Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-02-12

On account of the poor advantages
be had previously had, at 20 years of
age, Mr.. Johnson had only learned
enough to enable him to realize the
value of better education, and he
determined to have it. His father
could give him no more assistance; but
by hard work during what ought to
have been recreation hours, he man.
aged to maintain himself at a high
school in Abbeville county for two
years. Then he decided to try a new
plan. He took the superintendency of
several farms, and in this manner
earned enough during the next two
years, to enable him to 60 to school for
two years more, at what was, at the
time, a very good school, known as
Turner academy. Then he taught
school a year, went to school another
year, and then went back to the busi-
ness of experimenting farms, which
he continued for three years.
The struggles mentioned had not
been without fixed apd definite pur-
pose. Long before hehad attained his
majority, Mr.. Johnson determined that
some day he would be a minister of
the gospel, and it was to fit himself, as
far as possible, for this calling, that all
of his efforts were directed. The last
three years as superintendent OF
farms, did not detract in the least from
his previous preparation. His Bible
was constantly at hand, and its study
was continued with unremitting zeal.
AS a result, when he applied for and
obtained admission to the South Caro-
lima conference in lS49, he was far
better prepared for the work that he
was about to undertake, than many a
college graduate admitted before and
since.
The South Carolina conference, in
1849, was very different from what it
is today. There were not so many
soft places in it, and the hardest were
something that is almost unknown
now. One Of Mr.. Johnson's first ap-
pointments was one of these hardest
places. 1t was what was then known
as Braydon circuit, on the Cape Fear
river, and included the two whole
counties of Lumberton and Robson,
n. c. There were 16appointments in
the circuit, and the preacher who un-
dertook to fill them had to keep on the
go; but Mr.. Johnson did his duty and
he did it well. AS the result of his
labors, many people in the circuit
were converted, and several churches
were built, not the least notable among
which was one by the almost historic
al "Lowry gang"
The Lowrys were peculiar race
inhabiting the section on down into
Chesterfield and Marlboro counties in
this State. In blood they were a
mixture of whites, Indians and Ne
groes. They predomnated the whole
section in which they lived, did what
they pleased, and were kind of a
law unto themselves. Several of them
were so impressed with the preaching
of Mr.. Johnson, that they actually
built d church, supported it and be-
came first rate citizens. He was prob
ably one of the first men from whom
they had ever heard the gospel.
After a year on the circuit, MIR.
Johnson decided that he would like to
put in more time studying, and for the
years 1850 and 1851, he secured an
appointment as missionary to the Ne
groes Of Beaufort. He preached to the
Negroes regularly, and during his
spare time, studied elocution and the
languages in Beaufort college, under