14 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, June 25, 2021
history
The Johnsons of Delancy Street
I
try to avoid the word “unique”, because in its pure meaning there can be only one of anything that is unique. Most unique is not grammatically correct, but Bosfield “Bos” Johnson was one-of-a-kind. For most of the contents of this column, I am indebted to my former flying colleague, Sylvester Rollins and his friend Arlene Nash Ferguson. Sylvester’s was a very personal experience: “As a boy, I attended St Francis Xavier’s Church, where I served at
early mass, every day, and escorted ‘Uncle Bossie’ to and from church (about a quarter mile each way) every morning, before walking to the Government High School. In the afternoon, he taught me mathematics and Latin. He was a true genius, knew what was on every page, verbatim, and could tell me exactly where to find anything we were discussing. “ ‘Uncle Bossie’ translated the Gallic Wars so precisely that I earned a grade A in that subject. It did not matter what the subject was, Bosfield Johnson mastered them all. He was
a real treasure, and I enjoyed his company immensely.” There was no blood relationship, but I think Sylvester wishes there had been. When Arlene Nash Ferguson was a little girl, her Johnson cousins in Delancy Street were a special part of their family. “John Ernst Johnson, a farmer from Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, and his wife, Jessie Ann Bosfield-Johnson of Nassau, had five children: Oscar, Edward, Samuel, Bosfield, and Jane, the youngest and only girl, born in 1906. The children were all born in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, and later migrated to Nassau and settled on Delancy Street (near Nassau Street),” she recalled. “Oscar and Edward would later marry, and the house continued to be occupied by Samuel, Bosfield, Jane and Jane’s mother, Jessie Bosfield, who was my mother’s grand-aunt, sister to Mummy’s grandfather John Bosfield. We were a close-knit family, and every night my mother and aunts, with me in tow, walked from West Street to their Johnson cousins for supper. It was a special time of strengthening family bonds and recapping the news of the day. “Twins run in the Bosfield family, and Aunt Jessie had a twin sister, Emily. Retinitis pigmentosa also runs in the Bosfield family, and Samuel (Sam) and Bosfield (Bos) grew progressively blind as they became adults. Jane, Sam and Bos never married. Sam and Bos converted to Roman Catholicism, while Jane remained a faithful Anglican all her life, walking the short distance down the hill to her beloved St Mary’s, which she could see from her back door. “Jane devoted her life to taking care of her blind brothers, and never worked outside of the home. Her obituary records: ‘For more than a
half century this woman followed a life of service, caring for her blind brothers. After the death of her mother, her father moved to Nassau and Jane quietly cared for him until his death.” Samuel was very active in the Roman Catholic Church and was a Knight Commander of St Gregory the Great and member of the Papal Court. Bosfield, despite his blindness, tutored scores of children and adults in his schoolroom – the long narrow room on the eastern side of the house. He was brilliant and kept everything in his head. “Jane taught all the young ladies of the neighbourhood on her front porch each afternoon, and everyone was always welcome. After school each day, they would walk up to “Miss Jane”, where they learnt to knit and crochet. She would bring them inside to teach them to play the piano and how to make coconut and benny cakes. And all the children waited anxiously for her to serve slices of bread, topped with condensed milk! “The Johnsons, especially Jane, were avidly interested in politics, and they followed local news with keen interest. They were all quite candid in their views, and they did what they believed to be right without apology. They were upstanding citizens of their beloved country, strengthening the social fabric of their community through their law abiding and nation building spirit. May they rest in peace.”
PAUL C ARANHA
FORGOTTEN FACTS • For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail.com
