One
of the early businesses in Algona was the A.M and G. M. Johnson Wagon, Plow and Shoeing Shop, an implement
store. Located just west of the
courthouse square, the company did a thriving business. It was run by a Civil War veteran, Augustus
M. Johnson, and his son, George M. Johnson.
THE JOHNSONS COME TO KOSSUTH COUNTY
Mr.
Johnson took part in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Kenesaw
Mountain and the siege of Atlanta. He
spent time in the hospitals in St. Louis and Quincy, Illinois. On February 26, 1864, he was honorably
discharged at Quincy on account of disabilities and returned to his family in
Iowa.
In
May of 1865 the family moved to Kossuth County. They purchased the homestead of Abram Knight
in Section 5 of Sherman Township. Knight
had come to the county in 1858 and built a log cabin where he lived until his
death in 1861. Although the property had
been for sale since that time, no one had purchased it. The Johnson family purchased the property for
$4 per acre and immediately moved into the house. Shortly thereafter Augustus built a sod
blacksmith shop on the property and began business pounding iron for himself
and his neighbors.
COMING TO ALGONA
In
1879, he and his son, George M. Johnson, opened a blacksmith shop in Algona and
by 1882 put up the shop which was used for wagon making and the sale of
farm implements. They became well known
for the Johnson wagon which was manufactured by them. In the photo below, you can see many implements on display in front of their building.
 |
| The shop located just west of courthouse square |
They
carried a wide-range of farm implements and advertised their merchandise in the
local newspapers. The company also had a
large display at the county fair, one year featuring a various models of
buggies sold by their firm.
Augustus
was a very devout, lifelong Methodist.
He was a trustee of the United Methodist Church in Algona, serving on
the board when the beautiful stone church was built in 1898. He finally retired that year as well with George
fully capable of running the business.
By that time George’s son had also joined the operation. It was decided that he would remain in Algona
while George built a new implement house in Kanawha and would operate the
second location. He and his wife moved
to the new community in May of 1899 and were just settling in.
GEORGE’S ACCIDENT
The
warehouse was soon ready and on Saturday, May 27th, George was
hauling equipment from Britt. He was on
his second load of heavy machinery when he stopped to water his team. George was attempting to get back on the
wagon when the team started suddenly and with a jump. He was thrown to the ground. Both the front and back wheel of the fully
loaded wagon passed over his chest, breaking ribs and causing massive internal
damage.
The
injured man was taken to a nearby farmhouse and his wife and a local doctor
were summoned. Due to the extent of his
injuries, there was nothing that could be done to save him. He lingered until the following Tuesday
evening when he at last succumbed to his wounds. He had been fully conscious throughout the
ordeal.
His
body was brought back to Algona by train the next day. Services were held at his former residence
and burial was in the Irvington cemetery, near where his family first settled
in Sherman township. At the time of his
death, George was 54 year of age and left behind a wife and five children to
mourn his passing.
Augustus
and Elizabeth Johnson were devastated by the accidental death of George. At the age of 79, Augustus no longer had the
stamina to run the family business. George’s
son Charles attempted to operate the business, but was unable to maintain
control. It passed to several owners
before the entity was finally acquired by Pettibone & McDonald.
The
elderly Johnsons continued to reside in Algona until April of 1907. They then moved back to the farm to live with
their son Edward. Elizabeth’s health
failed first and she died on Valentine’s day in 1908. Augustus continued to live with Edward
following Elizabeth’s death. A few years
later he suffered a stroke leaving him paralyzed and unconscious. He died a week later on June 6th,
1913. The Johnsons were both buried in
the Irvington cemetery near their son George.
 |
| The site as it looks in 2016 |
A LITTLE SOMETHING MORE . . .
While
this might seem to be the end of the story, I do have an additional tale to
add. Two years ago, the Kossuth County
Genealogical Society was contacted by representative of the television series,
“Who Do You Think You Are?” requesting research on several members of the
Johnson family. The show traces the
genealogy of a celebrity guest and then tells the story of one or more of his
or her ancestors. Only two members of
the society were allowed to even know about this request and had to sign
confidentiality documents. The celebrity’s
name was not revealed to them. The
research was completed and sent off to Los Angeles and the waiting began.
Finally
on April 2, 2015, an episode aired featuring singer Josh Groban. It turns out that A.M. Johnson was his third
great grandfather and George his second.
Unfortunately very little of the local research was used in the actual
episode as the producers chose to follow the ancestors of George’s wife, Mary
Ann Zimmerman. Nevertheless the
information did not go to waste. Josh
Groban was presented with all data gathered about his family. So, don’t be surprised if one day you see Mr.
Groban walking in the footsteps of his ancestors in downtown Algona.
Until
next time,
The
KC History Buff
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