Richard Mentor Johnson - Marriage and Family

Marriage and Family

Family tradition holds that Johnson broke off an early marital engagement because of his mother's disapproval. Purportedly Johnson vowed revenge for his mother's interference.

After his father died, Richard Johnson inherited Julia Chinn, an octoroon slave who was seven-eighths European in ancestry. Johnson began a relationship with her and essentially treated her as his common-law wife. As she was a slave, they were prohibited by law from marrying. Johnson lived with Chinn and treated her as his common-law wife; he acknowledged their two mixed-race daughters. (They were one-sixteenth African.) When Johnson was away from his Kentucky plantation, he authorized Chinn to manage his business affairs. Julia Chinn died in an epidemic of cholera in the summer of 1833.

Johnson and Chinn had two daughters, Adaline Chinn Johnson and Imogene Chinn Johnson. Johnson provided for an education for both girls. Both daughters married white men, whereupon Johnson gave them large tracts of land from his own holdings. Adeline Chinn had no children, and died in 1836. Although Johnson treated Imogene as his daughter, she was prevented from inheriting his estate, as the court considered her illegitimate and without rights. Upon Johnson's death, the Fayette County Court ruled that "he left no widow, children, father, or mother living." It divided his estate between his living brothers, John and Henry.

Following his wife's death, Johnson began a relationship with another family slave. When she left him for another man, Johnson had her captured and sold at auction. He then began a relationship with her sister.