I have been working on my family tree now for a couple of years and have come up against a few very stubborn brick walls.

  The toughest one is my grandfather's side.  To be completely honest I haven't worked very hard on this line, the Johnson name scares me.  I know that it will be a difficult line to prove and other lines are a lot easier ;-)My grandfather's name was Joseph Oden Johnson.  He was born 29 Aug 1928 in Iowa (at least I think) died 7 Apr 2005 in Iowa City, Iowa.  His parents were Joe Johnson & Mary _____. 

Another brick wall is my gggggrandfather, Daniel Kempton b 15 Sep 1813 d 05 Jan 1896 in Burden, Cowley, Kansas.  I don't know for sure where Daniel was born.  The censuses have both Pennsylvania and England.  His son's death cert has that he was born aboard a ship on the Atlantic Ocean between America and Wales.  I haven't been able to find a passenger list for this time frame with any Kempton's on it.  I don't know his parents name so that isn't any help.  I know that he married Eliza Hornish about 1835 ( b PA d 1844 in Rising Sun, Indiana) then Mary Cochran 19 Mar 1846 in Willsbury, VA.  Daniel was a chaplain in the 86th Indiana Infantry Company S.  Here is his locations in census yrs:  1840 Norwalk, Huron, Ohio; 1850 Rising Sun, Huron, Indiana; 1860 Harrison, Boone, Indiana; 1870 Kaw, Jefferson, Kansas; 1875 Kaw, Jefferson, Kansas; 1880 Saylor, Polk, Iowa; 1885 Silver Creek, Cowley, Kansas; 1895 Burden, Cowley, Kansas.