Rose Singleton Johnson collection

Rose Singleton Johnson was born in Martinsville, Indiana, on March 19, 1895 to Francis T. Singleton and Hannah Sophia Rose Singleton. Her only sibling, Mary, was born in 1903. She graduated from Martinsville High School in 1913.

Rose Singleton attended DePauw University between 1913 and 1917. She graduated in 1917 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. As a DePauw student, she was involved in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, student council, and The Mirage, the university yearbook. She also participated in women’s suffrage advocacy on DePauw’s campus and would later serve as the president of the Martinsville branch of the Woman’s Franchise League of Indiana.

In 1917, Rose Singleton started her teaching career at Monrovia High School. She went on to teach at Elkhart High School, Martinsville High School, and Indianapolis’s Emmerich Manual Training High School. Rose taught both English and history.

Rose married Maurice Vincent Johnson on October 10, 1931. Following their honeymoon to Iowa, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson moved to Greenwood, Indiana. While living in Greenwood, she held a variety of leadership positions her many organizations. She was most heavily involved in the Red Cross, Kappa Kappa Kappa sorority, and Pleasant Township Woman’s Republican Club. Mrs. Johnson received a Headliner award, the Greenwood Jaycees Good Citizen Award, and the Franklin College Associated Alumna Award.

Mrs. Johnson died in her home in Greenwood, Indiana on December 11, 1979. She was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery. Maurice would later be buried next to her.

Sources:

1917-1918 DePauw University Catalog. DePauw University, 1917.

“Commencement Day May 27th.” The Reporter-Times. May 15, 1913. Newspapers.com

“Greenwood.” Franklin Democrat, June 8, 1933. Newspapers.com

“Greenwood.” Franklin Democrat, October 29, 1931. Newspapers.com

“List Of Teachers For Martinsville Public Schools.” The Reporter-Times. August 27, 1920. Newspapers.com

“Local Branch Of Franchise League At Work.” The Reporter-Times. November 18, 1918. Newspapers.com

“Local News.” The Reporter-Times. September 1, 1919. Newspapers.com

“Mary Brooks Singleton Wamsley (1903-1972)” Find a Grave. Accessed December 4, 2024.

“Memorial Is Conducted by Associates.” The Daily Journal. January 21, 1971. Newspapers.com

The Mirage. DePauw University, 1917.

“Mrs. Johnson Attends Red Cross Meeting.” Franklin Democrat, November 8, 1934. Newspapers.com

“Mrs. Johnson Honored.” The Reporter-Times. April 25, 1967. Newspapers.com

“Pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma.” The Reporter-Times. September 29, 1914. Newspapers.com

“Promotion For Miss Singleton.” The Reporter-Times. June 30, 1926. Newspapers.com The Reporter-Times. August 1917. Newspapers.com

“Republican Women Meet At Greenwood.” The Franklin Evening Star, April 20, 1936. Newspapers.com

“Rose s Singleton Johnson (1895-1979)” Find a Grave. Accessed December 4, 2024.

“Rose S. Johnson, Former Teacher and City Native, Dies.” The Reporter-Times. December 13, 1979. Newspapers.com

“Rose Singleton And Maurice Johnson Wed.” The Franklin Evening Star, October 12, 1931. Newspapers.com

Rose Singleton Johnson papers, MSD-1917-016. Archives of DePauw University and Indiana United Methodism.

“Staff Of The 1916 DePauw Mirage Chosen.” The Indianapolis News, November 9, 1915.

This biographical note was created by Lauren Hicks and Asya Smith as part of the HIST278: Women's History from 1890-Present course during the fall 2024 semester. It was revised by Professor Sarah Rowley and the Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections Bethany Fiechter.