Inhabited Charlestown as early as 1634
Chosen gravedigger at Selectmen's Meeting 10 Dec. 1650/1, Constable 1657
He deposed on 29 Dec 1657 in Charlestown, MA; giving his age as 54 years.27, pg. 555, 26, pg. 984, 33, pg. 261
Will dated 7 Dec 1677; Probated 2 Feb 167821, pg. 333

“One of the commonest surnames in America is Johnson, and even in the 1600’s, without benefit of the numerous Scandinavian Johnsons, it was reckoned the third most usual patronymic in the English colonies. In Massachusetts Bay for instance there were five early Johnson settlers; and it has sometimes been suggested without a shred of evidence that they were brothers or half-brothers. These men were Isaac Johnson, who left no descendants; John of Roxbury; solomon of Marlborough; Edward of Woburn; and William of Charlestown, the progenitor of the families mentioned in the following pages.

“All these men at some time or other, for one or another reason, have been the subjects of considerable investigation; but many of the statements concerning William Johnson it seems to me have been made on insufficient evidence. He is said by some to have been born in Canterbury, England about 1602, but one searcher candidly admits that he found no record of William Johnson’s birth or baptism there. The statement had been made by several persons that he married Elizabeth Storey in Canterbury, and had a son John, born in England about 1633. If proof of such a marriage exists, I have never seen it. William Johnson certainly had an eldest son, John, for he says so in his will, a copy of which is extant in the Middlesex County records at Cambridge, Mass.; but I submit that the child’s birth in England, which is stated so confidently, is pure conjecture.

“Several of William Johnson’s descendants have left emperical statements that he emigrated from England with Winthrop in 1630. It may well be so, but his name appears on no ship list that I have found. The late John Johnson of Amesbury, Mass., says in his notes that William Johnson came to America without his wife, prepared a home in Charlestown, and returned to England about 1633 bringing her and their son over to America. Now I am told but have never verified the fact that this is exactly what Edward Johnson of Woburn is said to have done. Did Johnson of Amesbury confuse the two men, or is there some other explanation?

“As far as the early 1800s at least, there was an insistent story that William Johnson of Charlestown and Edward of Woburn really were brothers. This has never been proved, but if it were so it might explain a great deal. Edward Johnson did come over with Winthrop — his name is on the ship lists — he did bring over his wife, and son. Thus his younger brother might have been inspired by his example to do the same thing; that is, if William was his younger brother.

“So much for guessing; what can we say with certainty about William Johnson? On January 3, 1634 the selectment of Charlestown assessed him for several parcels of land. This must indicate that he was in America by 1633 at the latest. He and his wife, Elizabeth, joined the Church in Charlestown February 13, 1635; and March 4th of the same year he was made a freeman of the Colony. The baptisms of four of his children are on the records of the First Church in Charlestown as will appear below.

“Beside this we have records of real estate holdings in Charlestown, his elective offices, and his will. As to the first item he was assessed for ten parcels of land, “which he cultivated”, a house, two barns, two brick-making mills, and a garden. At different times he held town offices: overseer of houses and fields, selectman, and the colonial office of juror. He died December 9, 1677, having made his wife executrix of his will. His estate was appraised at L308. 11. 0.

“In his will William Johnson mentions all his children by name except Ruhamah, who had predeceased him; and he left a legacy to her daughter. His wife, Elizabeth, is most certainly the widow Johnson who later married Thomas Carter of Charlestown, and died October 6, 1684.

“Having thus disposed of the known facts concerning the founder of our family, I would like to add two suppositions of my own. First, it seems obvious that William and his wife were very sturdy people; not only because they both lived into their seventies, but also since — mirabile dict — in that day and age their eight children all reached maturity, married, and were able to produce children of their own.

“My second guess would be that William and Elizabeth Johnson were a pleasant couple, who provided a very happy home for their offspring. All the children save Ruhamah, who had only one son, named a boy William; and all except two named a daughter Elizabeth. One of the latter two had no daughters, and the other had only one, who was apparently named for her mother. Ruhamah’s one son received his father’s name. It might be argued that this was merely a case of filial respect, but even in the 1600s filial respect was not often quite so pronounced. There is also a family tradition that son Jonathan was so distressed when he heard that his father was in his last illness, that he walked all night along through the forest to see him once more before he died.

The authorities for my statements are:
1) Records of the First Church in Charlestown
2) Records of the Town of Charlestown
3) William Johnson’s Will
4) [for easy referral] Charlestown Genealogies and Estates by Wyman8