The Johnson Families of Henry County, Illinois

OLOF W. JOHNSON.

Olof W. Johnson, who is the proprietor of the only successful harness shop which has been operated in the village of Bishop Hill, is one of its native sons who have attained a fair name and pronounced good fortune. He ",vcio born December 4, 1859, his parents being John B. and Brita Johnson. The father was a native of Ongermanland, Sweden, his birth having occurred in 1814. He joined the little band of men and women who joined the Bishop Hill colony in 1850 and was prominently known in its midst, for his physical strength brought him a renown that equaled that which he obtained as a workman and a citizen. He was familiarly called the giant of the place, for in his prime he stood six feet and four inches in height, and at one time lifted a dead weight of thirteen hundred and sixty-five pounds. During the existence of the colony he was its wagonmaker, but after it was dissolved he engaged in the cultivation of the soil, to which he devoted his energies until his death. This occurred in 1891, when he was in the seventy-seventh year of his age. The mother of our subject, who was born in Bolnas, Helsingland, Sweden, in 1827, came to Henry county and to the Bishop Hill colony at the same time as did her husband. She lived until 1904 and was also seventy-seven years old when her life was ended.

Olof W. Johnson attended the Bishop Hill school and that of district 23, Weller township, and grew to manhood upon the old homestead about a mile and a half west of the village. He devoted himself to agricultural pursuits until 1905, when he went to Cody, Wyoming, and there engaged in irrigating. After two years experience he sold his interests and returned to Bishop Hill, where shortly after he established himself in the harnessmaking business. In addition to being the first successful enterprise of its kind here, the shop contains a complete line of harness and harness supplies, while Mr. Johnson will make to order anything that is requested of him. He also carries a large stock of carriage and wagon woods and hardware and conducts a general repair shop. As his store is furnished with almost all the necessities of its kind and the shop equipped with the most modern machinery, it supplies a longfelt want in the village. The efficiency of its proprietor, his skill in workmanship and the high principles which have guided his relations with his fellow townsmen have placed him in a position where he commands their highest regard.

In Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 30, 1908, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Katherine Johnson, a school teacher at Loomis, Nebraska, and is a daughter of Olof Johnson, a prominent physician of that place. His father was a republican in his political affiliations, but in his youth our subject gave his allegiance to the democrats and since attaining his majority votes the prohibition ticket. However, he has always put men and measures before parties and adherence to them, so that the candidate who represents the best interests of the community may count upon his support. He has taken some part in local affairs, for he has served one term each as township assessor and collector, and for two years was on the village police force. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Good Templars, among whose members he has many stanch friends. For his recreation he plays upon the violin, and with the spirit of the true musician, combined with his ability as a workman, he has in his possession several instruments which he has himself made. The house in which he lives was built by him two years ago, and there is dispensed that gracious hospitality which make welcome friends and worthy strangers alike.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

PAUL LAWRENCE JOHNSON.

Paul Lawrence Johnson is one of the prominent men of Bishop Hill whose business methods in the conduct of a hardware store of which he is proprietor commend him to the confidence and support of the general public. Energetic and enterprising, he seeks success along well defined lines of trade and commerce, A native son of Bishop Hill, he was born June 22, 1861. His father, John B. Johnson, long known as the giant of the colony, was born in Obgermanland, Sweden, in 1814, and came to this country with a band of Jansenists who established the

Bishop Hill colony. While the colony existed in its original form he engaged in wagon making, but when village organization was adopted he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, continuing in the work of the fields until his death, which occurred in 1891, when he was seventy-seven years of age. His size and physical strength when he was in his prime won him large renown, for he was six feet four inches in height and it is chronicled that at one time he lifted a dead weight of thirteen hundred and sixty-five pounds. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Brita Johnson, was born in Bolnas, Helsingland, Sweden, in 1827. She crossed the Atlantic at the same time as did Mr. Johnson, becoming a member of the Bishop Hill colony, and died in this village in 1903 at the age of seventy-six years.

Paul L. Johnson was educated in the Bishop Hill schools and through private instruction in the higher branches, especially in mathematics. He worked upon the home farm until 1882, when he married and at the same time started in business life for himself. Taking up the occupation to which he had been reared, he at first rented a tract of land but later purchased a farm. For eight years he carried on general agricultural pursuits and in that time cultivated three hundred and twenty acres. In 1890, however, he sold his farm property and removed to Bishop Hill where he opened a blacksmith and general repair shop, for the success which he had previously enjoyed in conducting a repair shop while engaged in farming led him to the belief that he might win a still larger measure of prosperity if his entire attention were given to the work. A short time after his removal to the village he extended the scope of his business by adding a small line of tinware and gradually increased his stock to include hardware, stoves and kindred lines until today he has one of the best equipped stores of the kind in the county, carrying an extensive stock of farm implements, heavy hardware, tinware, clocks and silverware. Acting upon his motto "What you don't see, ask for," he has usually been able to supply the wants of his customers and the business, established upon a small scale, has gradually developed in the past two decades until his sales are estimated at fifteen thousand dollars a year.

In addition to his store and business property Mr. Johnson also owns other real estate including two dwellings in the village. His own home, in the midst of spacious grounds on the south side of the village, is frequently pointed out to visitors as being one of the handsomest in this part of the township. Mr. Johnson, displaying marked skill in cabinet-making, has designed and constructed many of the admirable and attractive pieces of furniture and the interior decorations which adorn his home. The dining room in particular is worthy of note, being entirely finished in black walnut which was taken from the pews and gallery of the old Colony church. The house is equipped with all modern conveniences, even to a private gas plant which Mr. Johnson installed, and its location is a most attractive one.

Mr. Johnson is also well known because of the merit he has displayed along literary and musical lines. For a number of years he was the Bishop Hill correspondent for the Galva Standard, and his contributions to that paper, which are well remembered for their fearless, plain-spoken style, greatly increased its subscription list in his section of the county. Ever a over of music, he plays several instruments, principally for his own amusement. For some years, however.

he was organist of the Colony church and has been musical director of the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church, leading its choir on special occasions.

]Mr. Johnson has been married twice. In 1882, at Bishop Hill, he wedded Miss Amanda Johnson, a daughter of IMartin Johnson, who in his day was one of the leading residents here. Mrs. Johnson died in 1887, at the age of twenty-four years, leaving three sons, Roswell M., Clarence R. and Leroy F., who are now twenty-six, twenty-four and twenty-two years of age, respectively. In 1890 Mr. Johnson married Miss Emma A. Olson, a daughter of Olaf Olson, now deceased, who was a farmer of Henry county and one of the veterans of the Civil war. He was born in Alfta, Sweden, July 13, 1843, died at his home south of Bishop Hill, April 19, 1904. He came to America with his parents in 1849, the journey from the old country taking four months. Mrs. Mary Olson, the mother of Mrs. Johnson, was born December 27, 1846, and was the first white child born at Bishop Hill. Both Mr. and Mrs. Olson were long members of the Bishop Hill colony. Mrs. Johnson was born May 19, 1868, and acquired her education in the common schools and in the Galva high school. She afterward engaged in teaching for several years prior to her marriage, being employed as primary teacher in the Bishop Hill school for three years.

Politically Mr. Johnson is allied with the democratic party, being strongly opposed to the tariff. In 1888 he made a strong race for the position of county clerk. Henry county is normally republican by a majority of three thousand, but on the occasion of his candidacy he was defeated by a majority of only four hundred and fifty votes, his large support being an indication of the high regard in which he is held, even by those who differ from him in their political sympathies. He has held all of the village offices, including that of president of the board, and is now one of the trustees, having continuously served on the board, with the exception of two years, since becoming a resident of the town. He is also school treasurer of Weller township at the present time. In all the relations of life, business, political or social, he has maintained such a high standard of honor and integrity that he has won the respect, good will and confidence of those who, through daily intercourse with him, have come to know him well.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN JOHNSON, JR.

John Johnson, Jr., one of the most prosperous of Osco township's agriculturists, who is intimately connected with its farming and stock-raising interests, was born in Sweden, March 24, 1850. His parents were John and Johanna (Hanson) Johnson, both of Swedish nativity, who came to this country in 1856. They were seven weeks in crossing the ocean, a journey which can be made in that number of days now, and before they were finally established in Swedonia, Mercer county. Illinois, where they located first, thirteen weeks had elapsed since they had set forth from their old home. Two children endured the hardships of that journey with them — August and John, of this review. Mr. Johnson had left his native land with some means, but they had dwindled on the way so that when he arrived in Illinois he had to start at the beginning to win a competence for himself and family. He bought first one hundred and sixty acres, but on account of failure of crops he was compelled to sell the greater part of this until he had only fifty acres left. About nine years after his arrival in this state, he moved to Andover township, this county, where he secured one hundred and sixty acres, and as his agricultural ventures prospered he was able to add to this tract from time to time until he had large landholdings in several townships of Henry county. In 1885 he built the first brick store erected in Osco and engaged in mercantile business, keeping up an active trade in grain and especially in room corn at the same time. Later, having won a pronounced success and a large income, he retired from active life, taking up his residence in Cambridge, where he passed away in 1902. In his family were five children, namely: August, who died unmarried; John, the subject of this review; Edd, who is now living in Cambridge; P. A., also a resident of Cambridge; and Carl B., who was the only child by his second marriage.

John Johnson, Jr., was about six years of age when his parents came to the United States and about fifteen when his father came to Henry county. He attended the common schools of his locality, and at home he acquired a practical knowledge of farming. At the age of twenty-five he left the paternal roof, for he had married and was naturally desirous to establish a home of his own and started in life for himself, receiving from his father a team of horses, a wagon, two cows and two pigs. The latter also rented him a tract of land, on which he lived for about ten years. At the end of that period in 1891 he purchased the farm he now occupies, paying sixty-seven dollars an acre for it. It is a fine tract, embracing two hundred and eighteen acres on section 33, Osco township, from which Mr. Johnson gained such rich returns for his labor that he has been able to add extensively to his landholdings. He owns one hundred and sixty acres in Merrick county, Nebraska, and after that purchase bought one hundred and sixteen acres in Clover township, this county, at the rate of sixty-five dollars per acre, obtaining one hundred and four dollars for it when he sold it in 1907. Next he procured the Tyson farm, of two hundred acres, on sections 16 and 17, Osco township, for twenty-five thousand dollars and in 1909 contracted for the Manguson place of two hundred and forty acres, on sections 18 and 20, the same township, for thirty-seven thousand dollars. From his father he had inherited one hundred and sixty acres and is the administrator of the three hundred and twenty acres which his father bequeathed to his son Carl B. Other investments which he has made include two houses in Cambridge and stock in the Farmers Bank and State Bank of that village and in the bank at Osco. In 1872 he assisted in the organization of the Swedish Insurance Company, of which he was for a number of years an appraiser. In short he is a man who through foresight, united with a great industry exercised in the most effective manner, has been able to derive from his agricultural pursuits and his extensive stock business a position in the community in which he lives that might be enviable were it not so inspiring as a record of what may be accomplished if one but make the best use of the opportunities at hand. His father had received but a very limited education, and he himself obtained one which would be accounted very meager were it placed alongside of such a one as boys acquire as a matter of fact today, yet both father and son won a fortune that came not from books but from the employment of those qualities which belong to men of strong character and determined purpose.

On the 2ist of August, 1872, Mr. Johnson wedded Miss Matilda Hanson, also a native of Sweden, who came to this country in 1869. To their union four children have been born: Anna, who married Enoch Swanson and is now the mother of two daughters, Clarice Ethel and Mildred Leona; J. Albert, who is at home with his father; Amanda Otelia and Nellie, who are also at home.

Mr. Johnson is a republican in his political views but is not an office seeker, although he has served as school director for a number of years. He and his family are members of the Swedish Lutheran church at Andover as was his father during his lifetime. Indeed, in 1867, when the church was rebuilt, the latter took an active part in the work, contributing generously to the fund raised for the purpose. Mr. Johnson, Jr., has also been lavish in supporting the congregation and for some time has served on the board of trustees.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

PETER A. JOHNSON.

Among the prominent and prosperous business men of Cambridge, who from a small beginning in the commercial world have achieved success entirely through their own innate powers and persevering efforts, is Peter A. Johnson, a manufacturer and dealer in agricultural implements, buggies, carriages, automobiles, etc., having resided in this city for the past fourteen years. He was born in Swedonia, Mercer county, Illinois, December 15, 1859, a son of John and Hannah (Hanson) Johnson, both of whom were natives of Sweden. Peter A. Johnson was one of four children born to this union, the others being: August, who is now deceased; John, Jr., residing in Osco township; and Edward, a resident of Cambridge.

John Johnson, the father of our subject, was a carpenter, builder and agriculturist in Sweden. He emigrated to the United States in 1854, and, coming to Illinois, settled in Swedonia, Mercer county, whence he removed to Andover township, Henry county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land. For some time he devoted his time and energies to its further development and improvement, and that his labors were rewarded is indicated in the fact that he finally became the owner of over a section of land in this locality. At different times he lived in Osco and Cambridge, his death having occurred in the latter place in the fall of 1902, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-two years. He survived his wife for several years, she having passed away when about sixty-five years of age. Both were members of the Swedish Lutheran church and people of the highest respectability, whose honorable and upright lives commanded for them the esteem and warm regard of all who knew them.

Peter A. Johnson has lived in Henry county since he was six years old and during his boyhood spent most of his time on the farm in Andover township, attending the district school during the winter months and learning the more valuable lessons in the great school of experience. He assisted his father in plowing, planting and harvesting, working industriously in field and meadow from the early spring until the crops were garnered in the late autumn. His father, wishing to encourage his efforts, gave him some land to cultivate on his own account and the son engaged in farming in Andover township for a number of years, being now the owner of a good tract of land containing one hundred and sixty acres, which was a part of his father's estate. Subsequent to this time he engaged in the further development of a farm near Cambridge and also conducted an implement business in the town for six years before locating there in 1902. Since then he has conducted a business which, under his capable control and active management, has been developed into substantial proportions. In the year of his arrival in Cambridge he bought his first automobile and at present he engaged extensively not only in buying and selling automobiles but all kinds of agricultural implements, buggies, carriages, etc. He owns three business buildings and a foundry where wagons are manufactured and occasionally an automobile.

In April, 1883, occurred the marriage of Peter A. Johnson and Miss Emma E. Young, of Swedonia, Ilinois, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Young, both of whom were natives of Sweden and early settlers of Mercer county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have three children: Alfred E., who formerly was in partnership with Fred Cook, the firm engaging in the manufacture of gasoline engines; Lillie E.; and Herbert S. Both Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members of the Swedish Lutheran church, and he gives his political support to the republican party. Although he started in the business world almost empty-handed, he has built up a business of large proportions, which is not only a source of gratifying income to himself but also a credit to the city, and he is, indeed, a worthy representative of commercial interests in the city wherein he is numbered among the men of affluence.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

FRANK LINDERT JOHNSON.

The Swedish element plays a happy as well as an important part in the citizenship of Lynn township, of which Frank Lindert Johnson is a representative, although he was born March 4, 1863, in the southern part of Andover township, this county. His parents, Swan P. and Christine Johnson, came from Sweden in their youth, their marriage being celebrated in this country. The father, alert to every opportunity, in the course of time acquired a valuable farm of six hundred and forty acres of land. Seven children were added to the home, two of whom died in infancy. George W. resides in Moline; John A. in Alexis; Ida, now Mrs. Frank A. Bengston, in Andover township; Frank L., the subject of the sketch, in Lynn township; and Herbert Julius, in Moline. Swan P. Johnson was a man alive to all that spelled progress but one who declined any public office. He was an active church member and for many years a trustee of the Evangelical Lutheran church. He died in November, 1891, and was buried at Andover, while his widow still lives in Cambridge.

Frank Lindert Johnson grew to manhood on his father's farm and received his education in the district schools. After his marriage in 1887 he took under his own management a portion of his father's large holdings, one hundred and sixty acres in extent. This has had the benefit of all the methods known to scientific agriculture and is in consequence in a high state of cultivation. He devotes a great deal of his attention to the raising of hogs and cattle and is an extensive feeder. In truth everything about his farm and home indicates intelligent attention.

On May 1, 1887, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Ida Bengston, a daughter of Gustus and Anna Bengston, both of whom were natives of Sweden and came here early in life. They became prosperous and were active in the affairs of the Lutheran church. Both of them are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of six children, namely: Lillian, Bert, Franklin, Walter Irene and Marjorie, all of whom are at home. The eldest daughter teaches in the Lynn township schools, and Franklin is a student in Augustana College at Rock Island.

Mr. Johnson gives his allegiance to the republican party. He is alert to the signs of the times and an active member of society. He has the confidence of his compatriots and for a number of years has been a member of the republican central committee and a delegate to all conventions. Alive to the importance of good schools, he has quite appropriately been a member of the school board for eighteen years and for four years he has held the position of road commissioner. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his family belong to the Lutheran church of Andover, in which Mr. Johnson has filled the office of deacon. The other members of the family give generously of their time and strength to the furtherance of the cause of Christianity, Mrs. Johnson being a teacher in the Sunday school. The subject of the sketch is a man of high repute among his neighbors, progressive in all his ideas, and enjoys that degree of prosperity which comes to men of his industry and character.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

LAWRENCE CHARLES JOHNSON.

Lawrence Charles Johnson, a well known and prominent citizen of Galva, his native town, has continuously served as notary public since 1893 and is also identified with the abstract and fire insurance business. He was born on the 6th of December, 1868, a son of Swan P. and Mary (Swanson) Johnson, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The paternal grandfather and grandmother passed away when well advanced in years. Olof Swanson, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was likewise born in Sweden but in 1854 established his home in this country. He passed away in Dayton, Webster county, Iowa, at a ripe old age. His wife, Mrs. Anna Swanson, also lived to be very old. They had a family of six children, two of the sons enlisting in the Union Army and giving up their lives for their adopted country.

Swan P. Johnson, the father of Lawrence C. Johnson, crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1857 and at once made his way to Galva, this county. The lady who afterward became his wife took up her above in Galva soon after the year 1854. He was actively and successfully engaged in the merchant tailoring business at Galva until the time of his demise in February, 1893, when he had attained the age of fifty-five years. At the time of the Civil war he loyally fought for the interests of the Union as a private of Company D, Seventeenth

Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for about two years. He was taken prisoner at Holly Springs, Mississippi, but was soon afterward paroled. He gave his political allegiance to the men and measures of the republican party and took an active and helpful interest in all matters pertaining to the public welfare. His wife, surviving him for more than a decade, was called to her final rest in May, 1903, when sixty-three years of age. She was a devoted and faithful member of the Congregational church and was the mother of three children, one son and two daughters, as follows: Mary L., the deceased wife of M. M. Keeler, of Galesburg, dying in January, 1904; Lawrence C, of this review; and Emma A., who died in January, 1894.

Lawrence C. Johnson was reared and educated in the place of his nativity, completing the high-school course by graduation in 1885. He then took a course in the Davenport Business College and in 1887, after leaving that institution, entered his father's tailoring establishment. In 1890 he was admitted to a partnership in the concern and soon after his father's death, in 1893, became sole proprietor of the business, which he successfully conducted until 1907, when he sold out. Early in the following year he disposed of the handsome stone front block at the head of Front street, which he had erected in 1895 and in which he conducted his business and on the site of which his father before him had been in active business since the Civil war. This building occupies the site of Mr. Johnson's birth and is now the elegant home of the Yocum Bank. As before stated he has continuously held the office of notary public since 1893 — a fact which stands in incontrovertible evidence of his faithfulness and capability in the discharge of his duties, and with the exception of two years has been school treasurer since 1892. In 1908-9 he erected a handsome and modern office building on Main street at the north end of Exchange street, and the first floor of this he occupies as his office in connection with Judge A. E. Bergland. He has decided to devote his time and energies to the practice of law in the future and is now studying with that end in view.

On the nth of June,i89i, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Clara Louise Seely, a native of Galva, Illinois, and a daughter of Isaac B. and Ann E. (Whittemore) Seely, who were married in Galva, Illinois, January 11, 1857, and were the parents of five children, as follows: Joel W., born April 16, 1858, died March 13, 1859; Whitfield W., born October 10, 1866, died August 25, 1883; Mary E., born October 3, 1870; died January 9, 1876; Clara Louise, now Mrs., Johnson, was born March 25, 1872; and Edward Isaac, born January 15, 1876, was accidently drowned August 2, 1901. Mr. Seely was born in Orange county. New York, June 22, 1825, and came to Galva in 1856, where he conducted a drug business until his death, May 10, 1879. His ancestors for several generations back were residents of New York.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ALBERT F. JOHNSON.

Albert F. Johnson is well known as a representative of the business public of Cambridge as a member of the firm of Johnson & Record, lumber dealers, and also as the manager of the Citizens Mutual Telephone Company. He is, moreover, numbered among the public-spirited citizens whose devotion to the general good has been manifest in many tangible ways. He was born in Andover on the 12th of July, 1867, and is one of eight children, whose parents, Charles E. and Christine Johnson, were natives of Sweden. The father was a carpenter by trade and after following that pursuit in early manhood turned his attention to farming. With the hope of bettering his financial condition in the new world, he came to America in 1866 and settled in Cambridge, purchasing a farm of fifty-six acres in Andover township, to which he afterward added thirty acres. Upon that farm he reared his family and made his home for many years, but has lived in the town for six of seven years, enjoying now in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. His wife passed away at the age of sixty-seven years in the faith of the Lutheran church, to which Mr. Johnson also belongs. Their family numbered four sons and four daughters: John S.;

Charles A.; Huldah H., the wife of Charles Buck; Albert F.; Frederick; Tillie, the wife of William O'Neill; Norine; and one who died in infancy.

Albert F. Johnson spent his youth in the usual manner of farm lads, the routine work of the fields and the duties of the schoolroom largely occupying his time and attention. He continued under the parental roof until he had reached adult age, after which he worked by the month as a farm hand for a year, but, thinking to find other pursuits more congenial and profitable, he then learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for about seven years. In 1894 he became connected with the lumber business as a partner of Peter S. Peterson, who afterward sold his interests to A. J. Record, and since 1895 the firm has been Johnson & Record. They conduct an extensive business, carrying a large line of all kinds of lumber and builders' supplies, and their patronage makes their business one of substantial proportions. In addition to his interests in the lumberyard Mr. Johnson has acted as manager of the Citizens Mutual Telephone Company for six years and puts forth effective effort to give the patrons of the line satisfactory service.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

The parents hold membership in the Lutheran church and are highly esteemed in the community, where the hospitality of the best homes is freely extended them. Mr. Johnson belongs to Cambridge Lodge, No. 49, A. F. & A. M., and is a thirty-second degree Mason, holding membership in Peoria Consistory, S. P. R. S. He also belongs to Cambridge Lodge, No. 199, I. O. O. F., and to the Mystic Workers, No. 54, in which he has been treasurer since the organization of the lodge His political endorsement has been continuously given to the republican party, since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he is now serving as a member of the village board of trustees, in which connection he is doing effective work to further the welfare of the community His life has been one of continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor, and today he is numbered among the substantial citizens of the county.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN W. JOHNSON.

John W. Johnson, a farmer of Oxford township, was born in Delaware county, Indiana, January 23, 1857, and is a son of John M. and Sarah A. (Cree) Johnson. The father was a farmer in that state and was accounted a successful man, although, he had a very hard life for his parents died of the cholera when he was but two years of age and he was early compelled to make his own way in the world. He did not even have the advantage of a good education, in fact he received scarcely any, and yet he pushed ahead, making the best use of the gifts nature bestowed upon him and the opportunities that came his way. In 1859 he moved his family to Illinois, locating in Oxford township, Henry county. Here he continued to follow agricultural pursuits with success and profit, and also engaged in threshing, owning a machine which he took to various farms in his vicinity. Although he had almost no education he was very quick at figures, could calculate interest in his head and at the end of a season could tell the amount of grain he had threshed for each farmer. He kept no books for his accounts, for his memory served him better than paper and ink. Mr. Johnson was married twice. By his first wife he had a family of four children: Richard, Elizabeth, Mary C. and John W. The last is the only one now living, the two eldest having died in their youth, and Mary C. when she had reached years of maturity. The mother died in 1860 and shortly afterward Mr. Johnson married Miss Sarah A. Davis, who bore him five children, all of whom are living: Emma, Frank, Augpista, Martha and Lida. Mrs. Johnson died in the spring of 1907, and her husband had passed away many years before, his death having occurred October 10, 1883. He was a democrat in hia political views and was always interested in public matters, especially in good schools, whose efficiency he tried to promote in the years he was a member of the school board for he was conscious of the advantages he had missed through his inability to attend school.

John W. Johnson grew to young manhood upon his father's farm and after completing the course of study prescribed by the schools of Oxford township attended Hedding College at Abingdon for a few years, after which he returned to his home. At the age of twenty-four he married and brought his bride to the old Johnson homestead which is his home at present. It is a fine tract of land.

highly cultivated and well improved, on which Mr. Johnson farms on a large scale, giving his attention principally to the raising of corn and oats. In the fall of 1901, about the 8th of September, Mr. Johnson embarked in the furniture and undertaking business in Alpha. Two years later he sold his interests there and removed to Cambridge, where he continued in the same business. He remained there only three years, however, and then returned to his farm, which he had ever regarded as his home. He had always been interested in commercial affairs and in 1899 had organized the Alpha Check Rower Company, of which he was president until it went out of business. Early in his Hfe, when a miller of the soil, he bought a corn sheller and enjoys the distinction of having shelled more corn than any other man in Henry county, for since 1871 the total of bushels to his credit amounts to one million, seven hundred thousand and more.

On the 3d of February, 1881, Mr. Johnson married Miss Anna G. Engle, a daughter of Hudson B. and Sarah (Elwell) Engle. The parents were natives of New Jersey and Vermont respectively and came to Illinois in early days, settling in Western township, Henry county, before the town of Orion was laid out. The father identified himself closely with the farming interests of that township and attained to high respect among the citizens there. Both he and his wife are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born two sons and one daughter. Ralph H., the eldest, was graduated from the Chicago Veterinary College in 1909 and is now practicing his profession in Farmington, Minnesota. Mary M. is the wife of George Bland, a farmer of Oxford township. Telford E. is at home and is a student in the Alpha schools.

Mr. Johnson affiliates with the republican party and has always been active in political affairs having served the township in various capacities. He has efficiently fulfilled the duties of the town clerk, has served as commissioner of the highways for a period of twelve years, and for five years was on the school board and then resigned that position. In the Baptist church, to which his family belong, he is also active, having been church clerk for twenty-five years and for a period of nearly that length superintendent of the Sunday school. At the present he is a teacher in this department of church work. In the ranks of the Mystic Workers he is well known for the qualities that have made him so strong a citizen have come to the fore in his relations with his fraternal brothers. A man of public spirit, he does all in his power for the improvement of the schools and of the roads, in fact supports everything that makes for the progress of his community.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

CARL FREDERICK JOHNSON.

A finely improved farm of eighty acres located in Weller township is the home of Carl Frederick Johnson, who was born in Collamerlane, Smoland, Sweden, September 10, 1840, a son of Jacob and Lena Johnson, who were likewise native of that country and there spent their entire lives, the former passing away in April, 1888. The mother is also deceased.

Carl Frederick Johnson was reared in his native country and was there educated in the public schools. After starting out upon an independent business venture he worked at farm labor and also for some time in a stone quarry. He remained in Sweden until twenty-nine years of age, when, foreseeing no future there and having heard favorable reports concerning the opportunities to be enjoyed in the new world, he accordingly set sail for America in 1869, arriving at his destination — Bishop Hill — on the ist of May of that year. A little later, however, he continued his journey to Iowa and for a year worked on the railroad. He then returned to Bishop Hill and for two years was employed at farm labor near this place. During these years he carefully saved his earnings for his one ambition was to engage in business on his own account. To this end he then rented sixty acres of land lying northeast of Bishop Hill and to its cultivation gave his attention for six years. Through this means he gained his real start in life. In 1878 he possessed a sum of money that justified his purchase of land and accordingly he became the owner of forty acres, which constitutes a portion of his present home place. The tract at that time bore little resemblance to its present condition. When he bought it was covered with timber. Mr. Johnson in due time had this cleared off and he then erected a good house, barn and other outbuildings, divided his land into fields by building fences, and through modern methods of farming placed his land in a cultivable state. In a few years he was able to purchase forty acres more and he now owns eighty acres. He has added to his residence, which is now one of the fine country homes of his section of the county.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.