William Johnson

WILLIAM JOHNSON, sev­enth in the line of chil­dren of Swan and Kjerstin Johnson, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 30, 1870. He fol­lowed the fam­ily first to Bement, Illinois, then to Genoa, Nebraska. He grew up on the farm one and one-half miles west of Genoa.

After his father’s death he man­aged the farm until about the age of 26, at which time the fam­ily moved into Genoa where he asso­ci­ated with his broth­ers Peter and Eric who were already estab­lished in the mer­can­tile busi­ness. He enlisted with the First Nebraska Volunteers for the Spanish American War June 20, 1898.

He served in the Philippines. Harry Coil, Lue Gable, and John Gardner were other Genoa boys who went in the same reg­i­ment, while his brother, Victor, went as Lieutenant to W. J. Bryan to Cuba. Will was dis­charged March 15, 1899, his ser­vices no 1onger being required, and he returned to Genoa and again entered the Johnson Brothers gen­eral store.

Will mar­ried Lottle L. Smith on November 29, 1900. They left Genoa September 3, 1907, for Portland, Oregon, and moved to Eugene in May 1908. In 1910 he asso­ci­ated with E. L. Dorr in the fur­ni­ture busi­ness, bought Dorr’s inter­est in 1920, con­tin­u­ing to oper­ate in the same location.

Four chil­dren were born to Will and Lottie Johnson: Cecile Lucille, Victor Edwin, William W. and Dorothy Louise.

Cecile Lucile was born October 17, 1901, at Genoa, Nebraska, and mar­ried Stanley P. Summers on August 22, 1925. They now live at Eugene, Oregon. Three chil­dren were born to this union — Larcia Louis on July 20, 1927; Mary Joanne on November, 10, 1928, and Stanley Robert, Jr. on June 1, 1931.

Victor Edwin was born December 23, 1903, at Genoa, Nebraska, and mar­ried Nellie Fennell on February 28, 1936. He became asso­ci­ated with his par­ents in the fur­ni­ture busi­ness at Eugene, Oregcn. At a later date Edwin became Mayor of Eugene and has been inter­ested in politics.

William W. was born December 10, 1907 in Portland, Oregon, and died October 12, 1908, at Eugene. Dorothy Louise was born June 7, 1913, in Eugene, and died July 5, 1926. She was a very lov­able girl.

The fol­low­ing obit­u­ary appeared in one of the Eugene newspapers:

“WILLIAM JOHNSON RITES WILL BE HELD MONDAY

“William Johnson, 1763 Olive Street, died in Eugene Saturday, August 22, at the age of 72. He as born January 30, 1870, in Chicago, Illinois. He maried Lottie

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Luella Smith in Genoa, Nebraska, November 29, 1900. He came to Portland from Nebraska in 1907, then to Eugene in 1908.

“Funeral ser­vices will be held at 10:30 A.M. Monday at the Branstetter-Simon chapel, with Dr. B. Earle Parker offi­ci­at­ing. Interment will be in Rest Haven cemetery.

“In 1910, he became asso­ci­ated with E. L. Dorr in the fur­ni­ture busi­ness. From 1914 to 1920, he oper­ated the Creswell branch of the firm.

“In 1921, he pur­chased Mr. Dorr’s inter­est, and had since been managing-owner of the Johnson Furniture Company of Eugene.

“He was a mem­ber of the Methodist Episcopal church board of trustees, as well as the offi­cial board. He was a char­ter mem­ber of the McKenzie River lodge A.F.& A.M. and a Nebraska vol­un­teer in the Spanish-American war.

“He was also a mem­ber of the board of direc­tors of the Retail Furniture Association here.

“Survivors are one daugh­ter, Mrs. Cecile Johnson Summers, and a son, V. Edwin Johnson of Eugene; six grand­chil­dren; two sis­ters, Mrs. Ellen Follis of Los Angeles, and Mrs. Frank Balcer, Seattle; a brother, Nels Johnson of Wyoming.”