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Rev. Samuel Roosevelt Johnson

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The Rev. Samuel Roosevelt Johnson was born on 18 November 1802 in Albany, New York, the son of John Barent and Elizabeth (Upton) Johnson. Orphaned in early childhood, he was raised by a half-uncle, Peter Roosevelt, of New York City. Johnson graduated from Columbia University in 1820 and General Theological Seminary in 1823. His first assignment was at St. James Church, Hyde Park, New York, where he met and married Elizabeth Johnston in 1826. He later became a Professor of Systematic Theology at General Theological Seminary. In 1835 he left New York for Indiana to serve as a missionary at the invitation of Bishop Jackson Kemper and became rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette. In that role he assisted Kemper in making a survey of Indiana, riding with him on horseback through often dense wilderness and visiting many towns. Bishop George Upfold wrote of Johnson that he endured the hardships of a pioneer while declining any compensation and depending entirely on his own resources, which were ample. In 1843, John helped to plant a mission at Delphi, Carroll County, called St. Mary's, and later gave $600 of his own money for the purchase of a lot. He later returned to New York in 1850, becoming again a Professor of Systemic Divinity at General Theological Seminary. He died in New York on 13 August 1873 and is buried in St. James Episcopal Churchyard, Hyde Park, New York.



 

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