Charity Nelson Johnson was born in Bridgeport in 1861, the daughter of William and Rebecca Wheeler Johnson. She was the niece of Governor Joseph Johnson, the only governor of Virginia to come from west of the Alleghenies. She was educated at Broaddus College, Columbia University, and the University of North Carolina and was a public school teacher for 59 years.
Charity sold land on Newton Street for $1 to the Board of Education in February, 1921. The land was used to build the new Bridgeport High School, which opened in 1925. Charity passed away on Christmas Eve, 1946
