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Arms Assumed: Arms assumed 1995, Ft. Benning,
Georgia.
Further Registration: American College of Heraldry, June 1996 #1391
Further Certification:
The Cronista Rey de Armas, 17 January 2001 Folio #133-136
The basis of the arms is the ancient battle flag of
Ulster. The Chief embattled was added to the design to represent participation
in three wars. The bombs represent the two battle stars won by the armiger in the Gulf War. The
crest represents the different aspects of the armiger's history- the ties to
Ireland, military academy, and the large number of writers and poets in his
family.
The armiger maintains that the first known member of
his family was Hugh "McShane" O'Neill of Killetragh and Glenconkeyne, Ireland. This Hugh
is believed to be the great grandson of Conn Bacach O'Neill and was pardoned and granted lands in 1608 for his part in the 9 Years War.
Following the departure of his cousin Hugh (the Red) O'Neill,
the family changed their name from O'Neill to that of McShane, after the clan living in the Loughinshollin region of Ulster. The name McShane was kept as the surname until 1839 when John McShane immigrated to the United States and like his cousin the McShane-O'Neill baronet, Johnson of New York, permanently anglicized the name from the Irish "son of John" to Johnson.
Major Johnson holds a BA from The Citadel and an MA from Princeton University. He is married to the former Kathleen Eleanor Henninger, and they have two children, James Riley III and Vivienne. He heads the
Clan McShane Society and is a member of the Army-Navy Club, The Montana Club, and the Veteran Corps of Artillery. |
