Eugene Curtis Johnson was born on June 29, 1927, in Parsonsfield, Maine, to Margaret Katherine Devine, age 38, and Herman August Johnson, age 38. His birth certificate gives his date of birth as June 29, 1926, in Parsonsfield, Maine. But my mother, Ellen, his death record & the 1940 census give his year of birth as 1927. It is said that Eugene wanted to go into the Navy but he was 1 year too young so Margaret went to the Parsonsfield Town Hall to register his birth and lied about the date to make him old enough to join the Navy. His birth was not recorded at the time of his birth.
The death of his father, Herman August Johnson, is not known but all other records lead us to believe that his death was between 1924 and 1929. More about Herman in another post.
The 1930 Shapleigh, Maine, census was taken April 7-10. Eugenes brother, Francis, was listed as born in Massachusetts and Eugene was listed as age 2 years and 9 months old and born in Maine. Both brothers fathers birthplace is listed as Finland. According to this census Margaret moved to Maine from Massachusetts before June 1927. on the 1930 census Margaret only had 2 sons living with her, Francis and Eugene. Her other children were:
* Carl was listed on the Levant, Maine, census as age 16 and a helper at the residence of Daniel & Cynthia Watson.
* Irene was listed on the Levant, Maine, census as age 14 and a foster child to Amos & Minnie Adams.
* Richard was listed on the Levant, Maine, census as age 13 and a foster child of Evie Taylor. Also living with Evie was her sister Nellie Lufkin. Evie was Eveline M Lufkin born 1871 in South Levant, Maine, and she married Elmer Taylor. Evie and Elmer were the adopted parents of Frank Devine, Margarets brother. This shows the connection between the families in Levant and Margaret Devine, Eugenes mother.
* William Madison Johnson was listed with Margaret, Eugene and Harold Tripp on the 1940 Parsonsfield, Maine census. William was born in 1930 after that census and a social security applications listed his father as Herman Johnson but that is almost proven not true.
In 1935 they were living in Parsonsfield Maine, per the 1940 census. I have heard that he was raised on Milliken Rd off Middle Rd in Parsonsfield but neither census lists streets.
In 1940 Eugene was 12 years old on the 1940 Parsonsfield, Maine census. He is listed as Harold Tripp's nephew, and Harold was a half brother to Margaret. I have also been told that his teacher was Edith Smith who is on page 6 of the 1940 census and he on page 7. Edith was the wife to Raymond Smith. Raymond Ven Smith was well known all over Maine, he was a musician and played everywhere. This is probably where my father learned to play the guitar. I remember him playing the steel guitar for us when we were little.
**** obituary for son of Raymond Ven Smith
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87168314/raymond-r-smith
Mr. Smith learned his many musical skills while playing with The Singing Smiths, a group led by his father, R. Ven Smith. That group also included Mr. Smith's brother and two sisters. He started in the band at age 4. "He could play a little drum and his father played a big one," said his wife, Nancy Fadden Smith. "They entertained all over New England. He was a drummer plus a singer."
The band performed at churches, Granges, weddings and anniversaries, and specialized in country music and popular songs.
Later, Mr. Smith formed his own dance band. The Ray Smith Orchestra, and they played at Saturday night dances and at weddings. His oldest son, Gary, played guitar. In recent years, Mr. Smith taught himself to play the musical saw and the vibraharp and he gave demonstrations on old-time folk music. "He played his father's fishbox fiddle and the pitchfork," said his wife. "Another guy played the dishpan banjo that belonged to his father."
Below is a newspaper article about the Smith family.
Clipped from The Progress-Index, 26 Apr 1956, Thu, Page 2, image from newspapers.com
I have a subscription to this newspaper website and I have spent years reading thru the old newspapers. It is a great site for genealogy information. The article tells how Ven Smith makes musical instruments out of discarded tin cans, mild cans, chopping trays, pans, wooden boxes, lard Kegs. "There's music all around us if we'd listen for it," he says. "There's music when a hammer hits a nail, when two stones are struck together."
1944-1946 Eugene Curtis Johnson served in the Navy during World War II. Eugene Curtis Johnson Sr enlisted in the Navy on April 13, 1944. After boot camp he reported on May 27th, 1944, to USNCTC, Davisville, R.I., then transfered on July 1, 1944, to the 114th Naval Construction Battalion. He was only 17 but he enlisted with a birthdate of 1926 which claimed he was 18. He got his Navy Honorable Discharge at US Naval Personnel Separation Center Boston Mass on 10 Feb 1946. I have all of his military papers.
I am not sure when this image was taken but we assume it is after 1946 when he was discharged from the Navy. But it could have also been long after that because I do remember him having a motorcycle when I was about 3 years old, and I remember riding with him, my seat was in front of him on the gas tank, and I remember holding his arms tightly.
1946 Eugene married Barbara Briggs in Maine on September 4, 1946, when he was 19 years old. His residence was listed as Newfield, ME and Barbara's as Springfield, ME.
In 1947 his mother Margaret Katherine passed away on May 26, 1947, in Newfield, Maine, at the age of 57. She was born in Cornish Maine in 1889.
In 1949 Eugene married Mary Ellen Martha Sawyer (my mother) in Limerick, Maine, in November 1949 when he was 22 years old.
In 1958 Eugene was listed in the Portland, Maine directory.
Listing: Johnson Eugene C r 92 State
In 1963 Eugene married Kathleen Rose Harvey in 1963 when he was 36 years old. Kathleen was born in 1943 and died in 2007.
In 1987 Eugene Curtis Johnson died on August 5, 1987, in Meredith, New Hampshire, when he was 60 years old.
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