Catherine Young Newth was baptized on 25 May 1749 at St. Thomas the Apostle, City of London, London, England. That baptism record, from the Church of England, notes her parents as Martin Newth, 1702-1794, and Maria (Young) Newth, 1708-1757, who married on 13 Feb 1728 at St. Andrew, Holborn, Camden, London, England. Baptism records are also found for both Martin and Maria noting their parents, the father of Martin being Adrian Newth in his record of 6 Dec 1702, and Maria's father being William Young in her record of 10 Aug 1708. One unexplained discrepancy is "Maria" noted as such in her baptismal record, but as "Mary" in the Newth/Young marriage record. She may, however, have chosen this variation herself later in her life, but it remains unresolved.

With Catherine's baptism of this date, she was most certainly born sometime in the calendar year 1749, likely within no more than about two months prior, but there is no record for her exact date of birth. Her baptismal record also does not include her middle name, Young, her mother's maiden name as was commonly given, but Catherine's daughter, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, noted it in her diary entries later in her life. Although Joshua kept extensive business records from his early years in London, nothing of a personal nature was recorded (or has survived), and when he first met Catherine remains entirely unknown.

Although Catherine and Joshua Johnson had their first child, daughter Anne "Nancy", in Dec of 1773, the only known marriage record for them dates to 22 Aug 1785…twelve years later and following the birth of six more of their offspring. This record, from St. Anne's Church in Soho, London, and "Pallot's Marriage Index for England: 1780-1837", again notes Catherine as Catherine Newth. All previous baptism records for her offspring with Joshua note her either as only Catherine, or Catherin Johnson. The spelling "Nuth" is only found in later "US sources", is incorrect per all the above English records, and is thought to have been a phonetically based misspelling dating from years after her and Joshua's death in written narratives by later Johnson family descendants who had only heard the name spoken, and secondhand, This erroneous spelling is then often repeated.

Historians, professional genealogists, and Johnson family researchers, including direct descendants, have pondered the 1785 marriage record now for decades, some suggesting it was actually a "renewal of vows", but it remains the only confirmed marriage record found for them, and Catherine's maiden name, Newth, was recorded. Some have speculated upon why they waited so long to legally marry, but nothing factual is confirmed. That they were "married" by 1673 was not questioned in England based on the baptismal records of their first seven offspring. Their marriage of 1785 was also not in their Anglican parish church as it should have been, but across London, at St. Anne's Church in Soho, where the ceremony would have remained discrete from their social and business circles near their home on Cooper's Row near the Tower of London. Although having to indicate they were of that parish to have the ceremony there, a small "contribution" to that parish would likely have discouraged many questions. The marriage was witnessed by (only) two close friends of the Johnsons, and it is questionable if any of the Johnson offspring ever learned of this "marriage" in their lifetimes.

Catherine appears to have not been well-received for reasons unknown by her Johnson in-laws upon the family's arrival in the US in 1797, some Johnson family later blaming her "extravagance" for Joshua's business failings, which appears questionable. Her in-laws by marriage, however, prim New Englanders John and Abigail Adams, came to know her in London and spoke highly of her, Abigail also corresponding with her in Washington for years afterwards. She was noted in several accounts as a "great beauty", also with intelligence, poise, wit, and social graces. She was also noted as quite petite in stature, that likely adding to the impression she was much, much younger than Joshua, when in fact she was only five years his junior, but her age likely kept discrete throughout both of their lives. Aside from her baptismal record, there is no other evidence to support a year of birth.

When Catherine died in 1811 at the Georgetown home of her son-in-law, Walter Hellen Jr., where she had lived since the death of her husband, it has been suggested by some researchers that she was not interred with Joshua in the Johnson family crypt in Fredericktown due to objections from some members of that family, but that remains unconfirmed. She was instead interred by Walter in his Hellen family plot in Rock Creek Cemetery with her eldest daughter, and four grandchildren, all of whom proceeded her.

Allan Garner

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A note on sources: All the Church of England records noted and Pallot's Marriage index can be found on ancestry.com and other online sources. There are a number of scholarly books on the Adamses, both John and John Quincy, which reference Joshua and Catherine. Likewise, there are a number of similar quality books primarily on Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, which include extensive excerpts from her diaries.  Lastly, the MA Historical Society provides online access to much of the diaries of John Quincy Adams, many of those entries also referencing Joshua and Catherine. This abbreviated bio has been largely created from those sources.