.

Perhaps dealing with the uncertainties of life on a regular basis motivated Nathan to make the most of his life. He left Southborough to attend Yale, graduating in 1802. After his graduation from Yale, he lived with the family of US Supreme Court Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, studying law. He began his law practice in Hartford, Connecticut in 1808.

During the War of 1812, Nathan served as a captain in the Connecticut militia first under Colonel William Belcher and then under Colonel Ezra Brainard. After the war, he served in the Connecticut Light Artillery. He rose to the rank of brigadier general of the artillery of the state of Connecticut and also served as quartermaster general of the state. When Revolutionary War hero General Lafayette visited Hartford in 1824, General Nathan Johnson was responsible for the parade of soldiers that greeted him and he served as Lafayette’s escort.

Nathan Johnson was also involved in many civic affairs. He served as the treasurer of Hartford for sixteen years. He also was clerk of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and later was a member of both the Connecticut House and Senate during the 1820’s. He was a supporter of the Hartford Female Seminary, one of the first educational institutions for women. He was very active at Yale where he served as a Fellow of Yale College helping prepare students for entrance, and served on the board of the corporation of Yale. In 1827 he was recognized with an honorary degree from Harvard. His law practice in Hartford flourished. He also served as a judge in Connecticut.

Did this son of Southborough ever return to the town of his birth? The only mention of Nathan Johnson in the town history, Fences of Stone, is that “…the first temperance lecture ever given in Southborough, delivered by General Nathan Johnson of Hartford at the home of Josiah Johnson…” was delivered in 1826. Nowhere is it noted that Nathan was originally from Southborough and was in fact giving the speech at the home of his brother! It is likely that Nathan Johnson returned to visit his parents and siblings on many other occasions. He is recognized in the will of his father, who did not die until 1832, with the following bequest – “That my son Nathan Johnson, who has received his portion in a liberal education, receive in addition thereto, at the decease of myself and my wife, with all my other children, an equal share in my library.” Education and reading were important to the Johnson family. His mother survived until 1847. His parents and several of his siblings are buried in the Old Burial Ground.

Nathan Johnson died in 1852 at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife and seven children. He was a prominent lawyer in Hartford, and had served as a judge. His will hints that he was also a successful businessman and a serious scholar. The inventory of his possessions includes shares in several business ventures, several parcels of land, as well as hundreds of books and pamphlets with titles ranging from legal topics to works relating to religion and science. The young man who started out as a gravedigger at Southborough’s Old Burial Ground at the age of 15, died a celebrated lawyer, judge, and general. He is not buried in the cemetery in Southborough where he dug so many graves. His grave is in Spring Grove Cemetery in Hartford.

Sources
1. Massachusetts, U.S. Towns and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Church Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths
2. Massachusetts, U.S. Towns and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Births, Marriages, and Deaths
3. Fences of Stone – the passage about Temperance Speech
4. Commemorative Biographical Sketches of Hartford County
5. Vital Records of Southborough 1727-1849
6. https://www.usdeadlyevents.com/1796-scarlet-fever-epidemic
7. Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999
8. Massachusetts, Worcester County, Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991