Oney’s Story: Phoenix Rising
One Woman’s Struggle to Overcome Violence and Abuse
‘Oney’ was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 1843 to George and Elizabeth Johnson. She was their fifth and youngest daughter. We know that her father and mother were born in South Carolina; George Johnson’s parents’ origins were Virginia. George made his living as a farmer and a cobbler. Why Oney’s family left the extended Johnson clan in South Carolina and moved to Polk County in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina is unknown. She was 16-years-old. It was a time in her life when she should have been dreaming of girlish things… anything but the horrific events that were about to unfold…
She was born into a turbulent historical period. In the mountains during the civil war era there was a split in loyalties between the North and the South. In 1860 the South seceded from the Union; tensions ran high in Polk County. Many people lived vulnerable and isolated lives from others in the hollers and upon mountain tops leaving few choices for future mates and socialization. Men were preparing for war. She never got the chance to be a proper young lady; it was stolen from her on one fateful night…
