Hugh Johnson

JOHNSON, ELLISON

Posted By: Jeffrey R. Phillips (email)
Date: 6/26/2003 at 07:40:52

!BIOGRAPHY 1944 History of Hardin County, Iowa
Hugh Johnson was one of the old patriarchs of the community. He was utterly opposed to slavery, lost two sons in the Civil War, went south and brought back colored girls to work in northern homes, and was the subject of vague rumors about a station on an underground railway. Horace Greeley furnished his political gospel.
Mr. Johnson was born in New Jersey in 1813 and by seven years of apprenticeship learned the trade of a millwright. In 1840 he moved to Indiana and engaged in the milling business and in 1856 came to Hardin County, Iowa and bought land of Robert and John Simpson. If you were to drive down the north side of the river a couple of miles, off to the left in the timber is a large brick house. Well, this was the home of Hugh Johnson. The Simpsons had built a cabin there in 1855. This brick farm house was built in 1868 and is well worth the time of any one to examine it from basement to attic. A few years ago I went through the building and was much interested by its good state of preservation, by the spacious rooms, by the marvellous interior finishing, and especially by the many heirlooms, curiosities and spinning wheels in the roomy attic. In Jan 1869, the editor of the Sentinel said: My curiosity led me to visit the new farm dwelling built last fall by Hugh Johnson of this township. And we were well repaid fo rthe trouble by the satisfaction experienced in visiting the best farm dwelling in Hardin County, as well as by our friendly and cordial reception. The main part of the house is 28x40 feet and two and one half stories in height. in the rear of which there is a kitchen and cellar entrance addition 14x24 feet, one story high. The entire building is of brick, 76,000 being used in the construction. The water table, window caps and sills, and door caps and sills are out of cut stone from the Anamosa Quarry. The cellar is deep, full size of the upright, latched and plastered, and divided into two large rooms. All the rooms in the house are very large for their uses and complaints of lack of elbow room will never be heard under the roof. When finished the entire cost will foot up to $6,000 and will doubtless be the most costly dwelling in the county. Good as it is, it is only in keeping with the splendid farm on which it stands, being nearly 600 acres of choicest land and as well cultivated as any in Iowa. And what is more, all of this property has come of Mr. Johnson's honesty, industry, and prudence.
Every now and then through the pioneer years I run across items like this: "December 16, 1868 Hugh Johnson sells 56 hogs to Buttolph and Smith for $1028." In 1869 he is selling seed wheat to all comers. In 1872 he is advertising Durham male calves for sale. In 1878 he has 20 of the finest spring calves. In 1879 lightning struck an old straw stack and killed eight head of cattle and several hogs. In 1881 he visited his old homes in New Jersey and in Indiana. In 1883, he put in two car loads of tile.
Hugh Johnson was thrice married and had thirteen children. Morton Johnson, now in the Old Fellows Home, is a son, Casto, another son, lives in the state of Washington. Winfield and Millard, two other sons, spent their lives in this community but are dead. Mrs. Caroline Ellison is a granddaughter. She was a nurse in Frances in the first World War, Geo. W. Johnson, Andrew Johnson, and Roy Johnson are grandsons. Hugh Johnson left for the land of the fathers in 1891 and is buried in the Friends Cemetery.
Marcus Woodruff once said: "Still farther down the river lives my good friend Hugh Johnson, one of the first farm settlers. A finer sample of a rough diamond I never knew. He could 'cuss a preacher' or give a hundred dollars to help along his cause with equal readiness and satisfaction. Broad-shouldered, brawny-handed, great-souled, and rough-featured, Hugh Johnson nevertheless had the heart of a child. When the sobriquet of 'rough and ready' was coined, Hugh Johnson msut have inspired it. May he live a thousand years and I be present at the funeral."