Liver Eating Johnson

The life of John Johnson is part folktale, part Old West historical figure. Johnson is said to have been born as John Garrison in New Jersey in the early 19th century. He joined the Union Army during the Civil War but deserted after fighting with an officer. He moved West and took the name John Johnston.

The stories of this mountain man's life abound. The most famous is that he married a Native American woman and settled down in Montana. During a raid, Crow Indians killed his wife. Johnston set out on a personal mission against the Crow that lasted over a decade. Legend says that whenever he killed a Crow, he would remove the man's liver and eat it as a sign of disrespect. This practice earned him the name "Liver Eating Johnson." For some reason, the "t" was left out.

Another tale involving Johnson comes when he was taken prisoner by the Blackfoot tribe. The Blackfoot planned on trading Johnson to the Crow. According the story, Johnson bit through his restraints, knocked out the guard, and sawed off the guard's legs. He escaped to the woods using a leg as a weapon where he then used the leg as food. This story is actually believed to be true but not about Johnson.

Johnson eventually made peace with the Crow and settled into a normal frontier life in Montana. Johnson is buried in Wyoming, but true to his reputation, no one knows how he got there. Some say he died at his Montana cabin, others say it was a Los Angeles retirement home.

Loyalist William Franklin

Benjamin Franklin's son, William Franklin, was a devout Loyalist. The younger Franklin was born in Philadelphia in 1731 to Benjamin and an unnamed mother. Historians believe his mother was either Benjamin's common law wife, Deborah Read, or a prostitute. The whole situation was covered up as neither scenario was good for the son of an influential politician.

William is correctly depicted as helping his father with the famous kite experiment which proved conduction of electricity. He is, however, incorrectly depicted as a small child. William was 21 and earned a master's degree for the achievement.

Things were going well for father and son until the American Revolution broke out. Benjamin became one of the leading voices of the Patriots. William was Royal Governor of New Jersey and stuck by the crown. For his efforts, he was arrested in 1776. Upon his release in 1778, he led a group called the Associated Loyalists. The Associated Loyalists went to General Henry Clinton and asked for custody of a Continental officer named Joshua Huddy. They told Clinton they would exchange Huddy for a high ranking British officer; instead they hung him. Clinton was infuriated and thus ended the political career of William Franklin.

William and Ben lived estranged for most of their adult lives. William moved to England and had a meeting with his father in 1785. The meeting was brief and really tied up financial ends more than reconnected the two. Ben never forgot his son, however, dedicating his autobiography to William by starting with, "Dear Son."

Lincoln-Kennedy Disconnections

Part Two:
Yesterday's post was fun, wasn't it? Well, not let's blow it up. Here's my suggestion for a lesson. Start with yesterday's information, discuss, and then add today's. Your students might be surprised.

Lincoln: elected to Congress in 1846
Kennedy: elected to Congress in 1946
True, but their climbs to Congress could not have been more different. Lincoln struggled at every election. Kennedy rose quite easily.

Lincoln: shot on a Friday
Kennedy: shot on a Friday
1 in 7 chance. I wouldn't bet on those odds, but it still seems pretty circumstantial.

Lincoln: successor was Andrew Johnson born in 1808
Kennedy: successor was Lyndon Johnson born in 1908
Coincidence but not that startling. Most politicians reach their prime in the 50-70 age range. Johnson is also a very common last name.

Lincoln: John Wilkes Booth- 3 names, 15 letters
Kennedy: Lee Harvey Oswald- 3 names, 15 letters
Oswald was generally known as "Lee Oswald" before the murder.

Coincidences I left out because they are flat wrong:
Both were assassinated by Southerners.- Booth was a Southern sympathizer but was not actually born in a Southern state.

Both were succeeded by Southerners- You want to be President? You better have a VP that represents a section of the country that you do not.

Lincoln's Kennedy secretary, Kennedy's Lincoln secretary- Kennedy's secretary's name was indeed Lincoln. There is no proof that Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy.

Both losing children- Much different circumstances. Lincoln's son died of TB at four years old. Kennedy's son was premature and died at two days old.

Booth was born in 1839, Oswald in 1939- Wrong. Booth was born in 1838.

Lincoln-Kennedy Connections

Part One:
This information can be found all over the web. There is, however, a lot of junk out there. I'm sticking to the facts.

Lincoln: elected to Congress in 1846
Kennedy: elected to Congress in 1946

Lincoln: elected President in 1860
Kennedy: elected President in 1960

Lincoln: shot on a Friday
Kennedy: shot on a Friday

Lincoln: shot at Ford's Theater
Kennedy: shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford

Lincoln: John Wilkes Booth- 3 names, 15 letters
Kennedy: Lee Harvey Oswald- 3 names, 15 letters

Lincoln: Booth killed before a trial
Kennedy: Oswald killed before a trial

Lincoln: assassin attacked in a theater, escaped to a storage facility (tobacco barn)
Kennedy: assassin attacked from a storage facility (book depository), escaped to a theater

Lincoln: successor was Andrew Johnson born in 1808
Kennedy: successor was Lyndon Johnson born in 1908

This is all very strange and a bit eerie. There are more connections, but I don't really find them relevant. For instance, both Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Kennedy lost children as first ladies. There's a rumor that Lincoln's secretary's name was Kennedy and Kennedy's was Lincoln, but that's unsubstantiated. This is interesting food for thought and could be a great classroom discussion.

Presidential Fun Facts

John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator.

William Henry Harrison's father signed the Declaration of Independence. His grandson also became President.

Thomas Jefferson was a great writer but considered a bad speaker. His voice was apparently high and shrill.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Jame Monroe all died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson on the same day.

Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th.

James Polk said he would only serve one term. He kept his word and didn't run for a second.

John Tyler is the only former President who allied himself to the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Martin Van Buren was the first President born in the United States.

Dr. Woodrow Wilson was the only President with an earned doctorate.

James Buchanan was the only President who never married.

Franklin Roosevelt was related to 11 other Presidents. He was also elected four times.

Grover Cleveland was elected twice but not consecutively.