James A. Johnson

As printed in 1906

JAMES A. JOHNSON.

James A. Johnson, one of the early settlers of Des Moines county, Iowa, and now one of the prominent and highly respected and esteemed residents of Canaan township, Henry county, resides upon a farm of eighty acres on section 1, where he is living retired, enjoying the fruits and comforts of a well spent life. He is a native of Illinois and was born in Morgan county, June 26, 1828. His paternal grandfather. Craven Johnson, was born in one of the southern states and at an early day went to Tennessee. During the pioneer period of his residence there he had to contend with the hostile Indians of that region and the family were finally driven from the farm. With other neighbors they took refuge in the fort. For a long time they had to be guarded while they worked in the fields and Kinsey Johnson, a brother of Craven Johnson, was killed and scalped by Cherokee Indians while attending to his beaver traps. Craven Johnson finally came to Iowa and made his home with his son during his old age, passing away in Flint River township, when a little more than a hundred years of age, his remains being interred in Flint River cemetery.

His son, Joel Johnson, father of our subject, was born in Knox county, Tennessee, and was reared and married in that state, after which he removed to Alorgan county, IHinois, where he engaged in farming. Repurchased a tract of land there and resided thereon for nine years, after which he removed to Des Moines county, Iowa, setting on section 7, FHnt River township, where he purchased a farm, to which he added from time to time until he was the owner of four hundred acres of valuable farm land and harvested therefrom good crops. The year 1835 witnessed his arrival in Iowa. The land upon which he located was entirely wild and unbroken save that five acres had been placed under cultivation. He at once began to clear and develop the farm and made substantial improvements thereon, including the erection of a good two-story brick residence which he continued to occupy until his death. His attention was given to general farming and stock-raising to some extent until his life's labors were ended in death, although naturally in his later years he left the more arduous duties of the fields to others. He lacked only a few days of being ninety years of age when called to his final rest, passing away on the old homestead in April, 1890. He was a democrat throughout his entire life but though reared in a slave state he never owned a slave and always said that he never would. He took part in the Black Hawk war during the pioneer epoch in the middle west and remained with the army until the defeat of the Indian chieftain and his followers. His grave was also made in the cemetery in Flint River township. His wife, Mrs. Susan Johnson, was born in Alabama and died in Flint River township when her son,

James A., was only about fifteen years of age. She was the mother of seven children, three of whom are still living, although ]\Mr. Johnson of this review is the only one now living in Henry county.

In taking up the personal history of James A. Johnson we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in this part of the state. He was a young lad when his parents removed to Des Moines county, Iowa, and upon the home farm there he was reared, acquiring his education in the common schools of Flint River township, while in the summer months he assisted in the labors of the fields and in the autumn seasons aided in gathering the harvests. He remained upon the old homestead until about twenty-seven years of age, when he was married and purchased a small farm on section 21, Flint River township. He partially improved this place and made a home there, giving his attention to general agricultural pursuits for a number of years. He then removed to the place now owned by his father-in-law and resided thereon until coming to Henry county in 1892, in which year he purchased his present farm just a half mile north of the village of Mount Union. Here he has since lived engaged in general farming and stock-raising to some extent, largely making a specialty of hogs. He has put many improvements on the place and takes great pride in keeping everything about his farm in excellent condition. It is in fact in many respects a nitxlel property, while the buildings are in an excellent state of repair. He now leaves the active work of the farm to others.

while he is enjoying a well earned rest amid the comforts and conveniences of life, which he has secured as the result of his active, well directed and untiring labor in former years.

Mr. Johnson was married on the 28th of May, 1856, to Miss Dicy Feese. who was born in 1835 and came with her parents to Iowa at an early day, the family being established in Flint River township, Des Moines county. She was a daughter of David and Lucinda (Hill) Feese, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was a prominent agriculturist of Flint River township, where he arrived about 1835, making his home there until his death. Mrs. Johnson was educated in Flint River township in the common schools and passed away on the home farm in Canaan township, Henry county. September 28, 1903, at the age of sixty-eight years. She was a member of the Baptist church and is buried in Trinity church cemetery in Canaan township, Henry county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were born nine children, of whom two died young. The others are as follows: Carrie resides in San Francisco, California. Alma is the wife of Albert De Lashmutt, who is mentioned on another page of this volume; Emma is the widow of John Hitchen, resides in Burlington, New Jersey, and has two children, Thomas and John. Charles is a traveling salesman residing in California and married M3a-tle Erickson. Edwin, a farmer of Washington township, Des Moines county, where he owns one hundred and forty acres of good land, married Anna Wick and has two children. Rex and Adelbert. Lillian and Idella are both at home. All of the children of this family were born in Des Moines county and were educated in the public schools of Flint River township.

In his political views Mr. Johnson has always been an earnest democrat but has never cared for public office, devoting his attention strictly to his business interests. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in Octol)er, 1864, as a member of Company E, Fifteenth Regiment of Iowa Infantry, and served until the close of hostilities, being discharged at Davenport, where he was mustered out. He went with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea and participated in other important military movements. He has always been interested in matters of progressive citizenship although never seeking public honors for himself and he has stood for progress and improvement. His entire life has been passed in this section of the state and he has reached the seventy-eighth milestone on life's journey, so that he has been a witness of almost the entire development, growth and improvement of Des Moines and Henry counties. In his interests he has been closely allied with agricultural life and has found therein a good basis for success, winning through his close application, unfaltering diligence and business integrity a very gratifying measure of prosperity.

As printed in Biographical review of Henry County, Iowa, containing biographical and genealogical sketches of many of the prominent citizens of to-day and also of the past .. (1906). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.