My Grandfather Russell Bradley Johnson was a farmer who grew up in Jefferson, SC. He was drafted for World War I, went to military training school and before he finished his training camp the armistice was signed. So he returned to Jefferson, SC where he farmed the rest of his life. He married Catherine Nell Demby in 1933 and they had five children. My mother, Ila Sue Johnson was their second oldest child, born July 29, 1936 in Jefferson. They were living in a one room house until my mom entered high school, and then my grandfather was finally able to build a tin roofed house out on the dirt road a little ways from Antioch Baptist Church in Jefferson(not far from the intersection of state road 151 and Hwy. 265)
The thing I remember best about my grandfather is how he played harmonica really well. He used to take me on walks down to the old pond near my grandparents house and he'd tell me about family stuff, but I didn't soak it up like I should have. We also picked muscadines together. I remember eating those and him talking when we went on walks together when I was a little kid. I was the oldest grandchild of my grandfather and of all my cousins, I probably had the opportunity to know him best simply because I was a little bit older and had more time with him. I was only 9 years old when he died in January of 1974. I so wish he could have lived longer, because he was a very interesting, talkative guy who could tell stories for days. He had been a teacher(started a school in Chesterfield County) and he also had been a voracious reader. He didn't make a lot of money but he was happy. I remember my mom telling me that he got a wild hair when he was younger and thought he wanted to move to Florida, so he went down there, but didn't stay long and ended up coming back to Jefferson.
