Obituary Death of Rev. Angus Johnson   Dallas Morning News, Special to the News. Jan. 21, 1908 Waxahachie, Tex. Jan. 20. Rev. Angus Johnson, said to be te oldest minister in the United States, died yesterday at his home at Avalon, where he had lived since 1889. He would have been 100 years old on August 1st of this year. Death was primarily due to old age since he had been active in his ministry until only a few months ago. Funeral services will be conducted this afternoon at 2 oclock at the First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Johnson was born Aug. 26, 1809 in Robinson Co. N C. When 16, he went to Cheraw S. C. to be bound for some four years to learn the tailor's trade. During that time he found religion and joined the Presbyterian Church at age 19. Soon afterward he became a beneficiary for the ministry under the care of Harmony Presbytery. He attended school at Cheraw and Camden and  the Military School at Rice Creek Springs at age 23. A year later he entered Columbia Theological Seminary and graduated in 1836. He entered actively in ministerial service the same year - organizing his first church of 17 members in 1844 where Water Valley, Miss,. now stands. Since there was no house for worship he began preaching under an oak tree and had been preaching for 50 years before he came to Ellis County in 1886 , moving to Avalon three years later. He soon began organizing Presbyterian churches in this county and founded Woods Chapel at Italy, Johnson and Slay. Rev. Johnson had been pastor for about 25 churches  covering a period of over 70 years. He was responsible for persuading 10 young men too enter the ministry - two in Texas and 8 in Mississippi. At age 20, he married Miss Mary Ann Means and was the father of three sons and two daughters. Two boys died at an early age and the other became a minister. Only two children now survive. His first twife and oldest child were buried in Mississippi, one in Florida and one in North Carolina. In 1886 fifty-seven after his 1st marriage he married again. [name not given] Other survivors are ten grandchildren and five gr-grandchildren. Rev. Johnson was a third cousin of President Andrew Johnson but he devoted very little of his time to politics and consequently did not keep in close touch with the ex-president, but Johnson's speech accepting the nomination for the Vice-Presidency was vividly recalled by him. He also recalled the pardoning of Jefferson Davis by Andrew Johnson. Even though he did not devote time to politics, Rev.  Johnson was personally acquainted with men such as Martin Van Buren, U. S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, James K. Polk and William Henry Harrison. In April 1906 Rev. Johnson attended the general assembly for the Presbyterian Church at Greenville, N. C. - the oldest living member. He was invited to preach at the Cheraw church 70 years after he was ordained there and recognized only one person - an elderly woman 73 years old - the only surviving member of his former church.   Copyright © 2009-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:20:45 MDT