St. Clair County People of Interest



THOMAS MOORE JOHNSON (1851 – 1919)

Historic Osceola Calendar, Limited Edition, 1995

For further information, see page on Waldo Porter Johnson, Caleb Jackson Barr and William Tell Johnson.



Historic Osceola Calendar, Limited Edition, 1995:

Thomas Moore Johnson 1851 – 1919
Thomas M. Johnson I maintained a law office until about 1905. In preparation for legal practice, he read the Missouri statutes from beginning to end; he remembered them well, and was considered an able lawyer, but he was not very assiduous in his profession. In his diaries there are several entries such as “Took Thealtetos to the office and read four chapters”, and it is likely that a considerable part of his reading was done in business hours. However, he was not too much absorbed in philosophy to observe with keen interest the course of national and international affairs, or to take his part in politics and in the life of the community. He served a second term as Prosecuting Attorney in 1898-1900. He was the first Mayor when Osceola became a city of the fourth class, in 1883, and was elected to the same office in 1887, 1893, and 1895. For some twenty-five years he was president of the school board. Next to his own education, his greatest interest was the education of others; and he attended meetings of the National Education Association even in his later years, when otherwise he traveled little.
Study required books, and Mr. Johnson’s library eventually included about 8,000 volumes. The larger sections were naturally those of philosophy, religion, and Greek and Latin literature. Although he had no interest in rare books as such, he felt some satisfaction in the possession of Marsilius Ficinus’ version of Plotinos, published in 1492, and certain other works which, in his opinion, combined excellence in book-making with philosophical value. In 1899 he built a small stone house, on his home premises, which served chiefly as a library building.
There men of kindred interests were welcomed as visitors, and for years he maintained an extensive correspondence with such men in many places. However, his associates were by no means all of this sort. He had a genial and friendly feeling toward many whose intellectual attainments and aspirations were slight; toward virtually everyone, indeed, except those whom he regarded as pseudo-philosophers or pseudo-intellectuals. He included in this category one or two conspicuous figures among contemporary scholars, and remarked on them with some vigor.
He died on March 2, 1919. Mrs. Johnson died on July 2, 1948, having survived her husband by twenty-nine years.



Missouri History Encyclopedia, 1901:

Thomas Moore Johnson, lawyer, was born in Osceola, Missouri March 30, 1851, son of Honorable Waldo P. Johnson and Emily (Moore) Johnson. His education was begun in the schools of Osceola and continued in Clarksburg, Virginia and at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In 1871 he was graduated from Notre Dame University, at South Bend, Indiana, after which he returned to Osceola and began the study of the law with his father. Immediately after his admission to the bar, in 1872 he began practice in Osceola, but in 1873 he located in Nevada, Missouri where he remained about a year. Early in 1874 he returned once more to Osceola, and in the fall of that year was elected Prosecuting Attorney of St. Clair County as the candidate of the Democratic party, serving one term and declining a re-nomination. In the spring of 1877 he removed to St. Louis County, but in 1879 he again located in St. Clair County, and since that time has resided there continuously. In 1882 he was elected a member of the Board of Trustees and President of the village of Osceola, and upon the incorporation of the town as a city of the fourth class, he became its Mayor, serving in that office for ten years. He has also been a member of the Board of Education for about ten years, and is now its President. In 1898, as the candidate of the Democracy of St. Clair County, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney, and was offered a re-nomination in 1900, but declined to become a candidate. His interest in business affairs is limited to his connection with the Johnson Lucas Banking Company, in which he is a stockholder and director. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Royal Templars of Temperance. His marriage occurred in May 1881, and united him with Alice Barr, a native of what is now Centre Township, St. Clair County, and a daughter of Reverend C.J. Barr, a minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, who died in 1897. They are parents of four children, viz: Ralph P., Waldo P., Helen M. and Franklin P.
Mr. Johnson is one of the most distinguished biblilophiles and philologists of the West, an eminent authority on Greek and Latin literature, and a gentleman of most scholarly attainments. He has not only been a liberal contributor to philosophical and scientific journals, but founded and published two periodicals which were warmly welcomed in the modern world of philosophy. In 1884 he began the publication of “The Platonist, an Exponent of Philosophic Truth”, of which he issued four and a half annual volumes. The scope of the journal included not only the wisdom religion of the archaic period, Oriental as well as Occidental philosophy, but philological investigations, translations and interpretations of the later writers, the various utterances of gifted and enlightened individuals, and in short, every variety of inquiry and speculation relating to the interior life. In 1888 he founded “Bibliotheca Platonica, an Exponent of the Platonic Philosophy”, the publication of which he conducted one year. The chief aim of this publication was the critical and philosophic examination and interpretation of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and the Neoplatonists; and appropriate treatment of the literary history and characteristics of the Platonic writings, philological researches, emendations of the text, philosophical analyses, and interpretations, etc. He is now (1900) preparing translations from Greek of the works of Plotinus and Damascius, and an original work on the life and writings of Thomas Taylor, the Platonist. In addition to the literary work here noted, Mr. Johnson has delivered numerous lectures on subjects included within the realm of philosophy and literatures, the last course being that presented in 1895 before the Unitarian Society of Salt Lake City. The large number of literary works which he has personally collected during his busy life, many of which are very rare and priceless in value, he has housed in a commodious and handsomely appointed stone building erected by him in 1899, which is distinguished as being the only private library building in the State devoted exclusively to that purpose.



Osceola Sun, 8 July 1880:

Thos. M. Johnson departed yesterday morning for Boston, Mass. He will be absent several weeks.



1850 St. Clair Co., MO Census – District No. 79 Being:
Line 3, 19 August
36/36 Waldo P. Johnson, age 32, male, Lawyer, $5000 real estate, born VA
Emily M. Johnson, age 27, female, born VA
Wm. Tell Johnson, age 1, male, born MO

1860 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Town of Osceola:
Page 7, Line 10, Osceola P.O., 14 June
39/39 Waldo P. Johnson, age 42, male, lawyer, $100,000 real estate, $40,000 personal estate, born VA
E.M. Johnson, age 36, female, born VA
W.T. Johnson, age 11, male, born VA, attended school
T.M. Johnson, age 8, male, born MO, attended school
St. C. Johnson, age 6, male, born MO
Charles Johnson, age 1, male, born MO

1880 St. Clair County, MO Census – Incorporated Village of Osceola:
Dist. 6, ED 232, Page 18, Line 2, 14 June
156/163 Johnson, Emily M., white female, age 58, married, keeping house, born WV, father born Delaware, mother born WV
T.M., white male, age 28, son, single, lawyer, born MO, parents born WV
St. Clair, white male, age 25, son, single, Stock dealer, maimed/crippled/disabled, born MO, parents born WV
Carroll, Angetine, black female, age 50, cook, widowed, cook, cannot read or write, born KY, parents born VA

1900 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township, Osceola City:
Dist. 6, ED 150, Ward 1, Page 3A, Line 37, 4 June
52/54 Johnson, Thomas M., head, white male, born March 1851, age 49, married 19 years, born MO, parents born VA, Lawyer, can read & write, speaks English, owned home free
Alice B., wife, white female, born September 1861, age 39, married 19 years, 4 children, 4 living, born MO, father born KY, mother born TN, can read & write, speaks English
Ralph P., son, white male, born September 1883, age 16, single, born MO, parents born MO, at school 6 months, can read & write, speaks English
Waldo P., son, white male, born September 1887, age 12, single, born MO, parents born MO, at school 8 months, can read & write, speaks English
Helen M., daughter, white female, born October 1889, age 10, single, born MO, parents born MO, attended school 8 months, can read & write, speaks English
Frank P., son, white male, born March 1896, age 4, single, born MO, parents born MO
Barr, Martha A., mother-in-law, white female, born May 1823, age 77, widowed, 6 children, 2 living, born TN, father born TN, mother born MS, landlady, can read & write, speaks English

1910 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola City:
Dist. 6, ED 136, Ward 1, Page 2B, 15 April
38/44 Johnson, Thomas M., head, white male, age 59, married 28 years, 1st marriage, born MO, parents born VA, speaks English, own income, can read & write, owns home free
Alice B., wife, white female, age 48, married 28 years, 1st marriage, 4 children, 4 living, born MO, father born KY, mother born TN, speaks English, no occupation, can read & write
Ralph P., son, white male, age 26, single, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, Attorney, general practice, can read & write
Waldo P., son, white male, age 22, single, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, Attorney, general practice, can read & write
Helen M., daughter, white female, age 20, single, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, no occupation, can read & write, attended school
Frank, son, white male, age 14, single, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, can read & write, attended school

1920 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township, Osceola Town:
Dist. 6, ED 146, Ward 1, Page 1A, Line 18, 2 January
Living on Main Street
6/6 Johnson, Alice B., head, owned home free, white female, age 58, widowed, can read & write, born MO, parents born TN, speaks English, no occupation
Franklin P., son, white male, age 23, single, attended school, can read & write, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, no occupation

1920 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township, Osceola Town:
Dist. 6, ED 146, Ward 1, Page 2A, Line 46, 3 January
Living on Second Street
44/50 Johnson, Ralph P., head, owned home free, white male, age 36, can read & write, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, Lawyer, General practice
Erin B., wife, white female, age 34, married, can read & write, born AR, father born AR, mother born VA, speaks English, no occupation
Thomas B., son, white male, age 6, single, born MO, father born MO, mother born AR, speaks English, no occupation

1920 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township, Osceola Town:
Dist. 6, ED 146, Ward 1, Page 1B, Line 70, 3 January
23/70 Johnson, Waldo P., boarder, white male, age 32, married, can read write, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, Lawyer, General practice, farm # 4
Katherine L., boarder, white female, age 26, married, can read & write, born MO, parents born MO, speaks English, no occupation
Alice B., boarder, white female, age 6, single, attended school, can read & write, born MO, parents born MO, no occupation

1930 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township, Osceola City:
Dist. 10, ED 93-15, Ward 1, Page 1A, Line 39, 3 April
12/14 Johnson, Ralph P., head, owned home, $5000 value, not living on farm, white male, age 47, married, married at age 27, not living attending school, can read & write, born MO, parents born MO< speaks English, Lawyer, general practice, unemployed 0 months, at work yesterday, not a Veteran, #1 farm schedule
Erran B., wife, white female, age 45, married, married age 25, not attending school, can read & write, born AR, father born AR, mother born VA, speaks English, no occupation
Thomas B., son, white male, age 16, single, attended school, can read & write, born MO, father born MO, mother born AR, speaks English, no occupation



St. Clair Co., MO Cemetery Records:

Osceola Cemetery
Johnson, St. Clair C., 30 September 1854 – 22 May 1900
Johnson, Thomas M., 30 March 1851 – 2 March 1919
Johnson, Waldo P., died 14 August 1885, age 68 years
Johnson, Waldo P., 8 September 1887 – 20 January 1953
Johnson, Waldo P. III, US Navy – Korea, 30 September 1921 – 10 September 1981
Johnson, Ralph P., 23 September 1883 – 28 October 1960
Johnson, Franklin P., 17 March 1896 – 9 June 1975
Johnson, Erin B., wife of R.P. Johnson, 21 January 1885 – 20 March 1958