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Mayor Johnson, an outstanding surgeon, was the first doctor
to be mayor. He was born in 1853 and resided at 122 West Fourth Avenue. He was
a very good business man, had been cashier of the Corsicana National Bank, also
secretary-treasurer of the Corsicana Land & Loan Co. His principal
accomplishment as mayor was the establishment of the Public Library in 1901, in the
Hardy-Peck Building, membership dues, $1.00 per year. After being mayor, he moved to
Dallas, where he practiced medicine. His children also moved away, but he was
related to many good Corsicana families. He died in 1922 and is buried in Oakwood
Cemetery.
Notes:
I wrote my sister a short missive regarding the
name Wistar. My family until last night was insisting it was
English.
My feeling has been that it was German, Wuster. In fact,
that is the case. And since she lives in Mason, a German-settled town in
west-central Texas, I thought this might be of interest.
What I have come to find, is that we are in the midst of a
great wave of an historic event, the tumult of late 17th century western
Europe, and yesteryear is really as close as the memories we hold of our
ancestors.
I include one additional piece for your consideration, as
it would be remiss to not include the overlapping of a number of waves of
recent eras, those within our sphere. Take for example, the native
peoples encountered on this continent. They were human as well, with foibles
and fortitudes and magnitudes of dignity that must have affected those they
dealt with. Red Jacket is a man who has been portrayed as a buffoon and coward
in the pitch of battle, by decedents of native peoples; long-winded, and
forever destined to push a wheelbarrow of dirt, back and forth, as punishment
for loss of lands to white emigrants.
Contrary to that vindictive short-sightedness is his
picture as a leader under tremendously larger pressure, and in the middle of a
great wave of history.
(Noteworthy. To summarize, Engilsh mercantile interest
wanted markets for English exports: hence, Pennslvania colonies, etc. View of
the day among political theorists and capital realists, was that dense
popualations were most successfull, universally, and the contrary held true,
as well.
Therefore, to depopulate the German areas of the Rhine
would serve English interests, and help stabilize that region. The French,
under Louis XIV, plundered the Rhenish Palatine to underwrite the armies of
France.
In addition, local princes attempted to emulate the Baroque
agrandisment of King Louis, taxing their German peoples excessively. The
record artic-cold winter of 1701/02, ruined crops and stifled dreams.
Vinyards died, birds froze on the wing, wine was solid ice,
and firewood would extinguish.
There were also the Protestant/Catholic conflicts, that
made those with interests similar to the English ruler, Queen Anne, perfect
candidates for instant populations of industrious, intelligent, like-minded
apirants. The copious printing talents of Pennslvania were turned loose, and
flooded the Rhine Valley with books and pamphlets, extolling the virtues and
good climes of the New World.
Good Queen Anne helped defray the eight pound cost of
passage, in many instances.
Thus, began a move of the Wusters, and even my
maternal-grandmother's family, the Zugs, from Zug Canton, in Switzerland, at
the other end of the Rhine. One and all, they headed for Pennsylvania.
Forevermore, that area, started by William Penn, will be
known as the land of the Pennslvania Dutch.)
(I include this because, among other interesting facts, is mention of the WISTARAT, the original lineage developed by the institute, from
which which today's most widely used research rat lineage developed, around 1900. ) Samuel Wistar Johnson III | 