George Oliver Johnson was born on 10th June 1870 and baptised at home. He was then admitted into the church with a full baptism at St Matthew’s Church, Stretton on 4th December that year. He was the son of William Johnson (born Daresbury) and his wife Mary (nee Johnson) who was born in Comberbach.
The 1871 census recorded the family living in a cottage in Daresbury village. The father was a wheelwright and nine-month-old George had an older brother Thomas H. who was three years old.
Ten years later they were living in Daresbury. Thomas was working as an errand boy and 10-year-old George was at school, as were his younger brothers Herbert W.(9), Albert E.(6) and Cecil O.(4). There was also a younger sister Harriet B., who was one year old.
Sadly their father died in October 1886 and was buried at Daresbury. He was 46 years old.
The census of 1891 showed that the mother was now living with most of her children on Aston Lane in Preston Brook. George was working as a farm labourer and there were three more children: Isobel Ethel (9), Roda Hannah May (7) and Samuel Walker (4) who were all attending school.
Ten years later they still lived in Aston Lane and George was a roadman labourer. There were five of the children at home: Thomas, George, Cecil, Beatrice and Samuel.
In the 1911 census Mary Johnson declared that she had had nine children, of whom one had died. This was Albert Edward in 1888 at the age of 14 years. She was by then 65 years old and was supported at home by Thomas, George and Samuel who were all unmarried.
George served in the Royal Engineers during the Great War. He was a Pioneer with the service number 20733. He appeared on the absent voters’ list for 1918 and spring 1919. By autumn 1920 he had returned to live in Preston Brook.
George’s mother died in April 1925 and was buried at Daresbury. She was 79 years old.
At some time after that George went to live at 39, Fairclough Street, Earlestown and continued to work for the county council as a roadman.
George Oliver Johnson died in Warrington Borough General Hospital on 6th March 1933 and was buried at Daresbury five days later. He was 62 years of age.