Introduction

Biography

Johnson was the son of John Gar­ris­on John­son and Ma­ry Ann Mac­kay, and hus­band of Min­nie Se­re­pha Goos­ley of Li­ver­pool, No­va Sco­tia.

He was edu­cat­ed at the Ham­il­ton In­sti­tute and Up­per Ca­na­da Col­lege.

In 1874, he joined the Brit­ish Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church. He was li­censed to preach in To­ron­to, and joined the an­nu­al con­fer­ence in 1875.

The next year, he be­came a dea­con in Ha­li­fax, No­va Sco­tia, and an el­der in 1880.

In 1908, John­son was elect­ed Bish­op for South Af­ri­ca. His de­nom­i­na­tion­al af­fil­i­a­tion is some­what unclear, as the Af­ri­can Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal (AME) Church al­so claims him as their bi­shop to South Af­ri­ca. His tune Oak­ville ap­pears in the 1898 edi­tion of the AME hym­nal.