Johnson, W. D. bio

Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County, Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States, and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890; page 193-194; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
W. D. Johnson, foreman of the painting department of Parlin & Orendorff’s manufactory in Canton, was born in Newark, Newcastle County, Del., October 17, 1840. He is the son of James C. and Martha (Caldwell) Johnson, and his grandparents came respectively from Ireland and Scotland. His father was born in New York, spent some years in Pennsylvania and removed thence to Delaware while still a young man. In 1860 he changed his place of residence to New Jersey, where he died in 1882 at the age of seventy-five years. His marriage had been solemnized in Pennsylvania, which was the native State of his wife. The union was blessed by the birth of three children, to whom the mother bade adieu in 1848 when called from time to eternity, she being then but thirty-two years of age.
The father of our subject subsequently married Miss Sarah Hickman, and to them was born one child, - Lola. After the death of his second wife Mr. Johnson married Miss Mary Case, who is still living. To this union were born three children, who are still living. The own brother of our subject, James T. Johnson, was graduated from Delaware College and was for many years President of the La Grange (Ga.) Female Seminary. During the war he was pressed into the service of the Confederate Army upon two occasions, but each time was released about two weeks after his conscription on account of his eminence as an educator. He is still living in the Southern city, now cashier of a bank. The other child of our subject’s mother is Margaret E., the wife of J. T. Conover, of Flemington, N. J.
The subject of our sketch remained with his father until after he had reached his seventeenth year, receiving a fair education in the common schools and at the age of sixteen entering the Delaware College. One of his schoolmates there was Senator Anthony M. Higgins, of Delaware. Young Johnson had been attending the college but a year when the institution was broken up and he began his personal work in life. In 1861 he went to New Jersey, which State he made his home until he took up his residence in Canton. At Clinton, in 1862, he enlisted in Company E, Thirty-first New Jersey Infantry, and being mustered in at Flemington, was sent to the defense of Washington, remaining in or near that city several months. He took an active part in the battle of Chancellorsville and also at Fredericksburg. He had enlisted as a private, but was elected Fourth Sergeant of his company, and after serving as such for a period of three months, was advanced to be First Sergeant, and continued in that capacity until discharged.
The regiment was enlisted for nine months, and at the expiration of that time was mustered out of the service and disbanded, the last march being from Falmouth to Washington - a distance of one hundred miles - which they covered in less than three day’s time. Immediately after his discharge Mr. Johnson came West, and in February following his arrival in this State enlisted in Company I, Fifty-first Illinois Infantry, and upon the organization of the company was elected Orderly Sergeant. The troops were first sent to Texas and stationed in Port Lavaca on Matagorda Bay, and later were at Nashville and New Orleans, doing post and camp duty until discharged in September, 1865.
In Boston, in 1869, Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Mary Colville, a native of Canada who, after ten years of happy wedded life died in LaGrange, Ga., where she had gone for her health. She left two children - Stella and Maggie - both of whom live in Canton. Mr. Johnson was again married in 1881, the lady of his choice being Miss Belle Comstock, a native of Woonsocket, Conn., and the ceremony being solemnized at Detroit. This lady breathed her last in 1884, and our subject was once more united in matrimony, this time at Canton, Ill., in September, 1889, with Miss Kittie Flory, of Clear Springs, Md. Mrs. Johnson is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and both she and her husband have numbers of warm personal friends, both in Canton and throughout the county.
At the beginning of his business career in this State Mr. Johnson worked for Mr. Parlin in the capacity of a common hand, but in three years’ time was promoted to his present position - that of foreman of the painting department. He has had a share in the municipal offices, having been City Clerk in 1880, and in 1890 he received the appointment of Census Enumerator for this place. He is interested in the social orders, being a charter member of the Masonic Loge in Canton, a Knight of Pythias and a United Workman. He has been and active political worker, and was for many years manager of the Canton Opera House.