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Jun-09-20
 | | jnpope: I think I can also scratch Alex. M. Johnston, pharmaceutist, from the list. He served as a surgeon during the US Civil War and was still an MD when he opened his drug store. So he would have been referred to as "Dr. Johnston", especially by the local Cincinnati press. |
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Jun-09-20
 | | Tabanus: What about A. Johnson (without t)? Then there are several more. |
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Jun-09-20
| | jnpope: Here is what I received from Joost:
<What I recall (it was about ten years ago that I wrote "A Young Man from Cleveland Came to Cincinnati" and I have not saved my notes) is that the name was given as Johnson en Johnston. I believe sources in connection with the Second American Chess Congress convinced me that the right name was Johnston. One of those sources had the "P", if I remember well. But I do not recollect which source this was.
I am sorry that I cannot help better.>
Maybe Joost didn't have a <good> reason. It sounds like "A. P." may have been a single occurrence, just like "W. A." was a single occurrence. It really doesn't look like he had solid data to back up the addition of the <P>.
I'll create a checklist and run down every single source he cites in his article just to be thorough about this, but I'm becoming more convinced that the builder/bricklayer is not our guy. |
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Jun-09-20
 | | WannaBe: Not to go "Off Topic", but I think Cincinatti is missing a letter. |
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Jun-09-20
 | | perfidious: Not only was one missing, but there was an extra; fixed. |
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Jun-09-20
| | jnpope: I went through Joost's sources with the resources I have access to:
<Cincinnati Commercial>
1872.01.26, p2: "A Johnston"
1872.02.20, p8: "A. Johnston","Johnston"
1872.02.21, p4: "Johnson"x3
1872.02.22, p8: "Johnson"
1872.02.24, p8: "Johnston"
1872.02.25, p4: "A. Johnston","Johnston"x2
1872.02.26, p4: "Johnston"
1872.02.27, p8: N/A
1872.02.28, p8: "Johnson"
1872.03.05, p8: "Johnston"x4,"A. Johnston"x2
1872.12.26: No Chess reference Found (also 1871)
<Cincinnati Daily Gazette>
1872.01.27, p4: "A. Johnston","A. Johnson"
1872.02.17, p4: "A. Johnston"
1872.02.19, p1; N/A
1872.02.20, p4: "W. A. Johnston","Johnston"x2
1872.02.21, p4: "Johnston"x2
1872.02.24, p4: "Johnson"
1872.02.25: Issue Not Found
1872.02.26, p4: "Johnston"
1872.02.27, p4: N/A
1872.03.05, p4: "A. Johnston"x2,"Johnston"
1872.03.07, p4: N/A
1872.03.29, p4: N/A
1872.12.26: No Chess reference Found (also 1871)
<Cincinnati Enquirer>
1871.12.19, p4: N/A
1872.01.27, p8: "A. Johnston","A. Johnson"
1872.02.17, p8: "A. Johnston"
1872.02.19, p1: N/A
1872.02.20, p8: "A. Johnston","Johnston"x3,"Johnson"
1872.02.23, p8: N/A
1872.02.24, p4: N/A
1872.02.25, p4: "Johnson"
1872.03.05, p4: "A. Johnston","A. Johnson","Johnson"
<Cincinnati Times and Chronicle>
1871.12.20, p4: "A. Johnston"
1872.01.26, p3: N/A
1872.02.19, p4: N/A
1872.02.20, p4: "A. Johnston","Johnson",Johnston"
1872.02.21, p4: "Johnson"x2
1872.02.22, p4: "Johnston"
1872.02.23, p4: N/A
1872.02.27, p4: N/A
1872.03.05, p4: "A. Johnston"x3
<Dubuque Chess Journal>
1872.04, p425: Issue Not Found
1872.04, pp427-429: Issue Not Found
1872.05, pp22-24: "A. Johnson"
<Turf, Field and Farm>
1872.03.08: Issue Not Found
<Spirit of the Times>
1872.03.09: "Johnson"
<Hartford Weekly Times>
1872.04.13: N/A
So I guess my next step is to check the "Cleveland Daily Plain Leader" which I'm assuming Joost meant <Cleveland Daily Plain Dealer> and <Cleveland Leader> for December 5-16, 1871. |
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Jun-10-20
| | Tabanus: P. or not, I think the bricklayer can't be completely ruled out. He was about 51 years old in 1871/72, same age as Hirst. He was living right outside Cincinnati (Anderson and California is mentioned); he was rather wealthy as seen frrom the censuses; he owned some properties in Cincinnati proper (buying/selling them); he was a brother of the coal dealer George W. Johnston; he is mentioned in the newspapers as "Esq." (whatever that means), and he had hosted a "4th of July Coterie" garden party in 1870 with notable Esq. guests (the latter is mentioned in Cincinnati Daily Enquirer 7 July 1870). But it's just a hunch, it means nothing in the absence of facts. The lawyer/judge Robert Alexander Johnston (1835-1888) was also the mayor of Cincinnati during 1871/72. His parents came from Ireland, as did the parents of the bricklayer. Anderson/California area apparently had many people of Irish descent. Cf. http://www.cincinnati-cityofimmigra... |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: <But it's just a hunch, it means nothing in the absence of facts.> I feel the same about the butcher's son. He was young enough to not have any "chess history" prior to December 1871 and his family/job circumstances explain not having any "chess history" after February 1872. If the player was the wealthy and prominent "A. P. Johnston" one would think he would have gotten slightly more press. In reading through the Cincinnati papers it was news when his held his garden party, when his daughter got sick, when his house burned down, and when someone was injured pulling items out of the same house. And you would think the local Cincinnati papers would have given his name at least once as "A. P. Johnston" Also, why would there be no record of "A. P. Johnston" playing chess prior to December 1871 and none after February 1872? "A. P. Johnston" lived long enough to have played for twenty years but he only played for three months? My gut tells me that the player "A. Johnston" was not a noteworthy person at the time. But as you say, I cannot rule out "A. P." so the hunt for factual data continues. |
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Jun-10-20
| | Tabanus: Even if it was him in the committee it's not certain that he played in the tournament. I'm running out of ideas. Perhaps compare the addresses (if available) of the chess club and his properties in the city. Plus read about chess in Cincinnati before 1871 - I'm not sure how much there is to find. |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope:
<Book of the Second American Chess Congress>
"A. Johnston","Johnston"x8
<The Fifth American Chess Congress>
"A. Johnston","Johnston"
<Cleveland Leader>
1871.12.05, p1: "A. Johnson","Johnson"
1871.12.06, p4: "Johnson"x4
1871.12.07, p1: "Johnson"x3
1871.12.08, p4: "Johnson"x3
1871.12.09, p1: "Johnson"x2
1871.12.11, p4: "Johnson"
1871.12.12, p1: "Johnson"
1871.12.14, p4: "Johnson"
<Cleveland Daily Plain Dealer>
1871.12.05, p3: "A. Johnson","Johnson"
1871.12.06, p3: "Johnson"x5
1871.12.07, p3: "Johnson"x2
1871.12.09, p3: "Johnson"x2
1871.12.11, p3: "Johnson"x2
1871.12.12, p1: "Johnson"x2
1871.12.13, p3: "Johnson"x3
1871.12.15, p3: "Johnson"x2
1871.12.16, p3: "Johnson"x2
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: I think you got hung up on Esq. and it having something to do with the wealthy or owning land (which would have been true in Victorian England). In the U.S. that honorific had far less importance. You can search the Cincinnati newspapers from 1870-1875 for "Esq." and see that it was appended to the names of people from all walks or life and not just wealthy landed gentry. |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: I believe that completes my survey of the material cited by Joost and I have found ZERO occurrences of his name ever being given as "A. P. Johnston" or "A. P. Johnson". Perhaps Joost picked it up from an uncited source? So the facts we have are:
For 1871, the Cleveland newspapers give "Johnson" exclusively, but the <Book of the Second American Chess Congress> gives "Johnston". For 1872, the Cincinnati press favors "Johnston" over "Johnson". His first initial(s) are almost always just "A." with one occurrence of "W. A.". His chess career appears to have lasted only three months, Dec 1871-Feb 1872. ...and that's basically all we really have. |
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Jun-10-20
| | Tabanus: I found a name now while looking for "Chess Club". 1860: Cincinnati Chess Club. - A regular meeting of the Chess Club was held at their rooms on Saturday evening, when the following officers were elected: President, S. C. Newton; Vice-President, R. H. McKenzie; Recording Secretary, Daniel Hough; corresponding Secretary, T. French; Treasurer, J. Eggers. (Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, 27 Feb 1860) 1865: The members of the Cincinnati Chess club will meet at Room No. 4, College Buildings, at 7 1/2 o'clock tonight to elect permanent officers, select a club room, and transect other important business. Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, 6 Sep 1865) 1865: The Cincinnati Chess Club met last night, and elected the following officers for the ensuing year: President, John Eggers; Vice-President, L. Phil. Meredith; Treasurer, Theo. Heaton; Secretary, <Arthur Johnston>; also, an executive committee of five. (Cincinnati Commercial Tribune ("Cincinnati Daily Commercial" in the scan), 7 September 1865, p. 2) 1867: The Cincinnati Chess Club has been reorganized, and meets in the room of the Horticultural society, on Fourth Street, between Vine and Walnut. (Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 9 Sep 1867) 1868: We are to have a chess club in this city. The organization is to be completed the coming week. (Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 28 Dec 1868) 1869: The Cincinnati Chess Club is to go into operation again this winter. (Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 21 Oct 1869) |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: Arthur Johnston. Awesome find. |
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Jun-10-20
| | Tabanus: We were both wrong :) |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: True, but at least you found a name. That's the important thing. Theories are great, facts are better. ;-) |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: I found another instance:
<In pursuance to a call in the papers, a meeting of those in favor of organizing a chess club was held, last night, in the Law School, at which the following gentlemen were requested to act as a committee to obtain subscriptions: Dr. W. Sherwood, Phineas Moses, Thomas Heaton, Arthur Johnston and W. B. Nichols.>
Cincinnati Enquirer, 1865.08.24, p2 |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: And perhaps the reason he stopped playing in 1872...
<Marriages.
JOHNSTON-DOYLE-On Wednesday, July 31, at Christ Church, Glendale, by the Rev. Charles Young, Mr. Arthur Johnston to Mrs. Maria Christiana Doyle, both of Cincinnati.>
Cincinnati Commercial, 1872.08.21, p5 |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: <DIED
JOHNSTON-At her home in Santa Ana, California, Thursday, January 12, 1911, Mrs. Maria Christiana Johnston, aged 64 years.
-Funeral Saturday, Jan. 14, 1911, at 2 p.m., from the Episcopal church. Deceased was the wife of Arthur Johnston. For thirty-seven years she and Mr. Johnston have been residents of Santa Ana. [...]>
Santa Ana Register, 1911.01.12, p5
<ARTHUR JOHNSTON ILL
Justice Cox has received a letter stating that Arthur Johnston, a pioneer here is ill at the home of his niece, Mrs. Fred Wiethorn, 3136 Durrell avenue, Cincinnati, O. He has had bronchial pneumonia.>
Santa Ana Register, 1916.01.15, p5 |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: And it looks like Arthur continued to play chess!
<The Southern California chess correspondence tourney was completed a few days ago. C. F. Pierce of Los Angeles secured the first prize, Arthur Johnston of Santa Ana second, and C. W. Waterman of Los Angeles third.>
San Francisco Chronicle, 1895.05.18, p10
I think you've definitely nailed it <Tab>! |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: 1910 Census, Santa Ana, Ward 1 gives:
Name: Arthur Jonston
Age in 1910: 68
Birth year: 1842
Birthplace: England
Immigration year: 1861
Spouse: Mariah C. Jonston
Occupation: Stenographer
Thanks for finding that name <Tab>; now I can sleep tonight!! |
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Jun-10-20
| | Tabanus: Hehe. I can't immediately find him in 1870 census. In 1880 he's already in Santa Ana, "Orchardist", no children. "England" may be Ireland, perhaps. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial... |
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| Jun-10-20 | | wharfrat: <Tabanus and jnpope> I’ve been following this exchange the last couple days. My wife has a lot of family living in Cincinnati and I’ve been there many times, which piqued my interest. Don’t know if this is the same man, but the Hamilton County, Ohio Probate Court website shows that an Arthur Johnston died on December 26, 1919. You both have access to sources that I do not, but this might help you find an obituary (albeit for perhaps an Arthur Johnston that didn’t play chess). |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: 1900 Census:
Name: Arthur Johnston
Age: 58
Birth Date: Aug 1841
Birthplace: England
Home in 1900: Santa Ana, California
Spouse's Name: Maria C Johnston
Marriage Year: 1872
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Occupation: Stenographer |
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Jun-10-20
| | jnpope: <wharfrat>: Thanks. <Tab>'s link to Find-a-grave shows a Santa Ana Cemetery tombstone engraved with:
Arthur Johnston
Died November 20, 1919
Aged 78 Years
I'm searching for an obituary around that date... if that fails I'll expand my date range. |
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