Charles Johnson, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Charles Johnson
CHARLES JOHNSON
Charles Johnson, born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1851, immigrated to the United States, and settled in Porter County in 1872.
His first job was in the Porter Brick Yard, where he worked for $1.25 a day. He married Nellie Johnson, and bought some acreage in Suman Valley, Jackson Twp. Later he purchased 160 acres on what is known as County Rd. 600 N, just east of #49, where he built the homestead. Ten children were born to them, seven sons and three daughters. The sons were Frank, John, Walter, August, Arthur, Harry and Elmer. The daughters were Minnie, Hulda and Naomi. John died in infancy and Naomi when she was seventeen.
All the children attended Suman School, Carter School, and Jackson Twp. High School. They attended the Swedish Lutheran Church in Chesterton, where they were confirmed. They delivered milk to the University and made ice from Flint Lake. The family made their own cheeses, which were wrapped and hung in the attic until needed. They dried their fruit, meat was butchered on the farm, the hams, bacon were smoked in the old smoke house, while other meat was fried down, put in crocks and covered with fat, to be reheated when needed.
One Christmas the candles on the Christmas tree caught fire and the tree had to be thrown out the door, much to the dismay of the children. The large family was a busy and happy one.
Both daughters married men attending Valparaiso University and moved away, while all the sons were engaged in farming. They purchased 80 more acres across the road from the homestead in Washington Twp.
Charles, the father, died in 1913, and Nellie, his wife, in 1915, The sons continued farming. Frank remained a bachelor, Walter married Jennie Anderson from Chesterton, August married Flora Crowe, from Jackson Twp. Harry married Minnie Targgart from Chesterton, Arthur married Jessie Blachly from Kouts, and Elmer married Mabel Bainer of Hammond.
The sons bought 80 more acres in Center Twp., and 120 acres in Washington Twp., and continued farming.
All of these children of Charles and Nellie Johnson have passed on with the exception of Elmer, who with his wife Mabel, live on half of the original homestead acreage. They are both retired now, and Charles A. Johnson, a nephew, operates their farm, as well as his own and others. Four grandchildren of Charles and Nellie Johnson also live on parts of the homestead place. The three sons of Arthur Johnson, I Arthur Jr., Loren, and Eugene, farm several hundred acres in Washington Twp. with the latest equipment. Of the sixteen grandchildren of Charles and Nellie Johnson born in Porter County, only three are living elsewhere.
We believe that Charles Johnson, who settled in Porter County more than one hundred years ago, and his descendants have contributed much to the agriculture progress of Porter County, Indiana.
Source: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County. 1976. A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana. Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc. 180 p.
Page(s) in Source: 126-127
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook