P00994aWilliam Lyman Johnson (1869-1949) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was the son of Mary Baker Eddy's student William B. Johnson, one of the original four members of Christian Science Board of Directors who also served as Clerk of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, for 17 years. Considered a musical prodigy, Johnson studied at the New England Conservatory of Music while a child and passed a certificate examination at age nine, the youngest person ever to have done so.
In 1884, when Johnson was 14 years old, his father had just begun a Christian Science practice and asked him to suspend his schooling in order to work and support the family. In 1889 he also began assisting his father in the Clerk's office. During the postponement of his formal studies, he managed to continue his musical studies and went on to attend Harvard University from 1893 to 1897. He subsequently became a composer, researcher, and writer.
Johnson joined The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 31, 1892. He assisted with the development of the 1898 revision of the Christian Science Hymnal and composed musical settings for two of Eddy's poems that were included in the Hymnal. On March 18, 1901, Johnson was elected an Executive Member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, and in June 1901 he sat through the Normal class taught under the auspices of the Board of Education. He married Maude B. Johnson (b. Wright) in Boston in 1904. She worked as a stenographer for the Christian Science Publishing Society. Johnson served as a member of the committee on Finance for four years in the early 1900s. He began listing as a practitioner in The Christian Science Journal in 1905 and maintained his listing for the rest of his life. Johnson became a noted expert in ancient musical instruments and authored The History of the Christian Science Movement, in two volumes, published in 1926.
See more letters.
P00994aWilliam Lyman Johnson (1869-1949) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was the son of Mary Baker Eddy's student William B. Johnson, one of the original four members of Christian Science Board of Directors who also served as Clerk of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, for 17 years. Considered a musical prodigy, Johnson studied at the New England Conservatory of Music while a child and passed a certificate examination at age nine, the youngest person ever to have done so.
In 1884, when Johnson was 14 years old, his father had just begun a Christian Science practice and asked him to suspend his schooling in order to work and support the family. In 1889 he also began assisting his father in the Clerk's office. During the postponement of his formal studies, he managed to continue his musical studies and went on to attend Harvard University from 1893 to 1897. He subsequently became a composer, researcher, and writer.
Johnson joined The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 31, 1892. He assisted with the development of the 1898 revision of the Christian Science Hymnal and composed musical settings for two of Eddy's poems that were included in the Hymnal. On March 18, 1901, Johnson was elected an Executive Member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, and in June 1901 he sat through the Normal class taught under the auspices of the Board of Education. He married Maude B. Johnson (b. Wright) in Boston in 1904. She worked as a stenographer for the Christian Science Publishing Society. Johnson served as a member of the committee on Finance for four years in the early 1900s. He began listing as a practitioner in The Christian Science Journal in 1905 and maintained his listing for the rest of his life. Johnson became a noted expert in ancient musical instruments and authored The History of the Christian Science Movement, in two volumes, published in 1926.
See more letters.