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Helen Charlotte Eliza Johnson»
(1856 - 1937)
Excerpt from the "Memoirs of Evelyn Johnson"
Eva of Chiefswood
I was born in the Tuscarora Parsonage on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford,
Ontario, on September 22nd, 1856.
Helen was the name of my paternal grandmother. Charlotte was after mother's
favourite bridesmaid, Miss Charlotte Dupey of Kingston, Ontario. Eliza was after
mother's favourite sister.
Father in his love for Napoleon Bonaparte wanted me to be called Josephine after
Napoleon's divorced Empress. Fortunately his wish was not carried out as
"Jo" Johnson would have stuck to me all my days.
Grandfather Howells, an ardent abolitionist, wrote from the United States that he would
very much like to have me named Evangeline, but it was decided that no little girl could
be as good as "Little Eva".
However, I was called Eva, and on being confirmed while attending Hellmuth Ladies'
College, London, Ontario, I took the name of Evelyn.
I had long straight Indian black hair. Like mother, I turned grey early in life.
Pauline and I were much the same in height, about five and one-half feet. My
forehead was not as high as the foreheads of the other members of my family. Like
father, I had a nose of normal Indian type, medium mouth and lips, rounded chin, and hazel
eye, the darkest of the family. (None of us children had eyes to compare in beauty
with father's brown ones or with our English mother's sky-blue ones.)
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