Mary Elizabeth Johnson (maiden name: Bradley) was born around 1838 in Missouri, possibly to Thomas and Elizabeth Bradley. She lived in Schuyler County, Missouri, and she married Thomas William Johnson on December 21, 1854. They had at least three children: Edward, born around 1856; John, born around 1859; and William, born around 1862. They lived in Gainesville, Texas, and her husband worked as a farmer. By 1860, they owned $2,500 of real estate and $500 of personal property. Her husband served in the Confederate army, and he died during the final months of the war.
She married James R. Powel in 1865, and they moved to Jefferson, Missouri, soon afterward. They had two children: Susan, born around 1867; and Mary, born around 1869. Powel worked as a farmer, and by 1870, they owned $1,200 of real estate and $1,175 of personal property. She died in the early 1870s.