This sad story was found in the Buffalo Evening Courier and Republic on 14 February 1873:¹

“Death of a Drinking Man.

Last night Joseph Johnson, a man somewhat addicted to the use of liquor, entered a brewery owned by Mr. Gibson in East Lockport, and requested the privelege of remaining all night. He received permission to do so, but as he did not make his appearance this morning a search was instituted and he was found dead, head forward in one of the vats in which there was a large quantity of beer. It is supposed he fell in several hours before he was discovered. Whether it was his intention to have drank the beer, as some have suggested, or not, a coroner’s jury undertook to decide this afternoon, but what conclusion was arrived at is not known as yet.

A.W.C.”

I was unable to find an article in the Lockport papers concerning this incident on FultonHistory.com as the month when the death occurred was not included in the microfilm run. I tried to find Joseph Johnson on the FamilySearch Family Tree, Public Member Tress on Ancestry, and on the Find-A-Grave websites without luck.

What we know: Joseph Johnson, died 13 February 1873 in Lockport, NY.

I would like to help to tell his story and, at the very least, attach this article and other sources to his profile. If anyone finds further documentation about Joseph Johnson, please comment below. Thank you.

Jeanette Sheliga is the Niagara County (NY) Genealogical Society’s (NCGS) Chairman of the Board, Vice President, NGS Delegate, and Program Chairperson. She is a member of many local and national organizations and holds leadership positions with the Niagara Falls Chapter of the DAR as the Chapter Registrar, the Western New York Genealogical Society (WNYGS) as a member of the Board of Directors, and the Virtual Genealogical Association (VGA) as the Corresponding Secretary. You can learn more about Jeanette on her website and her profile page for the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

1. “Death of a Drinking Man,” Evening Courier & Republic (Buffalo, NY), 14 February 1873, p. 4, col. 2; digital image, Old Fulton New York Post Cards (https://www.fultonhistory.com : viewed 7 May 2021), Newspaper Buffalo NY Evening Courier and Republic 1873 – 0152.PDF.