Under Mexican rule the area was successively a part of the Department of Bexar, the Department of the Brazos, and Viesca Municipality. Settlement began under the auspices of Robertson's colony. The county was marked off in 1854 from Ellis, Navarro, and Hill counties. Its population was then 700. Its name came from Middleton T. Johnson, who had served in the Mexican War, on the Texas frontier, and in the Civil War, and was later a legislator. At the first election the committee on choosing a county seat reported four places to be voted upon. They were O'Neil's, Stephen's, Patten's and Tarrnat's and Robinson's. Neither received a majority. In August, 1855, Henderson's ran against O'Neil's, and the latter won by a vote of 161 to 59. It was situated on the west bank of the Nolan and was named Wardville, named for Thomas William Ward, second commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas. But this did not remain the county seat long, for it was too far from the center of the county. A new elections was ordered. Wardville ran in the race again, against "Bailey's and Manley's, but neither won. At another election in 1856 Bailey's won out and the new county seat was named Buchanan for the President of the United States. This remained the county seat for ten years, but when Hood County was cut off in 1866, Buchanan was left too much to the west and at a new election, Camp Henderson won by a decided majority. The new town was called Cleburne in honor of Civil War-General Pat Cleburne In 1881 a section of Ellis County was added to Johnson County, thus completing its current boundaries. -Handbook of Texas Online: Johnson County; "The History of Johnson County, Texas"; Johnson County History Book Committee 1985