Johnson, Wendell Lucian, Sr.
(born: August 15, 1897 - died: June 29, 1985)Rev. Wendell L. Johnson, Sr. was born in Lexington, KY, the son of Katie Nelson Johnson and Churchill Johnson. The family lived with Katie's mother, Amanda Nelson, on East Main Street, according to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census.
Rev. Johnson would become a social worker with the Shawnee County Welfare Center in Topeka, KS, beginning in 1934. He was director of youth work with the National Baptists and became the first president of both the Kansas State Layman Movement and the Kaw Valley District Baptist Layman Movement in 1950. He was also vice president of the Topeka Council of Churches, beginning in 1949.
Rev. Johnson was a college graduate who owned his home in Topeka [source: 1940 U.S. Census]. He was the husband of Thelma Johnson. The family later moved to Chicago, IL, where Rev. Johnson served as pastor of Lilydale First Baptist Church from 1956-1983 [souce: Lilydale First Baptist Church website].
Rev. Johnson died in 1985 in Robbins, IL [source: U.S. Social Security Death Index (Ancestry)] and is buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, IL. For more see Who's Who in Colored America, 1950.
