Thomas B. Johnson

JOHNSON, CRAIN, CRANE, WILLITS, PERKINS, WHITMORE, HUNTER, DAVIDSON

Posted By: Rich Lowe (email)
Date: 10/1/2001 at 09:49:14

THOMAS B. JOHNSON. Although the thrifty community of Willits has not long profited by the citizenship of Thomas B. Johnson, he is nevertheless securely launched upon its sea of political activity, and is acceptably filling the office of city marshal, to which he was duly appointed April 21, 1901. This office carries with it large responsibility, and in its duties requires a keen knowledge of human nature, as well as tact, patience and good judgment. These Mr. Johnson possesses in generous measure, his personal popularity aiding him in accomplishing many desired results. He is not an adept in the gentle art of making enemies, but on the contrary has the faculty of harmonizing unruly elements, his theories being reformative rather than harshly corrective.

In his youth Mr. Johnson has the certain advantage of a farm training, for his parents, William and Nancy (Crane) Johnson, owned a fair-sized farm in Van Buren county, Iowa, where his birth occurred August 12, 1842. He arose early in the morning for many years of his life, and his home tasks were not always completed with the setting of the sun. A rugged constitution resulted from muscular labor in the harvest field, and for this he is infinitely grateful, as are all who appreciate the precious boon of health. At the age of twenty-one he branched out on his own responsibility and went to, Montana, where lie mined for two years, and then returned to his native state and county. Nevertheless, the memory of the freedom experienced in the west remained with him indefinitely, as is the case with the majority who once wander towards the western sea. In 1890 lie retired from farming and moved into Bonaparte, Iowa, and while there made arrangements to join his sister, Mrs. Hiram Willits, wife of the founder of this town, who was then living in lonely widowhood. He followed farming near here for about five years, or until his election to the difficult post of marshal of the town.

Always in favor of the Democratic party, Mr. Johnson cast his first presidential vote for a Democratic candidate, and has since stanchly [sic] maintained the interests of the party. His first wife was Rebecca, daughter of Joseph F. Perkins, who was born in Iowa, her death occurring at the age of twenty-seven years. Mrs. Johnson left two children, of whom Hallie married Iowa Hunter and lives in Bonaparte, Iowa; and William Burton married Grace Davidson, and is associated with the Millbrae Dairy of San Francisco. For a second wife Mr. Johnson married Josephine, daughter of B. J. Whitmore, a native of Iowa, who died in 1894, at the age of forty-five years. Panzie, one of the daughters of this union, is a teacher in the schools of Mendocino county, and Maggie Meta died at the age of six months.
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SOURCE: History of State of California and Biographical Record of Coast Counties, CA by Guinn (1904)

[I would like to hear from anyone with connections to this family. - Rich]