Thomas Lynn Johnston, Pres. People’s National Bank
When the Civil War broke out, Dr. Thomas Johnston (the first), volunteered as a private in the “Lancaster Greys”
headed by Capt. John D. Wylie. When Johnston got to Virginia he became the surgeon for 500 men. For four years he
stayed on the front lines without a furlough. The youngest child he never saw until the war was over, the oldest, still a toddler, stood aghast to see a strange man kissing his mother. – Pettus
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on May 8, 1879 -Dr. Thomas L. Johnston the brother of Col. Wm. Johnston of Charlotte has died at Rock Hill last Friday, he was about 56 years of age.”
City Directories and History: 1908 – T.L. Johnston (Pres. of Enterprise Manufacturing, V.P. of Manchester Cotton Mills, and cotton merchant with office at 112 E. Main), Daisy D. Johnston, also listed are Margaret and Annie Johnston), 1917 – T.L. Johnston, 1922/23 – T.L. Johnston, 1933 – Mrs. Daisy D. Johnston, 1936 – T.L. Johnson Cotton Broker and Buyer, 1946 – James O. Neely, 1963 – Vacant
The Rock Hill Herald reported on April 8, 1880 – “A handsome monument has been erected over the grave of Dr. Johnston. The work was executer in Charlotte at the marble yard of McNinch and Johnson.”
The Herald reported on Feb. 26, 1885 – “Mr. T.L. Johnston will soon commence the erection of a two story dwelling on the vacant lot on the corner of Hampton and Johnston Street. The house will be 45 ft wide and will have have a depth of 46 ft. The contract has been awarded to Mr. A.D. Holler.”
The Herald on March 29, 1888 reported – “The cottage in the west end being erected for Mr. T.L. Johnston is nearly ready for occupancy.” (A rental house.)
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on June 26, 1889 – “Mr. Thomas L. Johnston last week had 25 town lots laid off and has sold half of them.”
“The lot next east to the Ruff house was the beautiful residence of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Luckey Johnston. Before this large two-story house occupied the lot, the site was the location of the old house of Dr. Thomas Lynn Johnston, father of Thomas L. Johnston. Dr. T. L. Johnston and his wife, Dorcas Aveline Luckey, moved to this house from Lancaster County, S.C. The house they occupied was the homeplace for a farm they had purchased from Isom Kirkpatrick. The street that was eventually opened in front of this house was given Doctor Johnston’s name. When they moved to Rock Hill and this house, they found in the front yard a large stone boulder that had been placed there about 1849 or 1850 by the surveyors and engineers that were mapping a route for the rail line from Charlotte to Columbia. They were marking the highest point they had encountered in their moving along the route of the proposed railroad.
It was indeed the highest point along the line all the way from Charlotte to Augusta, Ga. Thomas Luckey Johnston’s house was impressive and even pretentious, with a porte-cochere and a circular driveway in front. Mrs. Johnston was a North Carolinian, Daisy Donnell. Mrs. Fletcher Ruff was T. L. Johnston’s daughter.” [Robbins – White Tour Booklet]
R&R HISTORY LINK: Fletcher Ruff – Partner in Roddey Mercantile Company
The Herald reported on March 12, 1902 – “Architect, H.E. White has completed plans for a very attractive dwelling for Mr. T.L. Johnston, which will be erected by Mr. William Mitchell on the site where now stands the home Mrs. D.A. Johnston, the Dr. T.L. Johnston homestead. The new house will have about ten rooms and will be an elegant structure of modern design. The old house whose place it will take, was built many years ago……. it is one of the three homes that stood in Rock Hill when there were no other structures in the community.”
The Herald reported on Nov. 15, 1902 -“Mrs. T.L. Johnston of Rock Hill and Mr. C.W. Johnston of Charlotte, along with other N.C. stockholders, will organize a corporation for the manufacture of overalls. The charter will be applied for with a capital stock of $20,000. The company will use the second story of the brick store of the Highland Park Company and power will come from the Highland Park Steam Plant.”
The Rock Hill Record reported on April 15, 1904 – “the Rock Hill Tennis Club has been organized with ten members. The tennis court will be located on a plot of ground near T.L. Johnston’s house.”
R&R HISTORY LINK: the Isom Kirkpatrick House was here…
The Record reported on Jan. 7., 1907 – “Work on the Bagging Factory (perhaps Enterprise Manufacturing Co.), of T.L. Johnston and J.H. Creighton is progressing. Machinery is being installed and they will be ready for business shortly.”
T.L. Johnston was a cotton broker who received cotton from W.M. Patrick of Woodward, S.C. in 1929.
The RH Herald reported on Oct. 30, 1941 – “Mr. and Mrs. J.O. Neely and family have moved from the Rhea residence on Hampton Street to the T.L. Johnston home on Johnston Street.”
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R&R HISTORY LINK: The Johnston – Hutchison Connection
R&R HISTORY LINK: The Johnston family lives with the Strait Family
R&R HISTORY LINK: The T.L. Johnston family with People’s Bank
R&R HISTORY LINK: The Smith’s Turnout Connection
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