The Johnston Families of Madison County, Iowa

JEHU M. JOHNSTON.

Jehu M. Johnston was for many years an extensive farmer and stockman, operating several hundred acres of land, and his demise, which occurred at his home near St. Charles January 24, 1906, was the occasion of sincere regret. He was born in Franklin county, Indiana, August 3, 1828, a son of John C. and Madaline (Wheadon) Johnston, both natives of Virginia. The father removed to Madison county, Iowa, about 1850 and secured a large tract of land, upon which he spent the remainder of his life, passing away November 7, 1863.

Jehu M. Johnston came to this county in 1849 and in 1850 located near St. Charles. He was then a young man and became the owner of a farm, which he entered from the government. He at once began its cultivation and improvement and became an able and successful farmer and stock-raiser. From time to time he bought other land, and at his death held title to several hundred acres, from which he derived a handsome income. He was one of the representative and substantial men of his township, and his business ability gained the respect of those who had dealings with him.

On the 16th of November, 1848, Mr. Johnston married Miss Hester McKeown, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, and came to America with her parents when twelve years of age. They located in Indiana and there she grew to womanhood and was married. She passed away on the homestead near St. Charles in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which she was an active member. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnston were born the following children: Mary Madaline, born March 5, 1850, now the widow of Wesley Roberts, a veteran of the Civil war and a farmer of this county who was living in St. Charles when his death occurred in 191 1; John F., born November 15, 1853, a banker of St. Charles; Samuel T., born March 30, 1855, an extensive farmer of South township; Jemima E., born August 26, 1857, the wife of James Y. McGinnis, a farmer living near St. Charles; Alexander W., born August 21, 1860, a successful farmer also residing near St. Charles; WiUifim M., born October 15, 1862, engaged in the

PuBl dray business at Bevington; Hester J., born December 25, 1864, the wife of S. S. Switzer, a merchant of St. Charles; James Wesley, born July 25, 1869, who is engaged in the dray business and lives north of Des Moines; and Albert Simpson and Robert W., twins, born May 1, 1867. The latter died in infancy and Albert is a farmer residing in southern Iowa.

Mr. Johnston was a republican and took an active part in the work of his party. His life was one of useful activity and this county is the better for his having lived therein.

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

JOHN F. JOHNSTON.

John F. Johnston is well known in financial circles, being the proprietor of a private bank known as J. F. Johnston's bank of St. Charles. He also owns a tract of good land in this county, the operation of which he supervises. He is a native of the county, born in South township, November 15, 1853, a son of Jehu M. and Hester (McKeown) Johnston, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work.

John F. Johnston was reared in this county, attended the public schools, and when still in his teens entered the stock business. When but seventeen years of age he became associated with his father, who was an extensive buyer, feeder and shipper of stock, and our subject thus gained much valuable business experience. Cpon turning his attention to other lines he entered the drug business, in which he continued for a year. For the past forty years, however, he has been actively engaged in stock-raising and stock-shipping, and has also become active as a money-lender. In 1900 he entered the banking field and in 1901 established his present bank to handle an increasing volume of business.

which is known as J. F. Johnston's Bank and which possesses in great degree the confidence of the community. He now leaves the actual work of the farm to others, although he still directs its operation, but for many years he has been one of the largest shippers of hogs in this section of the state, a business to which he still devotes the greater part of his time. He also served for some years as live stock agent for the Des Moines & Kansas City Railway in this locality.

Mr. Johnston was married in June, 1876, to Miss Louisa Coltrane. Her father, Samuel Coltrane, was a native of South Carolina. He was married in Wan Buren county, Iowa, in 1839, to Elizabeth Allen, and subsequently removed, first to Warren county, and later to Madison county, Iowa, arriving here in the late '60s. Mr. Coltrane followed farming in both counties and was actively engaged in agricultural work until his demise, which occurred in 1887 when he was seventy-one years old. His wife died in 1892 at the age of sixty-nine years. Mrs. Johnston was reared in this county and attended the public schools here. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, Carrie E., gave her hand in marriage to C. C. Guilliams, cashier of J. F. Johnston's Bank.

Mr. Johnston is a republican, having supported that party since he became of age. Fraternally he is connected with Model Lodge, No. 315, A. F. & A. M., and with the Eastern Star, of which his wife is also a member and in which they have both held office. They are also both consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Johnston is a public-spirited citizen, who has the faith and confidence of all who know him. His recreation, as he calls it, is the buying and selling of stock, and he is today one of the best known and best posted men in that business in his section of the state. Success has attended his venture in the banking world and his business is house in the Johnston block, a two-story structure which he erected and owns, the upper story being devoted to office and lodge rooms. He also owns three other business and five residence properties in St. Charles; is well informed as to local real-estate conditions and has invested most wisely, his properties yielding him a gratifying addition to his income. He is thoroughly reliable and upright in all of his dealings and his sound business judgment insures wise management of his interests and the safety of the funds intrusted to his care.

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

George Johnston, a well-to-do retired farmer who is living in Winterset, is worthy of honor as a self-made man, having achieved success solely through his own efforts. He was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 13th of November, 1840, a son of William and Mary (Steele) Johnston, natives of the Keystone state. They were married in Ohio, where the father carried on agricultural pur-

TU.DJVN i-OU.NDATIONS suits, and both have passed to their reward. The paternal grandfather of our subject served in the War of 1812.

George Johnston is the fourth youngest in a family of eleven children and was compelled to go to work early, receiving no schooling after the age of thirteen years. A log cabin served as the school house and the seats were but slabs. After putting aside his text-books Mr. Johnston remained home, assisting his father until he was seventeen years of age, when he found work on a canal connecting Toledo. Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. After being so employed for one summer he returned home and was next in the employ of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railroad, for which he got out cross ties. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted at Wooster, Ohio, in Company A. One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and for nine months was in the reserve of the Federal army, seeing but little fighting in that time.

After the close of the war Mr. Johnston went to Michigan and spent three months in the pine woods one hundred and sixty-five miles north of Grand Rapids and sixty-five miles from the camp in the heart of a heavily timbered region. In 1865 he came to Iowa and located at Pleasantville, Marion county, where he worked by the month for four years. At the end of that time he rented land in that county and subsequently farmer leased land in Warren county. In 1874 he removed to Madison county and purchased eighty acres of land near Douglas. He built an upright board shanty, fourteen by sixteen feet, which was the family nome for three years and their seed wheat was kept in a box built under the bed. As prosperity rewarded his efforts he built a more commodious residence and made various other improvements upon his farm, which became in time a valuable and well developed property. He has always taken much interest in the development of the county along agricultural lines and a number of years ago was elected the president of the County Fair Association, which was then quite heavily in debt. He gave his time to the association gratuitously, using every cent of the funds received to discharge the obligations of the association and put it on its feet financially. Upon his retirement from the office its affairs were in a good condition. He still owns his farm, although he is now living retired in Winterset, enjoying a competence gained by much hard work and by carefully husbanding his resources.

Mr. Johnston was married in 1871 to Miss Mary Smith, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Thomas and Amelia (Miller) Smith, born respectively in Pennsylvania and Wavne county, Ohio. The family removed to Iowa when Mrs. Johnston was seven years of age and her father passed away m Warren county. Her mother died at the home of a daughter in Douglas township. Madison county. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have been born three children: Thomas, who died when five months old; Mary Alice, who taught school in Madison county for six years, and is now the wife of Perry Hersom, a ranchman of Columbus, Montana, by whom she has two children, Laura Mary and George Miles; and Martha Amelia, who attended the Iowa University at Iowa City and taught school two years. She is the wife of Frank Newlon. of Melcher, Marion county, Iowa, and they have two children, Robert J. and Clark F.

Mr. Johnston is a democrat and was township trustee for nine years, while for many years he held the office of school director. Thirty years ago he joined the Methodist church and has since taken an active interest in its work. He was on the building committee when the West Star church was built in Douglas township. In the fall of 1865, when the hostile spirit between the north and south was as strong as during the war, Mr. Johnston, wearing his Federal soldier's uniform, made a trip from Marion county to Missouri, which was strongly southern in its sympathies, with a load of flour and traded the same for a load of apples. He has manifested those sturdy virtues of self-reliance, independence and industry that have been so largely responsible for the upbuilding of the west and it is fitting that he should now enjoy the fruits of his former toil.

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