Lois Johnston was born in Sidney, New York, which is located on approximately two square miles in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains at the junction of the Susquehanna and Unadilla Rivers. It is situated in the northwest corner of Delaware County, abutting both Chenango and Otsego counties. Sidney is located at the junction of Interstate 88 and State Route 8, making the cities of Oneonta, Binghamton, and Utica readily accessible. (This description came from the town's web site in 2009: <http://www.sidneychamber.org/history.htm>)

Recorded history of Sidney began in the early 1770's when Lois's grandfather, Reverend William Johnston, built his home in the location of the current Sidney Airport. The area was referred to as the Johnston Settlement or Sidney Plains and was geographically part of the Otsego County and the township of Unadilla.

During the American Revolution Reverend Johnston and most of the nonloyalist population of the area fled to Cherry Valley for protection from the pro-British Native Americans and the Tory claim-jumpers. In July 1778, in order to scatter Native Americans, New York's Governor Clinton ordered Colonel William Butler to burn their villages along the Susquehanna River. Soon after Reverend Johnston and the other white settlers returned to the area.

In 1796 the state legislature subdivided Otsego County. Delaware County was created from this subdivision. Later the Town of Sidney was subdivided to create the Town of Masonville.

During its formative years, Sidney's economic base consisted of farming, timber, potash harvest, and services catering to farming needs.