JOHNSON, Sue (Shields) 1887-1976

JOHNSON, HARNESS, SHIELDS

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/26/2012 at 14:34:52

#1:

Mrs. Mex Johnson

OSAGE, IOWA - Mrs. Mex Johnson, 89, died Friday at the Mitchell County Memorial Hospital in Osage. Services at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Champion Funeral Home in Osage. Burial in Osage Cemetery.

Survivors are a daughter, Mrs. Merle Johnson of rural Orchard; a son, Clyde of rural Orchard; and a sister Mrs. Mary Shields of Chicago, Illinois.

[Waterloo Courier, Sunday, June 20, 1976]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#2:

MEX AND SUE JOHNSON

Mr. and Mrs. Mex Johnson came to East Lincoln Township, Mitchell County, Iowa in April 1910. They were newlyweds, having been married February 23, 1910 in Canyon, Texas

Mex was a native of Jefferson, Green County, Iowa, one of nine children of Frank and Katherine Dambach Johnson. They were a farm family and Mex worked for a cattle buyer.

The Johnson family moved to a ranch in the Texas panhandle sometime in the early 1900's. Mex worked as a ranch hand, breaking up the prairie sod with a steam engine and plow and also worked as a cowhand.

Sue was a native of Delaware County, Indiana, the daughter of David and Hattie Harness Shields. Sue had accompanied her aunt and uncle to the panhandle area about the same time as the Johnsons had come from Iowa.

After a few years, Mex's father traded the Texas land for the farm east of Orchard. They loaded a railroad car with some horses, cattle, farm machinery and household goods and Mex and his brother Judd, came to Orchard by rail while Sue went home to Indiana to visit her family, coming to Iowa about three weeks later.

The original house was in a sad state of disrepair so they built a new home during the summer of 1910. One room of the old house had been used as the Stillwater post office but that had been discontinued before the Johnsons came to the community. The Stillwater Congregational Church, where they became members, was just a short distance down the road.

Their son, Clyde Merle, was born May 27, 1914. He graduated from Mount Pleasant School and has farmed all his life. He was married to Donita Ball, February 12, 1960.

Their daughter, Helen Cathrin, was born July 9, 1923. She attended Mount Pleasant School and graduated from Charles City High School. She was married to Merle Palmer Johnson on March 25, 1951; they are parents of Mark David, born August 1, 1954 and Karen Sue born September 10, 1959. Mark attended Iowa State University and is a farmer. Karen has a BA in Office Management. Karen married Dr. Rick J. Offerman, a research chemist with Tennessee Eastman a Division of Eastman Kodak. Rick and Karen reside in Kingsport, Tennessee. Merle passed away June 22, 1980.

Mex and Sue lived on their farm until 1974 when they went to Faith Home in Osage. Sue had been confined to a wheelchair with arthritis since 1942, but had remained very active even though she was limited in the things she could do. Mex always had a huge garden which he shared with everyone.

Mex passed away on May 13, 1976, and Sue on June 18, 1976.

[ By Helen Johnson, MITCHELL COUNTY HISTORY, 1989 ]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#3:

NOTES:

Birth: May 29, 1887, Delaware County, Indiana.

Death: Jun. 18, 1976, Orchard, Mitchell County,
Iowa.
----------------------------

Social Security Death Index:
Name: Sue Johnson
Last Residence: 50460 Orchard, Mitchell, Iowa, United States of America
Born: 29 May 1887
Died: Jun 1976
Issued: Iowa

(Credit: DM Scott)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------

#4:

Photo of Mex and Sue Johnson, taken in Texas on Feb. 23, 1910 -- their wedding day. From MITCHELL COUNTY HISTORY, 1989.

Mitchell Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen