California Biographies Mendocino and Lake Counties, California Transcribed by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm Source: History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California With Biographical Sketches History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry Illustrated, Complete In One Volume Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914 HANS CONRAD JOHNSON.� When the Mississippi River valley was yet a possession of France, and the inhabitants were loyal and devoted in their love and affection for their country and their flag, Louis Bonapart, advocating the sale of the vast territory to the United States while it was yet theirs to sell, declared: "The inhabitants, the people who make Louisiana, will go to bed some night good Frenchmen and awaken in the morning equally good Americans." And so it has been throughout the history of the United States, people have come to our shores from lands across the sea, loyal and sincere ill the love of the Fatherland. Then they have gone to bed at night, longing again for the scenes of home, only to awaken in the morning perfectly good American citizens, with a love and loyalty to their new country even greater than that which they gave to the old. And in the second generation we have the very flower of our American manhood and womanhood, clean, strong, pure, the civilization of centuries imbued with the strength of new worlds. This is especially true of the kindred nations from Germany, and the Scan- dinavian Peninsula, where the blood of the Vikings still flows in their veins, and where the clean, rugged strength of the mountains and wind-swept plains is retained by their sons and daughters. Of such as these is Hans Conrad Johnson, representing as he does the second generation from the sturdy little kingdom of Denmark, noted over the world for its thrift and clean living, for its educational standards and its love of home ties. The father of Mr. Johnson was Claus Johnson, a native of Den- mark, who came to California by way of the Horn on a sailing vessel, when gold was discovered in 1849. He had been a carpenter in his native town, and had for a time followed the fortunes of the sea. It was in 1852 that he reached San Francisco after a long and perilous journey over tempestuous seas, the trip requiring many months of time for its completion. He followed mining in California until 1858 with varying success and accumulated a hand- some sum by careful industry and unfaltering application. The call of home was still insistent, for there was a lassie waiting for him there, and, returning again to the Fatherland, he was married in 1859, and immediately set sail again for America. This time, however, they landed on the Atlantic coast, intending to cross the plains and settle in his beloved California. But the party of emigrants with whom he and his wife had traveled elected to locate in Wau- paca county, Wis., and there Mr. Johnson and his bride also established their home. He took up land and developed a handsome farm, which he tilled until his death in 1877. Eight children came to bless the new home, and of these H. C. was the fourth eldest. He was born March 20, 1864, and was reared on the farm, receiving his early education in the public schools of the vicinity. He was but thirteen years old when his father died, and with eight little mouths to feed, it was necessary that all should do their share to aid the mother in caring for her family, and H. C. stopped school and commenced to earn his own living. He worked on the farms in the vicinity until he was sixteen, when he was apprenticed as a blacksmith. Completing the trade in Waupaca, he opened his own shop, and soon had a flourishing business. This, however, did not deter him from making further progress, and he added other departments, finally securing an expert machinist to care for that department of the work, and from him learning the machinist's trade himself. Other members of the Johnson family were also starting out in business and, with his brother Peter. Hans C. located in Rhinelander, Wis., in 1882 and opened a blacksmith and carriage shop and also built a machine shop of which Hans C. took charge. The business flourished and necessitated the building of a new plant. Three months after it was completed it was destroyed by fire, no insurance having been placed upon it. The plant was immediately rebuilt and business resumed, but in November, 1888, the brother died and the burden of the indebtedness fell on H. C. Notwithstanding the responsibilities that thus devolved upon him he continued the business until the panic of 1893, when, with hundreds of others, he was forced to close down on account of the money stringency. After this he continued to work at his trade for a few years, or until he accumulated sufficient money to purchase a shingle mill. After remodelling the mill he started in business, but in this undertaking he also met with disaster, for the mill was burned down the first night after it had been started. Nothing daunted, however, and with a determination to fol- low the line of work for which he felt himself adapted, he went to Hermans- ville, Mich., and during the three years that he remained there he was fore- man of a sawmill. By carefully saving his earnings he was able to pay off his indebtedness and loss in connection with the shingle mill. During this time also he took a mechanical engineering course through the International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pa. The Far West was calling him, however, as it had called his father in the days of '49, and in 1902 H. C. Johnson came to San Francisco as draughts- man for the Eby Machinery Company and a year later he accepted the position of superintendent of the Union Lumber Company's mill at Fort Bragg, which position he still occupies. Mr. Johnson located in Fort Bragg in 1903, since which time he has given his work at the mill his entire time and attention. With him he brought his wife, who was Miss Ellen Jennings, of Portage, Wis., and to whom he was married in Rhinelander. They have two daughters, Edith and Ellen. Since making his home in Fort Bragg, Mr. Johnson has become intimately identified with local civic and fraternal inter- ests, and is one of the most influential citizens of his adopted city. He is a man of more than ordinary ability as a mechanical engineer, while his general business ability and close application would in themselves be a guarantee of success. He is a Republican in politics and his influence is a vital factor in local issues and he is thoroughly informed on all matters of governmental policy, both state and national. One of Mr. Johnson's pet fraternal orders is that child of the lumbermen, the Hoo Hoos. and he has done much to increase the local membership. Mrs. Johnson is a member of the Congre- gational church, and her husband and daughters are constant attendants at this same house of worship.