Farish, thank you for explaining where Blinburn was. Last summer when I was down at the churchyard on a fine day I walked up the footpath by the Annan back up towards the village and the area where the Mill was, well as far as I could go, and I probably passed the site of Blinburn cottages without even knowing it. I think I know the burn and as I remember it it does come down hill from roughly opposite the school.
I don't have anything from a newspaper about John Johnston's death, if you have anything from the Dumfriesshire newspaper archives I'd love to hear of it. What I have is what is on his gravestone in the churchyard. (Old Johnstonbridge churchyard) The church is now a family home, oddly enough the home of another member of Rootschat, but thankfully the churchyard and the family graves are still open to us to visit.
John's gravestone reads ""John Johnson, Carter, 27, with his horse and cart was carried down by a Speat (sic) in the River Annan August 25th 1806. His body was found at Jardine Hall."
You are right about the Rogersons and the Mill. That's the family I'm descended from, Jean Boyes and James Rogerson of Johnston Mill. As you say, Jean was the daughter of Jean Ritchie from her second marriage. I have Mary Johnston in my tree as James Rogerson's first wife and the mother of his first family William, Henrietta, John, George and James but I don't have her parents. All I know is that she was born c 1789 in Johnstonbridge, and died on 10 March 1828 when the youngest child, James was only 3. Common name in the area but smaller population and perfectly possible, as you say they could well be linked. If they are, they weren't a particularly lucky family, were they, with her dying young and him being drowned.
Good luck with yours, and if I find anything further my end I'll certainly pass it on
Maggie 1895