Where: Raleigh and Carthage, North Carolina; Laurens, South Carolina; Mooresville, Alabama

Status: None of these sites exist; their addresses were not recorded and are lost to time.

History:

• In Raleigh, Johnson's mother apprenticed him and his brother William to tailor James J. Selby (some sources give the name as John Selby). Johnson lived with or near the shop and learned to sew while customers read books aloud to him, giving him his informal education. He ran away in 1824 before his indenture expired. 

• After fleeing his apprenticeship in Raleigh, Johnson's first recorded stop was Carthage, NC, where he worked briefly as a journeyman tailor before moving on. A historical marker on the Moore County Courthouse grounds notes his time there.

• Johnson settled in Laurens, SC for about a year working as a journeyman tailor. He reportedly met a young woman named Mary Wood here and considered settling, but eventually returned to Raleigh in an attempt to make amends with James Selby and buy out his apprenticeship. There is a statue in Greenville County that memorializes his time in Laurens.

• Historical accounts and a Mooresville village marker record that Johnson worked as a tailor's apprentice in Mooresville for a period during his years of wandering before settling in Greeneville, TN. A generalized historical marker denotes a single sentence alluding to his tailor work in Moorseville.

Where: Rutledge, Tennessee

Status: While the address of their first visit to Greeneville is not recorded, his time in Rutledge is memorialized by a marker and a replica tailor shop.

History: Johnson and his family stopped in Greeneville en route to Sequatchie Valley to find his brother William. Impressed by the town, Andrew earned money sewing and met Eliza McCardle. The town's only tailor was not yet ready to retire, so the family moved on to Rutledge, 40 miles south.

Johnson rented a shop and lodging in Rutledge, Grainger County. He worked there as a tailor for about six months. 

When news reached him that the Greeneville tailor had finally retired, he returned to Greeneville in March 1827.

Where: Greeneville, Tennessee

Status: Standing; Part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

Physical Address: 201 East Depot Street, Greeneville, TN

History: After marrying 16-year-old Eliza McCardle in May 1827, Andrew and Eliza rented a two-room house on Main Street. The front room served as his tailor shop and the back room as their living quarters. Their first two children, Martha and Charles, were born here. Johnson ran his business from this address for about three years until he could afford to purchase his own property.

In 1831, Johnson purchased this small two-story brick house and a separate lot for his tailor shop at the corner of Water and Main Cross Streets (now Depot and College Streets). He did not receive clear legal title until 1850. The home housed the growing Johnson family — eventually seven members — through Andrew's terms as town alderman, mayor, and Tennessee state legislator. 

Today it functions as an NPS exhibit space focused on his early life, with unfurnished rooms and interpretive panels. It is directly across the street from the Andrew Johnson Visitor Center.

Where: Greeneville, Tennessee

Status: Standing; Part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

Physical Address:  101 North College Street (corner of Depot & College Streets), Greeneville, TN 37743

Johnson purchased this one-room wooden tailor shop at public auction on July 30, 1830 for $51 and reportedly rolled it on logs to its current location. He operated it as his primary trade until entering national politics in 1843. The shop became the social and political hub of Greeneville: locals gathered to debate current events while Johnson worked. After his death, his daughters bought it back (1884); the state of Tennessee acquired it in 1921 and enclosed it in a protective brick Memorial Building to preserve it. The NPS took over management in 1941. Original tools and equipment are on display. While he didn't live in the tailor shop, Johnson spent most of his waking hours here for over a decade.

Where: Greeneville, Tennessee

Status: Standing; Part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

Physical Address: 209 South Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37743

In 1851, Johnson purchased this Greek Revival two-story brick house from James Brannon for $950 plus The Early Home; Johnson did retain the Tailor Shop. This was his primary residence for the rest of his life. During the Civil War, Confederate forces desecrated the house (using it as a hospital and headquarters), drove out the Johnson family, and confiscated Johnson's property. The family returned in 1869 after the presidency; Johnson added a second story in 1868–1869 in preparation for his return. He lived here until departing for Washington to serve as senator in early 1875. The homestead passed to three generations of descendants before the federal government acquired it in 1944.

Where: Washington, D.C.

Status: None of these sites exist; their addresses were not recorded and are lost to time

Johnson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1843 and served five consecutive terms (to 1853). During this period he boarded in Washington DC when Congress was in session, as was customary for members of the era. Eliza visited Washington only once during his entire congressional career, remaining home in Greeneville with the children. The specific boarding houses are not recorded in surviving historical sources. 

Where: Nashville, Tennessee

Status: Specific boardinghouses are not recorded by name; presumed demolished

Physical Address: 209 South Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37743

Period of Residence: 1843-1853

About: Johnson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1843 and served five consecutive terms (to 1853). During this period he boarded in Washington DC when Congress was in session, as was customary for members of the era. Eliza visited Washington only once during his entire congressional career, remaining home in Greeneville with the children. The specific boarding houses are not recorded in surviving historical sources.