Today's transcription project for Amanuensis Monday is the obituary for Louis Peder Johnson, born as Lars Peder Jorgensen. Louis was my great-grandfather's older brother, my 2x great uncle. I have learned that Louis and my grandfather, William Christian Johnson were close in their younger years and after they first arrived in the U.S. from Denmark, so it was fun to read this obituary and I wanted to share it with you.
I also found that this obituary created more mystery than it solved. I'll explain later in this article. This article was printed in the "Sisseton Courier," Sisseton, South Dakota. A volunteer member of GenGathering.com volunteered to go to the newspaper office for me and then sent me this copy in February 2016. My thanks for MWommer for helping me obtain this article.
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| IMAGE: Obituary for Louis P. Johnson, printed in the "Sisseton Courier," Sisseton, South Dakota, published after 19 February 1949. |
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L. Johnson, Former Resident, Dies Friday
Funeral services for Louis Johnson, 84, who passed away as the home of his daughter, Mrs. Chas. Durfey, Alderwood Manor, Seattle, Wash., Friday, Feb. 11, at 6:20 p.m., were held at the Methodist church in Browns Valley Saturday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m., with the Rev. S. A. Norlemann Jr., officiating.
Interment was made in the Sisseton cemetery. Pallbearers were Paul Reisdorf, Albert Spindler, Bernard Benzkofer, William Bonzelet, Clarence Larson and Orville Dobbs.
Louis Johnson was born Jan. 4, 1865 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Johnson, and at the age of 21 years came to the United States. He was united in marriage to Margaret Krebs in 1888 and to this union three daughters and one son were born.
Mr. Johnson came to this community in 1888 and followed the occupation of farming for over a quarter of a century, farming for over twenty years in Becker township, Roberts county and for a number of years in Folsum township, Traverse county, retiring from farming he moved to Browns Valley in 1937 where he has made his home, spending the past few winters in California.
He suffered a heart attack at Seattle, Wash., from which he never recovered.
He was educated in Denmark and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith.
He leaves to mourn his passing, three daughters, Mrs. E. E. Coryell (Mathilda), Meridian, Idaho; Marie L. Johnson, Sisseton, and Mrs. Chas. Durfey (Eleanor), Alderwood Manor, Seattle, Wash.; one son, (Hans) L. H. Johnson, Morris, Minn.; two brothers, Carl and Andrew, Fresno, Calif,; one sister, Mrs. Marie L. Johansen, Monterey, Calif; 16 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife who passed away in Browns Valley in 1917.
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While I received a copy of the original newspaper article, it is unfortunately unidentified and undated. Nevertheless it is a clear copy and I am glad to have it.
There are some points that could confuse other family researchers, as contrary to the obituary I have records that tell us contrary information about Louis's life story. Let me explain.
He married the widow Margaret Krebs about 1905, not 1888. Margaret was first married to Mr. Thompson Louis and had three sons by him. Louis would become the step-father of the three Thompson boys.
Louis had first been married in 1888 to Anna Peterson. Anna, like Louis, was a native of Denmark. Anna was the mother of daughters Mathilda and Marie. Anna died in 1900. Louis and Margaret would have children Eleanor and L.H. Johnson. It is likely the family informer of information to the obituary did not realize that part of Louis' family history.
Margaret Krebs Johnson died in 1917 and at age sixty. In 1925, Louis would marry a third time to Martha Hansen née Nash. It is thought that they didn't remain married long and were divorced after 1930. Martha would die in 1959 and is buried in Ventura, California. Martha wasn't mentioned in Louis' obituary and Louis wasn't mentioned in Martha's.
There were topics within the obituary that I found interesting too. I was able to learn more about Louis's farming history. I had seen these moves by the locations mentioned on the census records he was found in. The location changes mentioned in the obituary confirmed and added more information to his various residences.
I also took note with interest, that he spent the last few winters in California. It is likely that he spent time there as Fresno is where his brothers Carl and Andrew lived. There is a large Danish community in Fresno, Louis would feel comfortable there and the winter temperatures are very likable in California's central valley.
I didn't recognize the names of any of his pallbearers, they were likely neighbors and acquaintances from the Roberts County, South Dakota area. But I plan to double-check this and see if there are any interesting leads there.
Amanuensis Monday is a weekly blog theme that was started by John Newmark, the author of TransylvanianDutch blog. John defines Amanuensis as "A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another." I also appreciate the good work and format examples of San Diego genealogist Randy Seaver of the blog Genea-musings. Thanks guys.
Transcribing helps me to learn what a document contains. I have learned over time that I have a tendency to "skim" over an item; a bad trait for a researcher who needs to learn even the smallest details documented records contain. Transcribing helps me to slow down; to capture all aspects of the paper in hand. It also gives me a better opportunity to share the document with you.
Thank you for stopping by today and letting me share this newspaper article with you. I also hope that your week has had a good start. And as always, I hope you have a great day.
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Copyright (c) 2017, Darlene M. Steffens
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