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Wilson L Johnson

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Wilson L Johnson

Birth
Iredell County, North Carolina, USA
Death
19 Feb 1884 (aged 79)
Cherokee County, Alabama, USA
Burial
Piedmont, Calhoun County, Alabama, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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Wilson L Johnson died in a cyclone: "A cyclone swept across a large part of Alabama and Georgia Feb. 19, 1884, causing many deaths and devastating destruction. Below are excerpts from The Jacksonville Republican and the Anniston Hot Blast newspapers the following day. When it references Cross Plains, that is what is now known as Piedmont, Alabama.

At Rock Run the tornado is reported to have passed from below Amberson, missing Amberson about half a mile, blowing down houses and killing or crippling all in its path. It passed from Amberson northeast, missing Rock Run three miles. Bass' Furnace was in one edge. It was very destructive to life and property.

From Cross Plains it is learned that the tornado passed three miles to the north, with great damage to life and property. Among the killed are Wilson Johnson, two of L. M. Parker's children, Mrs. William Jones, four children of Mr. Nixen. Forty or fifty are wounded, some fatally. A schoolhouse at Goshen was literally demolished. The teacher, Miss Allie Johnson, had her skull crushed, and every pupil was more or less hurt. It is impossible to obtain a full list of casualties, as the country is in a state of intense excitement. The tornado is known to have extended several miles up the valley.

It is also stated that six persons were killed at Cave Spring just beyond the Georgia line. The cyclone was visible from the southbound E. T., V. & G. mail train, but did not strike the train.

It commenced at some point between Cross Plains and Harris'; perhaps four or five miles below Cross Plains, passed through the section of country known as the coaling section. It struck old man Evans' dwelling about two o'clock, swept it away and wounded him and wife and daughter seriously. Also, blew down the barn of B.F. Savage. Next struck W. L. Johnson's place and swept away every house on the place. Mr. Johnson was killed instantly and his wife seriously, probably fatally, hurt. Nearly all of his stock are killed or wounded. Everything is swept away. Mr. Sloan Johnson's house was also blown away and his wife supposed to be fatally injured. The dwelling and barn of Mr. Simpson Johnson were blown to pieces but the family escaped unhurt. Mr. Johnson was at work in his shop, which was blown away and he very seriously hurt. At this writing, he is not rational.

Mr. Allie Johnson was in the school room about two hundred yards from his dwelling together with about thirty children. This house was also blown away and nearly every one of the children sustained injuries—some receiving cuts on the head and face and others broken legs and arms. Mr. Johnson himself received several very dangerous cuts on the head, one extending entirely around the head. His condition is very critical. The school house being situated in a grove, many children sustained injuries from falling limbs from the trees. The tornado next struck the dwellings of Mrs. N.C. Jones and Lamar Parker, sweeping them entirely away. Mrs. Jones and two children of Mr. Parkers' were killed. Mr. Parker and wife were at a neighbor's when the storm came and escaped unhurt. Everything on these two places was completely destroyed. It next struck the residence of John Stewart, blew away half of it, and unroofed the other half. No one was injured. Next Mr. John Poe's house was swept away. The family were at Mr. Frank Stewart's and escaped unhurt. Next Mr. Aderhold's was struck, and half of his resident blown away but no one hurt. Next Mr. Aiken's house was blown away and three of the family, among them Mr. Aiken, were killed. Next Zach Brown's house was blown away and himself and one of his sons killed.

The following is a list of the killed so far as ascertained at present.

KILLED
Wilson Johnson, aged 77 (NOTE: The Anniston Hot Blast lists his name as William Johnson)
Mrs. Wm. Jones, aged 60
Two of Lamah Parker's children, aged 2 and 4
Stephen Aiken, aged 91
Mrs. Aiken, aged 81
Miss Theresa Aiken
Zach Brown and two sons
Solomon Guin and a young man thought to be his son
A man near Rock Run was also killed

WOUNDED
Mrs. Johnson, wife of Wilson Johnson, fatally
Sloan Johnson and his children, severely
Mrs. Sloan Johnson, fatally
Simpson Johnson, internally
Mrs. Alice Johnson, on head
Jesse Evans and wife, badly wounded
Miss Amanda Allsup, leg broken
Jimmie Gear, part of chin cut off
T. M. Gear, face and leg
Lon. Aiken, timber driven into his hip, fatally hurt
Milt. Aiken, ankle broken
John Aiken, scalp wound
Selina Aiken, badly wounded
Sallie Aiken, badly wounded
Jimmie Oliver, fatally wounded
Wm. Pruitt, badly wounded
Charles Pruitt, badly wounded
W. H. McLean, arm broken
And many others whose names could not be ascertained.

MARVELOUS ESCAPE.
A schoolhouse, new and well built, sat upon a hill right in the centre of the village of Goshen, and also in the centre of the path of the storm. When the tornado came, it picked the schoolhouse up and literally threshed it to pieces. In it were Mr. Allie Johnson, the teacher and twenty-five children, none of whom were killed, though all were more or less injured. The following persons in the schoolhouse were most seriously injured.

Allie Johnson, teacher, skull crushed
Fannie Holcomb, leg broken
Stella Johnson, feet mashed
Ida Prater, leg broken
Jennie Ray, skull fractured
Knox Prater, injured internally
Mattie Johnson, bruised
All the others were less seriously though badly injured

INCIDENTS.
A man named Digby had his house blown over the heads of his wife and children and not one sustained a scratch.
D. F. Aderholt had his residence destroyed, all but one room, and his family were left untouched.
A bale of cotton was blown a half a mile.
Frog Church was destroyed and one of the sills, 50 feet long, was found three quarters of a mile distant on the frog mountain.
A gentleman who witnessed the storm says that it picked Mr. Wilson Johnson's home up and carried it several hundred feet high in the air and then dashed it to the ground, shattering it into a thousand atoms.
The same gentleman saw a lady riding a horse along the road meeting the storm. She discovered it and dismounted and threw herself on the ground, and grabbed a sapling. In another instant he saw the horse caught up and hurled high in the air and carried off amid flying timbers and wrecks of houses. The lady escaped unhurt.
A son of Wilson Johnson passed through Jacksonville Wednesday night, and here, for the first time, learned of the storm and of the death of his father and other dear relatives. He departed hastily to what was once his home, heart-broken and in the deepest distress. He had been out hunting a stolen horse, or most probably he would have been in the storm and killed.

Per The Anniston Hot Blast: "The mayor of Cross Plains sent the mayor of Anniston, T. H. Hopkins a message telling him of the death and destruction and asked if Anniston could help. To the mayor's appeal, Mayor Hopkins started a subscription list, and the next mail carried a handsome sum to the distressed."
Contributor: DWA (47598545) • [email protected]
Wilson L Johnson died in a cyclone: "A cyclone swept across a large part of Alabama and Georgia Feb. 19, 1884, causing many deaths and devastating destruction. Below are excerpts from The Jacksonville Republican and the Anniston Hot Blast newspapers the following day. When it references Cross Plains, that is what is now known as Piedmont, Alabama.

At Rock Run the tornado is reported to have passed from below Amberson, missing Amberson about half a mile, blowing down houses and killing or crippling all in its path. It passed from Amberson northeast, missing Rock Run three miles. Bass' Furnace was in one edge. It was very destructive to life and property.

From Cross Plains it is learned that the tornado passed three miles to the north, with great damage to life and property. Among the killed are Wilson Johnson, two of L. M. Parker's children, Mrs. William Jones, four children of Mr. Nixen. Forty or fifty are wounded, some fatally. A schoolhouse at Goshen was literally demolished. The teacher, Miss Allie Johnson, had her skull crushed, and every pupil was more or less hurt. It is impossible to obtain a full list of casualties, as the country is in a state of intense excitement. The tornado is known to have extended several miles up the valley.

It is also stated that six persons were killed at Cave Spring just beyond the Georgia line. The cyclone was visible from the southbound E. T., V. & G. mail train, but did not strike the train.

It commenced at some point between Cross Plains and Harris'; perhaps four or five miles below Cross Plains, passed through the section of country known as the coaling section. It struck old man Evans' dwelling about two o'clock, swept it away and wounded him and wife and daughter seriously. Also, blew down the barn of B.F. Savage. Next struck W. L. Johnson's place and swept away every house on the place. Mr. Johnson was killed instantly and his wife seriously, probably fatally, hurt. Nearly all of his stock are killed or wounded. Everything is swept away. Mr. Sloan Johnson's house was also blown away and his wife supposed to be fatally injured. The dwelling and barn of Mr. Simpson Johnson were blown to pieces but the family escaped unhurt. Mr. Johnson was at work in his shop, which was blown away and he very seriously hurt. At this writing, he is not rational.

Mr. Allie Johnson was in the school room about two hundred yards from his dwelling together with about thirty children. This house was also blown away and nearly every one of the children sustained injuries—some receiving cuts on the head and face and others broken legs and arms. Mr. Johnson himself received several very dangerous cuts on the head, one extending entirely around the head. His condition is very critical. The school house being situated in a grove, many children sustained injuries from falling limbs from the trees. The tornado next struck the dwellings of Mrs. N.C. Jones and Lamar Parker, sweeping them entirely away. Mrs. Jones and two children of Mr. Parkers' were killed. Mr. Parker and wife were at a neighbor's when the storm came and escaped unhurt. Everything on these two places was completely destroyed. It next struck the residence of John Stewart, blew away half of it, and unroofed the other half. No one was injured. Next Mr. John Poe's house was swept away. The family were at Mr. Frank Stewart's and escaped unhurt. Next Mr. Aderhold's was struck, and half of his resident blown away but no one hurt. Next Mr. Aiken's house was blown away and three of the family, among them Mr. Aiken, were killed. Next Zach Brown's house was blown away and himself and one of his sons killed.

The following is a list of the killed so far as ascertained at present.

KILLED
Wilson Johnson, aged 77 (NOTE: The Anniston Hot Blast lists his name as William Johnson)
Mrs. Wm. Jones, aged 60
Two of Lamah Parker's children, aged 2 and 4
Stephen Aiken, aged 91
Mrs. Aiken, aged 81
Miss Theresa Aiken
Zach Brown and two sons
Solomon Guin and a young man thought to be his son
A man near Rock Run was also killed

WOUNDED
Mrs. Johnson, wife of Wilson Johnson, fatally
Sloan Johnson and his children, severely
Mrs. Sloan Johnson, fatally
Simpson Johnson, internally
Mrs. Alice Johnson, on head
Jesse Evans and wife, badly wounded
Miss Amanda Allsup, leg broken
Jimmie Gear, part of chin cut off
T. M. Gear, face and leg
Lon. Aiken, timber driven into his hip, fatally hurt
Milt. Aiken, ankle broken
John Aiken, scalp wound
Selina Aiken, badly wounded
Sallie Aiken, badly wounded
Jimmie Oliver, fatally wounded
Wm. Pruitt, badly wounded
Charles Pruitt, badly wounded
W. H. McLean, arm broken
And many others whose names could not be ascertained.

MARVELOUS ESCAPE.
A schoolhouse, new and well built, sat upon a hill right in the centre of the village of Goshen, and also in the centre of the path of the storm. When the tornado came, it picked the schoolhouse up and literally threshed it to pieces. In it were Mr. Allie Johnson, the teacher and twenty-five children, none of whom were killed, though all were more or less injured. The following persons in the schoolhouse were most seriously injured.

Allie Johnson, teacher, skull crushed
Fannie Holcomb, leg broken
Stella Johnson, feet mashed
Ida Prater, leg broken
Jennie Ray, skull fractured
Knox Prater, injured internally
Mattie Johnson, bruised
All the others were less seriously though badly injured

INCIDENTS.
A man named Digby had his house blown over the heads of his wife and children and not one sustained a scratch.
D. F. Aderholt had his residence destroyed, all but one room, and his family were left untouched.
A bale of cotton was blown a half a mile.
Frog Church was destroyed and one of the sills, 50 feet long, was found three quarters of a mile distant on the frog mountain.
A gentleman who witnessed the storm says that it picked Mr. Wilson Johnson's home up and carried it several hundred feet high in the air and then dashed it to the ground, shattering it into a thousand atoms.
The same gentleman saw a lady riding a horse along the road meeting the storm. She discovered it and dismounted and threw herself on the ground, and grabbed a sapling. In another instant he saw the horse caught up and hurled high in the air and carried off amid flying timbers and wrecks of houses. The lady escaped unhurt.
A son of Wilson Johnson passed through Jacksonville Wednesday night, and here, for the first time, learned of the storm and of the death of his father and other dear relatives. He departed hastily to what was once his home, heart-broken and in the deepest distress. He had been out hunting a stolen horse, or most probably he would have been in the storm and killed.

Per The Anniston Hot Blast: "The mayor of Cross Plains sent the mayor of Anniston, T. H. Hopkins a message telling him of the death and destruction and asked if Anniston could help. To the mayor's appeal, Mayor Hopkins started a subscription list, and the next mail carried a handsome sum to the distressed."
Contributor: DWA (47598545) • [email protected]


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  • Maintained by: Dan35984
  • Originally Created by: mulder
  • Added: Oct 15, 2006
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16199525/wilson_l-johnson: accessed ), memorial page for Wilson L Johnson (20 Nov 1804–19 Feb 1884), Find a Grave Memorial ID 16199525, citing Old Piedmont Cemetery, Piedmont, Calhoun County, Alabama, USA; Maintained by Dan35984 (contributor 47264611).