Hello Folks, I am forwarding this which has been published today on a
California site
and it adds more fuel to the lineage of JOHNSTON & JOHNSON pioneers. You can
see that he came from Indiana, yet I do not have his parents or their birth.
The question I am seeking, Is he from the Samuel Johnston 1777
Scotland-1861KY lineage??? I have not that answer yet.
For those who are not familiar with Claremont California, the old route 66
came here, now just outside the LA Fairgrounds, and just N of the I-10
freeway on the way to Palm Springs and Phoenix out of LA area. It is now
noted for its small town but expensive Colleges now in the town.
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Subj: Cassius C. JOHNSON in History of Pomona Valley, CA
Date: 09/20/1999 5:31:47 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Reply-to: Sandrah(a)ix.netcom.com (Sandra Harris)
To: NORCAL-L(a)rootsweb.com
From History of Pomona Valley CA
979.493 H6 page 408ff
Excerpts of:
CASSIUS C. JOHNSON
Few more consistent, practical or well-balanced careers have contributed to
the development of Pomona and Claremont than that of the late C. C. Johnson,
whose death, September 3, 1906, was mourned by the citizens of both towns as
that of a personal friend. His remains were interred in the cemetery at
Pomona, in which town so many years of his active and useful life had been
passed.
Indiana was Mr. Johnson's native state, and he was born in Greencastle.
April 1, 1854 one of the younger children in a family of ten born to his
parents, Dixon and Nancy (Sewell) Johnson, both of the latter being natives
of Kentucky. Among the early settlers in Indiana who had crossed over the
Ohio River from Kentucky was Dixon Johnson, who settled down as a farmer in
that new country, but he was evidently not satisfied with the country for a
permanent location and some time after the birth of his son, Cassius C., he
removed to Vinton. Iowa, near which city he purchased a large farm. It was
there that his earth life came to a close, leaving to mourn his loss a widow
and a large family of children. The mother passed away some years later in
Willow Lake S. D. As he was a mere child when the family removed from
Indiana to Iowa, C. C. Johnson was reared almost entirely in the latter
state, attending first the public school of Vinton and later Vinton Academy.
Although reared on a farm he had no taste for farming himself, and as soon
as his school days were over he secured a position in a dry goods store in
Vinton with the idea of learning the business. When one has definite ideas
of a line of business, which he wishes to follow and with persistency
applies himself to its mastery, the victory is half won, and thus it was
with Mr. Johnson, for in a short time he was enabled to start in the dry
goods business on his own account. The failure of his health, however,
brought about a change in his plans and after disposing of his interests in
Iowa he came to California in 1881. The following year he purchased a ranch
of thirty acres on the corner of San Bernardino and Towne avenues. Here he
developed water, set out orchards, and later he subdivided the ranch into
one-acre and four-acre tracts, also opening Towne Avenue, In the meantime he
had been employed in the weighing department of the Southern Pacific
Railroad for about one year.
In 1895 Mr. Johnson removed to a foothill ranch east of San Antonio,
comprising several hundred acres. He gave this up, however, in the fall of
1900 and removed to Claremont, in order that his children could attend
Pomona College. After locating here he engaged in the real estate business,
and among other transactions with which his name was associated was the
laying out of a forty-acre tract on North Harvard Avenue, which he sold off
as C. C. Johnson's Addition to Claremont, and he also laid out another
forty-acre tract adjoining known as College Avenue Addition. This business
is still being carried on under the name of his son, J. D. Johnson. In 1902
he erected the fine residence now occupied by the family, located on North
Harvard Avenue. Far from being self-centered and interested in his own
private affairs only, Mr. Johnson was, on the other hand, broad-minded and
generous. He was a director in the Citizens' Light and Water Company, was
the organizer of the cooperative Water Company, which was located on his
ranch, also assisted in the organization of the Claremont Lumber Company,
the Citizens' State Bank and the Claremont Inn Company, of which latter he
was president. For many years he had served efficiently as school trustee
of Claremont and also served as selectman.
In Vinton Iowa, May 19, 1880, C. C. Johnson was married to Miss Louise
Moore, who was born in Durand, Ill., the daughter of Hubbard Moore. From
Vermont, his native state, Mr. Moore set out with the '49ers for the gold
region, but he did not remain long in the West at that time. Later he
removed to Beloit, Wis., and afterwards to Durand. Ill., and established
himself in the dry goods business, which he followed until removing to
Vinton, Iowa, there following the builder's trade. Removing from the Middle
West in 1881, he came to California and the same year purchased a ranch
adjoining Pomona, upon which he lived the remainder of his life, and in
addition to its management he also carried on contracting to some extent.
Mrs. Johnson's mother, Emma L. Peck, a native of Massachusetts, died in
Durand, Ill., when Mrs. Johnson was only nine months old and afterwards Mr.
Moore married her sister, who resided with Mrs. Johnson until her death.
Five children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson: Albert, who is
engaged with the Standard Oil Company at Santa Barbara; James D., in the
real estate and insurance business in Claremont; Clarence was in the
Ordnance Department of the United States Army in the late war and is now
ranching at Claremont; Emma, deceased, and Katherine. Politically Mr.
Johnson was a strong Republican, and in his church affiliations was an
active member of the Congregational Church, of which at one time he was a
trustee. Thoroughly devoted to the interests of this part of California, he
was one of those citizens whose coming from the East meant so much to the
development and growth of the state.
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JOHN in CA