New-York tribune., 1906-07-08
DIR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.

There We're No 'AHecdoies Of Beg11r1-
From The Scotsman
This privately printed work 1.-THE Reas.,
BlackwOOd HaIT'I would have been OF NJ
private. or at most family and local inters-f i
il not been that. late in his gems salogical Jss
in fact. when its pages had already bagr 1
go to preSs-MF. ReaGe fell almost fOFtuif1u,
on the track OF Dr. Samuel Johnson. An o.
branch OF the mUltifOFm Reade family ~ |
claiming descent from a BUrsIem surgeon ef 1
early part OF last century named Hickman
found To- have marriage connections win |
FOrJiS. the maternal ancestral stock Of tn u !
COgFapher- This opened. as IL were a gsu-
logical Sluice gate and through it TushsI {
stream OF evidence which the author e0u1
resist and which carried him beyond IL
tended destination. and into unexpected hs |
and expense In point of fact AarOn'S Nj
FOFd-JOhnsOn family recOrd-has sWaIlozsd l
minor stocks. OF. at least. sUrpasses theu L
bulk and much more in public interest
AS reward. Mr.. Reade has been able %
considerably 70 our knowledge COnCeFliug ID,
sons ancestry On the mothers side, and ass
remove some errors and miSapprehelsi0ls &,
have been generally entertained with Teg1ri
their relationships and status in life; and
supplement he presents gleaninss Of some va
concerning the dOCtCT's paternal relations
gOdfatherS, his SchOOlmaSteFS. and the Ike 81
JOhnsOnianS. at any rate. il viii noe BE- a.
sidered that his tolls and pains in ''Out-Fedii
an obscure subject have been thrown an
sion that he was Of mean extraction" IN b
sides of the house; he told Boswell thai he col
hardly tell who was his grandfatheF'5 ~tlE
is little pleasure he said 10 Mrs PiOZ1 sle-
ing of his ancestors. "in relating the anect1
Of beggary" But, says MI ReaGe;
Though I cannot claim to have supplied hin ID
a long or distinguished descent yet thlA p
particulars collected OF mis- ancestry snow ti1t /.
his mothers side at least he came of a 81
rather more respectable than MS own OoSeIsdl-
on the subject would lead one 10 believe Pos.
he had his fathers family IN view when Ie-+
such statements. but even as regards them 2 4
been able to show probability that ne was nal
such low origin as TO quite JuSuty hlS VasO~
marks in depreciation OF his birth
This is mildly put JOhnsOn'S ancestors "
mostly Of the respectable yeOulan, bourgeois /
professional classes; some of them bel0nged i
the small county gentry, and he had cOll1eeu
at least with people Of blue blood IhE
fathers sister was the wife Of Dr. Gen
social position. and her daughter, JOhnsOns .
cousin, was married to Thomas BOOlnoA 4
TOOley Park, LleiceSteFShire. who had an ea
OF $1,000 a year. and was lone Of the giea
spOrtsnen in England One OF Mr. Rea1
discoveries will greatly interest JOnIlso-E-
IL is that eat the end OF 16S6. neary C.e-J
years before his union with Sarah FOrd 81
uel'S mOtheT). Michael Johnson was on Jle
OF marriage with a young woman O1 -.
probably the daughter OF prominent T..
man OF the town For some reason Tne =
riage at the eleventh hour was abandoned =
MichaeFS betrOthed apparently became t1e y
OF another man within a short period Ine Z
cident apart from it's intrinsic interest suls
a reason for Michael not marrying un1l Q
middle age, and may have had much % % W
accentUating his morbid tendencieS