Mary JOHNSON

JOHNSON, MARY (née BURTON) (b. c. 1752; d. London, England, 24 Jan 1831). Wife of Richard Johnson, first chaplain of NSW.

No details of Mary Burton's background or early life are known. She married Richard Johnson (q.v.) on 4 Dec 1786, shortly after his appointment as chaplain to the First Fleet. Johnson described his wife as 'about half a Baptist and half a Methodist', and their marriage was a harmonious one. Mary was the only officer's wife who accompanied her husband on the First Fleet and the first few years must have been lonely in terms of female company. She seems to have been undeterred by this or any other hardships, as there is no mention of any complaints by her. She kept house under very primitive conditions, and gave birth to a stillborn baby in 1788 and two other children (Milbah Maria, b. l790 and Henry Martin, b. 1792). As well as raising her own family she cared for a number of Aboriginal girls, and welcomed other women on their arrival, such as Mrs Marsden and the wives of the Tahiti missionaries. She was a constant support and encouragement to her husband throughout their life together.

NEIL KEITH MACINTOSH