Lucie Johnson was the youngest of four children, and was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, October 14, 1864.

She was kept out of school for two winters by illness attributed to "rapid growth" and they decided to try a change of climate.

[1] In October 1883, shortly after the death of her only brother, Scruggs went to Chatham, Virginia to teach.

[1] Lucie Johnson met Lawson Andrew Scruggs at Shaw University and they married on February 22, 1888.

The following year, Lawson Scruggs published a book titled "Women of Distinction" and he included his late wife.