Father of Edith Grace Johnston Lorenz. Born around January 1856 in New Jersey to an English-born father. His Huguenot-derived middle name 'Runyon' marks the New Jersey French Protestant lineage that had been in Piscataway / Middlesex County since 1665. Migrated west into Indiana as a journeyman carpenter, settling into the Lafayette / Frankfort / Rossville corridor. Married Flora Isabell Maskell on October 14, 1891 in Clinton County, Indiana, likely meeting her through Flora's older sister Clara, who had married Allen Metzger and settled in Rossville in 1888. Eight children were born between 1893 and 1910 across central-northern Indiana. By 1920 the family lived in Carpenter, Jasper County. Died February 29, 1928 in South Bend of chronic myocarditis with contributing bronchial pneumonia. Buried at Remington Cemetery on March 2. His parents have not been identified despite multiple searches — research continues.
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Clark Runyon Johnston
also: Clark Russell Johnston (per Find a Grave indexing — variant; the family book gives Runyon)
Stories
How Clark met Flora
1888-1891
Clark Runyon Johnston came west from New Jersey as a journeyman carpenter, settling into the Lafayette / Frankfort / Rossville corridor of central Indiana. Flora's older sister Clara had married Allen Metzger and moved to Rossville in 1888. Three years later, on October 14, 1891, Clark married Flora in Clinton County. Their second daughter, Edith, would be born in Rossville on September 9, 1894. A sister's move had drawn the rest of the family forward into a new generation.
Source: Parallel agent research session 2026-06-06