Clues to the origin of the Johnson clan in Connecticut can be found in Families of Ancient New Haven by Donald Lines Jacobus. On page 1029 he states:
“Three Johnson brothers, said to have come from Hull, Yorkshire, England, settled early in New Haven, Connecticut; these were John, who removed to Rowley, Massachusetts and died in 1641 leaving issue; Robert (see Family 1); and Thomas (see Family 2). A Dutchman, Richard Johnson (also called Derrick) settled in New Haven and died 23 May 1679; his heir, probably a nephew, was William Johnson (also called Wingle, see Family 16). Another Dutchman, Walter Johnson (see Family 39) settled at Wallingford, Connecticut.”
But another source connects William/Wingle Johnson directly as a son of Robert (and nephew of John and Thomas). It is therefore possible that William’s uncle Richard/Derrick was a fourth brother, and may have come to New Haven by way of the Netherlands, but was originally also from Hull, Yorkshire, England. This additional source is a history of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where William/Wingle’s great-grandson, the Rev. Jacob Johnson lived and died in 1797. In a lengthy footnote beginning on page 744, it states:
“Jacob Johnson was born at Wallingford, New Haven County Connecticut, April 7, 1718 the youngest child of Sergeant Jacob and Abigail Hitchcock Johnson. Sergeant Johnson was second cousin of Deacon Samuel Johnson, 1670-1727, of Guilford, Connecticut who was the father the Rev Samuel Johnson D.D., the father of Episcopacy in Connecticut (as mentioned in the note page 478) — the paternal grandfathers of the Deacon and the Sergeant having been brothers, and immigrants to Boston from Kingston on Hull, England about the year 1638. Thomas Johnson, grandfather of Sergeant Jacob Johnson, settled in New Haven where in 1640 he was drowned in harbor. He was survived by his wife Helena and four sons, the youngest of whom, William, a native of England, settled in New Haven where he was married in December 1664 to Sarah Hall. He was mason by trade. In 1670 with some thirty seven other men he signed the original compact for the settlement of Wallingford and thus became one of the original proprietors of that town. However he continued to reside at New Haven where he died in 1716. William and Sarah Hall Johnson were parents of thirteen children, the sixth of whom was Sergeant Jacob Johnson, previously mentioned, who was bom at New Haven September 25, 1674. He was married December 14, 1698 to Abigail (born 1674, died January 9 1726) daughter of John and Abigail Merriman Hitchcock of Wallingford, and settled in that town where he became an extensive land owner. He was a Deputy from Wallingford to the General Court of Connecticut in 1721, 1732, 1733, and 1736, and for some time was Sergeant of the Wallingford train-band. He died at Wallingford July 17, 1749.”
A history of Wilkes-Barré, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time: including chapters of newly-discovered early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material, Volume 2, 1909 (Google eBook)