Biographical Sketch of
MICHAEL D. JOHNSON
From HISTORY OF MITCHELL AND WORTH COUNTIES, 1918, Vol. II, Pages 116 to 120
Prominent among the energetic, farsighted and successful business men of Worth county is Michael D. Johnson, who resides on section 23, Hartland township. He is extensively engaged in farming, was for some time the president of the Northwood Manufacturing Company and for eighteen years has been the secretary of the Farmers' Butter & Cheese Association of Northwood. He represents one of the oldest pioneer families of this section of the state, his birth having occurred on the old homestead farm on section 23, Hartland township, on the 13th of July, 1862.
His father, John D. Johnson, was born near Bergen, Norway, on December 28, 1829, and there followed the occupation of farming until 1849, when he took passage on one of the old-time sailing vessels bound for the United States, and after a voyage of seven weeks landed at New York on the 4th of July. He then proceeded westward by way of the Welland canal and the Great Lakes to Chicago and on to Wisconsin. He took up his abode near Lodi, that state, where be worked at the carpenter's trade and also as a farm hand. Subsequently he removed to near Springfield, Illinois, but again went to Lodi, Wisconsin. From that point he started westward for Iowa, making the journey with ox teams after the primitive manner of travel in those days, for at that period there were no railroads in this section of the state. In fact, the work of progress and improvement seemed scarcely begun, but the land was rich in natural resources and awaited the awakening touch of the enterprising farmer. Upon the wild prairies there were but few homes to indicate that the seeds of civilization were being planted.
On reaching his destination Mr. Johnson secured a quarter section of land on section 23, Hartland township, in July: 1857, and built thereon a log house. He at once began to break the sod and till the soil, and in the course of time his fields were bringing forth rich crops. He continued to improve the farm which he purchased from the government and which comprised one hundred and sixty acres of land. As his financial resources increased he extended the boundaries of his property from time to time until he was the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land, and the crops which he annually gathered as a reward for his care and cultivation brought to him a substantial financial income. He was twice married, first in Wisconsin, but his first wife, Mrs. Martha Johnson, passed away in Worth county in the spring of 1858.
In 1859 Mr. Johnson wedded Miss Julia Tollefson at St. Ansgar, Iowa. She was born in Hallingdal, Norway, and came to the United States in 1843 in a sailing vessel with her parents, who settled near Beloit, Wisconsin, where they remained for a decade and in 1853 removed westward to St. Ansgar, Mitchell county, Iowa, where her father purchased a farm upon which he and his wife spent their remaining days, his death occurring in 1870, while his wife passed away in 1871. John D. Johnson died when seventy-eight years of age, and both he and his wife were numbered among the honored pioneer settlers of Worth county, having resided here for sixty years. His death occurred March 4, 1908, his wife having preceded him to the great beyond August 14, 1906.
They were among the earliest settlers and could remember back to the time when Worth county was largely a wild and undeveloped prairie starred with a million wild flowers in June and in winter covered by one unbroken, dazzling sheet of snow. One could ride for miles over the prairie without coming to a fence or habitation to impede progress, and the most farsighted could scarcely have dreamed of, the changes which time and man have wrought. The memory of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson formed a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present and they were justly proud of what has been accomplished in this section of the state by the enterprising pioneers who located here when Worth county was a frontier district.
Michael D. Johnson spent his boyhood days upon the old homestead farm in Hartland township and at the usual age became a public school pupil, mastering the branches of learning taught in the district schools near his father's home. He continued to farm with his father for several years after attaining his majority, but in 1887 went to Mayville, North Dakota, and filled the position of bookkeeper with an agricultural implement firm. He also engaged in the insurance, real estate and loan business to some extent, but in the fall of 1894 he returned to the old home farm, upon which he now resides and which he is carefully, systematically and profitably cultivating.
Everything about his place indicates his practical efforts and progressive spirit. He utilizes the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and he follows scientific methods in the care of his crops. He has also extended his efforts into other fields of business and was the president of the Northwood Manufacturing Company, a position which he occupied for a number of years, while for eighteen years he has served as the secretary of the Farmers' Butter & Cheese Association of Northwood, Iowa.
On March 14, 1887, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Julia Aase, a daughter of Elling and Inga (Aase) Aase. Mrs. Johnson was born in Sogn, Norway, November 13, 1867, and was brought to the United States by her parents in 1876, the family home being established in Hartland township, Worth county, where her father purchased a farm upon which he and his wife spent their remaining days. His death occurred in 1906, when he had reached the age of seventy-six years, and his wife was seventy-four years at the time of her demise in 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have become the parents of eight children: Elmer J.; Ida G., who is a surgical nurse at Fargo, North Dakota, serving now with the Red Cross and expecting to be ordered to France at any time; Winfred M.; Esther J., who is the wife of Irvin Butler and resides near Kensett, Iowa; John M.; May G.; Joyce B.; and A. Leland.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and are prominent and highly respected people of the community, exerting considerable influence over public thought and action. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and he has filled the office of township clerk and township trustee. He has likewise been a school director and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion who is ever looking to higher ideals and advanced standards in relation to the school system of the community. He is actuated in all that he does, whether of a public or private nature, by a spirit of enterprise and he never stops short of the successful accomplishment of his purpose.
Transcription by Gordon Felland, August 2001
Michael D. Johnson and Family