John C. Johnson

John Calvary Johnson came to Lakeland with his wife, Sarah Butler Johnson, and his mother around 1890. They along with the Brooks family were the earliest African-American residents to live on the west side of the railroad tracks in Lakeland. Johnson was a prime mover in the establishment of the First Baptist Church and the first school in the community. All five of his children were born in Lakeland. His eldest child, Mary, known as “Mamie,” was born in 1892 and remained in the community until her death in 1976. (Courtesy of Roy Few.)