Johnson Memories by Charles Frederick Johnson

JOHNSON, DOUGHMAN, VANBENTHUYSEN, BRUERE, WAY, BATEY

Posted By: Sheri Hubbell (email)
Date: 1/29/2003 at 21:55:10

I, Charles Fredrick Johnson, was born on December 29, 1892, the second child of Charles and Anna Doughman Johnson. The log cabin in which I was born was the first two-story log cabin built in Marion County. It was built about 1850 of hand-hewn logs, and we lived in it till I was about 3 months old.
Dad bought a 55 acre farm about 2 miles south of the log cabin, and there I spent my boyhood days, on the banks of the Cedar Creek, swimming, fishing and hunting. We learned early that there were other ways to catch fish besides a hook.
My first experience at hand fishing came by accident. One day, Forrest Van Benthuysen and I were walking along the creek when we noticed the water boiling under a drifted pile of brush. On closer inspection, we could see the backs of carp fish, swimming under there. We got in to investigate and found that we could catch these fish with our hands. We took all we could carry and headed for home.
When we got home, Dad wasn't as excited about our catch as we were. For one thing, he didn't believe our story about catching the fish with our hands. He was convinced that we had found somebody's net and had taken the fish from it.
The next day was the 4th of July, so he told us that before we went to Bussey to celebrate we had to go where we found the fish and put as many as we could catch in the wagon and bring them home. So, we set out, but when we got there, not a fish was in sight. My Dad never did believe us. He was convinced we robbed somebody elses net, but that was the beginning of our hand fishing.
We attended a one room country school located across the creek east, about a mile or so from our farm. I went to school about 2 months of each year because I was expected to help with the field work. At the time, there was no bridge across the creek, so in the winter we crossed on the ice, and when there was no ice, we waded the riffle. When the creek was flooded, we walked about a mile down the creek north and crossed on the railroad bridge. I quit school in the 7th grade and took over the farm work.
My Dad and I never say eye to eye on farming methods and had many arguments. After one such argument over the harnessing of two teams of mules together to disc corn stalks, I decided to leave home.
In the spring of 1912, Luther Bruere hired me to work for him on his farm. He paid me $25 a month and room and board. I worked there 2 years. Then, Park Way offered me $30 a month with room and board and I took it. In the fall of 1915, I went home and worked all winter with my Dad in his coal mine, that was on our farm. We got $2.50 for a ton of coal.
While I was working at Brueres, I met a young lady who was also working for them in the house. She was Edna Batey and in December of 1915, we were married in Tracy. In the spring of 1916, I rented an 80 acres farm and Edna and I set up housekeeping. When the farm was sold in 1918, I bought a farm west of Tracy, and we lived there 11 years. Then the depression forced me to sell everything. We lost $6,000!!
Our two daughters were born during these years: Wilma in 1917 and Thelma in 1919.
In 1930, I got a job with the Highway Commission, and moved my family to Knoxville. I retired from the Highway Commission in 1960 after 30 years of service. Also, that year, Edna passed away, so I was left to batch. I spent the early years of my retirement mowing lawns, trimming bushes and doing odd jobs for my neighbors. I also enjoy gardening and since my health has begun to fail, I spend a lot of time smoking my pipe and watching things grow.
(This is true to the best of my knowledge. Dated May 23, 1980)