Francis "Frankie" Maria / Marie Johnson

Birth: Jan 1861 in Madison, Dane, Wisconsin, USA

Death: 23 July 1924 in Concordia, Cloud, Kansas, USA

Mother:  Mary A. Ray

Father:  John Johnson

Francis "Frankie" Maria (or Marie) Johnson

Frankie was born January 1861.  Seven months later, her father John Johnson left to fight in the Civil War.


24 July 1860 Census   Town of Dunn, Dane County, Wisconsin.
Frankie had an older brother, John Johnson, who was born in about May, 1859.  He is shown as 10 months old the 1860 census but not on the 1870 census.  We assume he died between 1860 and 1870.

John may have been living during Frankie's early childhood.  Losing a brother while her father was away at war could have had a lasting effect on Frankie's life.



After the war, John and Mary Johnson had three more children.

Eugene "Gene" Warren Johnson  (c. 1868 - 1911)
Isaac A. Johnson (c. 1869 - 1935)
Clarence R. Johnson (c. 1872 - 1954)

All three boys had disabilities.  Gene and Isaac were "feeble-minded" and may have had hearing and vision losses.  Isaac also had epilepsy; his disabilities were so severe that he never attended school. When he was about two years old, Clarence lost his hearing.  

At about the same time Clarence lost his hearing, the children's mother, Mary, passed away.



Mary also lost two more children during infancy.  We don't know the years they were born nor how long they lived.  We don't know if they were born and died before or after Frankie was born.


10 March 1874
Frankie's mother, Mary A. Ray died.  After Mary's death, John Johnson was left with four children, three of whom had disabilities.



By the time Frankie was 13 years old, she had:
• waited through her father's war experience, 
• lost three siblings, at least one of whom she may have known,
• watched as two little brothers were determined to be "feeble-minded,"
• watched as one of her younger brothers experienced seizures due to epilepsy,
• watched as her youngest brother lost his hearing as a result of illness,
• watched her parents' reaction to all this loss,
• lost her mother

Frankie had experienced more emotional trauma and loss than most adults.


14 Feb 1975
14 Year-old Frankie acquired a step-mother when John Johnson married Cornelia Richardson.  Cornelia brought with her her five-year-old daughter Ada.

We don't know Frankie's response to this.  She was no longer the only girl in the family.  Her new step-sister was so much younger than Frankie that she would likely have been more like one more child to take care of, than a friend.  

Probably, step-mother Cornelia was so busy taking care of the boys with disabilities and her own daughter (who suddenly went from being an only child, to one of 5 children), that she had little time to deal with Frankie's emotional needs.  Frankie likely had lots of mixed emotions.


9 April 1881

20 year-old Frankie married Thomas Jasper Shaw, a widower with a four-year-old daughter.  


Thomas' wife, Eva Grace Hilliker, died 20 April 1880, shortly after giving birth to a daughter in about April 1880.  The baby was two months old at the time of the 18 June 1880 census, and does not appear with Thomas on later census records.  The little girl either died or was given to relatives or friends to raise.

April 29, 1880
Cawker City Free Press

     DIED

On the 20 of April, 1880, of measles, Eva, wife of Thomas Shaw, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hilliker, aged 21 years.

April 28, 1881 

Cawker City Free PressTom Shaw and Miss Frankie Johnson, daughter of John Johnson of Pittsburg township, were married at the residence of the bride's father, Sunday afternoon.  May joy go with them is the earnest wish of the FREE PRESS.

Marriage LIcense of Thomas J. Shaw and Francis M. Johnson     April 9th, 1881

Note that on this marriage license, Frankie spelled her name, FRANCIS, with an "i".  The spelling on her grave stone, Frances, is not correct.

Thomas Jasper Shaw

Frankie Johnson

 Frankie and Thomas lived in Cloud County, KS.


 Nora Shaw (1877 - 1963)   married John H. Bland

Frankie and Thomas had four additional children.  

Gertrude "Gertie" A. Shaw  (1882 - 1957) married Fred Eugene Burgess
Clyde Milton Shaw (1884 - 1959) married Faye W.      
Edna Mercy Shaw (1886 - 1965) married Isaac Lincoln Nelson
Hazel L. Shaw (1893 -   ) married Guy Shroader

Children of Tom & Francis Shaw

(L to R) Gertie 18 yrs, Edna 13, Clyde 15, Hazel 7, Nora 23 (by 1st wife) 

Edna Shaw (standing) and Minnie Johnson

Gertie Shaw (sitting) and Minnie Johnson

Hazel G. Shaw  2 months 1 day

Gertie Shaw

Clyde and Faye Shaw and children Leona, Donald and Henrietta

Hazel and Guy Shroader

Francis and Tom Shaw

Thomas Shaw died 27 Jan 1921.

Cawker City Leger
Death of a Pioneer
Thos. J. Shaw who homesteaded southeast of this city in 1872 and lived there for many years, died at his home in Concordia, last Thursday at the age of 69 years.  He was the father of six children all of whom live in or near Concordia, except one who died in infancy.  His first wife was Eva Hilliker of Osborne who died in 1880.  A year afterward he was married to Francis M. Johnson who, with the five children were with him at the time of his death which was caused by pleurisy and neuragia of the heart, lasting only two days.
- from findagrave.com

Thomas J. Shaw Obituary

21 July 1924

Cornelia Johnson died suddenly and was buried 23 July 1924) in Walnut Creek Cemetery, Mitchell County, Kansas.  Frankie Shaw had been out of town, visiting her daughter Gertie and returned the day of Cornelia's funeral, but was too late to attend the funeral.  Frankie was "greatly exercised in mind" because she had not been able to attend the Cornelia's funeral.


Frankie was John Johnson’s daughter by his first wife, Mary.  Frankie was about 13 or 14 years old when John and Cornelia married.  

Frankie had been in poor health which "affected her mental condition."

Francis “Frankie” Johnson Shaw died the evening her step-mother, Cornelia Johnson, was buried.  

Perhaps losing so many people during her childhood, losing her husband just a few years previously and not being able to give final respects to her step-mother was simply more than she could take.  

Perhaps, too, her depression was inherited, as well as resulting from her life events.

July 31, 1924  

Probably Glen Elder newspaper 

Mrs. Thomas Shaw Dead

Mrs. Thos. Shaw, sister of Mrs. Ed German living southwest of this city, died at her home in Concordia Wednesday evening of (23 July 1924) last week.  Her mother, Mrs. John Johnson, was buried in the morning of the same day.  Mrs. Shaw had been in poor health for some time and was unable to attend the funeral of her mother.

Francis "Frankie" Johnson Shaw Death

Tom and Frankie Shaw were buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas.

Tom and Francis Shaw grave stone
Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas.

Frankie's name on her grave stone is not correct.  On her marriage license, Frankie signs her name, "Francis" with an "i".