William H. Johnson

As printed in 1901

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON.

Ailliam PI. Johnson, the well-known and popular proprietor of the only general store on the west side of Cedar Rapids, is one of Iowa's native sons, his birth having occurred in Jackson county, July 2, 1861. His father, John Jolinson, was born in County Clare, Ireland, in 1810, and at the age of eighteen years came to America on a sailing vessel. Landing in New York city, he remained there for a time working as a laborer, but during the gold excitement in California, in 1849, '' went to the Pacific slope and successfully engaged in mining for about three years, clearing twenty thousand dollars in gold. He then removed to Jackson county, Iowa, where he purchased a homestead of one hundred and fort acres,

.his being the first house erected on the present site of Maquoketa. At that time he owned all the land on which is now a flourishing city of five thousand inhabitants. In 1 8 — he married Ellen O'Meara, who was born in the province of Grand Ottawa. Canada, in 1842, and was nine years of age when she removed with her parents to Clinton county, Iowa. She is now a resident of Cedar Rapids. Her father, Thomas O'Ieara, was a native of Ireland, and at an early age came to this country, landing in Xew York. On his removal to Clinton county. Iowa, he purchased two hundred and forty acres of land, which he operated during the remainder of his life, being engaged in the raising of both grain and stock. He died in 1856, at about the age of seventy years. His wife was of Scottish descent and died in 1876, at the age of forty. The remains of both were interred in the Catholic cemetery at Deep Creek, Clinton county.

The subject of this sketch is one of a family of four children. He was educated in the district schools near his boyhood home in Jackson county, and assisted his father in the labors of the farm until the latter's death in 1876. During the following two years he had charge of the old homestead, but it was sold at the end of that time, and he went tij Maquoketa, where he attended school six months. He then spent a short time in Clinton county, Iowa, and in 1879, when the gold excitement was at its height in Leadvilje, Colorado, he went to that place and took up claims. He also engaged in speculating and ran a hotel for a time, while later he was with a government surveying party in Arizona and Xew Me.xico. Mr. Johnson spent about two years at Camp Cummings, Wyoming, and while there held the office of sheriff for one year and conducted a general store at that place. He located the Mary Jane mine in the ten mile district of Leadville, which he and his partner afterward sold to Governor Tabor, of Colorado, for thirty thousand dollars, and which is to-day a successful mine. He also entered a claim on Spanish Peak and sold the tenfoot hole for eight thousand dollars to Colonel Davis, of Placerville county, and located a number of other successful mines.

In 1886 Mr. Johnson came to Cedar Rapids to visit his mother, intending to return to the gold fields, but being well pleased with the city he decided to remain here and opened a meat market on South First street west, which he conducted for four years. On selling out, he engaged in breeding fast horses for a time and also owned a race track, but in November, 1895, he again embarked in the meat business at No. 118 Third avenue west, in the west end of the building which he now occupies. A year later he put in a stock of groceries, being the first man in Cedar Rapids to have a grocery and meat market together. Since then he has enlarged his business, and now has the only department store on the west side, handling all kinds of merchandise in connection with his former business. He is a wide-awake, energetic man of progressive ideas and has been eminently successful in his business ventures.

Mr. Johnson was married in 1895 to Miss Sophia Heins, who was born July 8, 1 862, a daughter of John and Sophia Heins. She has three brothers and one sister, namely: Frank, a lawyer of Cedar Rajjids; Emma, wife of-Arthur Ferguson, of Clay county, Iowa; John, who is married and lives four miles west of Cedar Rapids: and

Louis, also an attorney of this city. Mr. and jNIrs. Johns(in have one child, Hazel. Politically our subject is identified with the Democratic party, but has never been an aspirant for office. For fifteen years he has now been a resident of Cedar Rapids, and tn-day occupies quite a prominent position in Inisiness circles.

As printed in Biographical records of Linn County, Iowa .. (1901). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.