William R Johnston
WILLIAM R. JOHNSTON, of Sagamore, Pa., farmer and justice of the peace, was born in Plum Creek township, Armstrong county, Dec. 1, 1848, son of Andrew and Rebecca (Mahon) Johnston.
John Johnston, his grandfather, a native of Ireland, became one of the pioneers of Plum Creek township, where he bought about 150 acres of land which he cleared and improved, living upon it until his death. His wife was Jane McCreight and their children were: William; James; John; Andrew; Jane, who married Sharp McCreight; Sarah, who married James Mitchell; and Nancy, who married Hugh Sharp.
The maternal grandfather of William R. Johnston was William Mahon, of County Antrim,, Ireland, who became a pioneer of Plum Creek township. There he, too, passed away, after clearing and improving a farm.
Andrew Johnston, son of John Johnston and father of William R. Johnston, was born on the old homestead which he assisted his father in clearing, and there his death occurred. His wife was a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and she bore him the following children: John; William R.; Jane E., who married Marshall Lytle; Sarah B., who married Washington McLaughlin; Andrew A.; and Margaret, who married Fred Wegley.
William R. Johnston was brought up on the family farm and sent to the local public schools. He has always been a farmer, and since 1876 has resided upon his present farm of 102 acres in Cowanshannock township.
On June 25, 1876, Mr. Johnston married Emma North, daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Bell) North, of Jefferson county, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have had three children: Daniel O., who died at the age of twenty years; Angus, who married Mary Stewart and has a daughter, Grace; and Myrtle, who married G. C. Whitacre and died Aug. 30, 1912, aged thirty-two years, leaving five children, Roxie, John, Marie, Clark and William. Both Mr. Johnston and his wife belong to the Presbyterian Church. He has served as a justice of the peace of Cowanshannock township since 1907, having been elected on the Republican ticket. He is an excellent farmer, good business man and efficient official, and stands high in the estimation of his associates.
Source: Page 810, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed October 1998 by James R Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers Project
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