Johan Gustav Janson

The island of Orlund abounds in evidence of human habitation in prehistoric times.  Ruins of ancient stone walls and fortified castles tell us that is was often a battlefield in the frequent wars between Sweden and Denmark.  The early Christian churches were as much fortresses as houses of worship.  As early as the first century A.D., this small island was an important trade center in the commerce of the Baltic Sea.  In 1650, Orland became a fief (a feudal estate) of Duke of Earl Gustav, later King Karl X Gustav, and for centuries was royal hunting domain.

As early as 1741, explorers described the island as a flower paradise, a refuge for migratory birds, a limestone plateau sloping to the coastline where the more fertile land provided an agricultural income.  Most of the inhabitants were farmers, though as remote as the Middle Ages, the one village of Borgholm was known for its fishing industry.

It was in the enchanting landscape often referred to as the Swedish Arcadia, that young John Gustav Johnson learned to love the good earth.  His father was a farmer and also the miller who ground wheat and barley flour for other islanders.

When John was six years old, his father died.  The widowed mother and her children maintained their island home.  Occasionally they took a thirty minute boat trip to the mainland where they visited relatives, did their shopping, and enjoyed the entertainment offered in the larger towns of Kalmar and Smeland. 

Perhaps it was these boat rides, the nearness of the sea and his love of adventure that led young John to become a sailor.  His travels were world wide and rich in experience.  A bout with yellow fever caused him to spend a period of quarantine in Singapore.

He returned often to Sweden to visit his mother.  After her death in 1876, he was fascinated by stories he heard of wonderful opportunities in the United States of America.

He came first to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he found employment and met another Swedish immigrant who had an older brother, John Peterson, living on a farm in Tarrant County, Texas.  Descriptions of the land and opportunities in Texas brought the two men to Fort Worth. 

Here Mr. Johnson found employment with Major K.M. Van Zandt at $10 to $11 per month plus board.  At this rate of pay, he was able to save enough money to buy a wagon and team.  With this newly acquired equipment, he worked for the city of Fort Worth, paving streets with bois d’arc blocks.  To be near his work and to avoid paying rent, he bought a home on Belknap Street near the present Tarrant County Court House.

After a few years, he had saved money enough to buy a farm about one and one half miles south of Keller, land now owned by W. Rufe Whitley.  Here the work days were longer and harder, but Mr. Johnson still found time for social gatherings.  At a reception in Fort Worth, he met a beautiful, brown eyed Norwegian girl who had just arrived in the country.  She was Gertrude Nillestad.  Their friendship became a courtship.

After eighteen months, Mr. Johnson decided that he had a suitable home for a wife.  On February 21, 1887, the couple went to Cleburne by train, where they were married.  Returning to Fort Worth, they came by wagon and team to the farm home, stopping along the way to introduce the bride to families who were to be her friends and neighbors.

Hard work and wise spending made prosperous farmers of the Johnsons.  Surplus farm products were marketed in Fort Worth.  The wagon trip to town and return took an entire day.  In dry weather, it was possible to travel the dirt road west of the farm, but in muddy weather, the better route was through Watauga, where the road had been graveled.

Another all day trip was to the Jellico Mill east of Keller, where shelled corn was ground into meal.  Since grinding was done only on Saturdays, farmers had to await their turn.  The only chance for a noon meal was to bring a lunch from home. 

Mr. Johnson took great pride in his horses and gave them excellent care.  Once a week he walked to Keller to get his mail.  When asked why he did not ride, he explained that his horses worked hard and needed rest.

Mrs. Johnson was twenty two years younger than her husband.  If she became a little uneasy when news of tragedy or danger spread through the community, she provided her own protection which on one occasion was a shotgun standing near while she did her churning on the back porch of her home.

In a few years, Mr. Johnson decided to buy more land.  He discussed the plans with his good friend, Mr. Edwards, who owned a farm just across the dirt road to the north.  Mr. Edwards was willing to sell his farm for a down payment with the remainder to be paid later.  This idea had no place in Mr. Johnson’s business economy, so the two men agreed to divide the land into four parcels to be transferred as it could be paid for.  This transaction covered a period of twelve years.  With the purchase of the additional land, the home site was moved to the new farm.

The family now attended services at the Union Church near Bear Creek in Keller.  The father bought two one horse buggies in order that his family might ride in a manner fashionable at that time.

In 1889, Mr. Johnson sent for his wife’s parents to come from Norway to Texas.  The transition was not easy for the older couple and after two years they returned to their beloved homeland.

The year 1903 was not a prosperous on for the Johnson family.  On May 10^th, an unseasonable freeze killed most of the field and garden crops.  On June 24^th, a freak tornado struck the community and destroyed every building on the farm, except the residence which was blown from its foundation and lodged against the trees.  The mother’s first concern was to account for her five children ranging in age from one month to thirteen years.  All had escaped injury.

Because Mr. Johnson had been a friend to many, his good deeds were repaid in abundance.  Neighbors reshocked the wheat and oats that could be saved and helped to rebuild the house and barn.

The Johnson children are:

1)      Thilda Johnson, born Sept 22, 1889, died December 7, 1907.  She was married on

 January 7, 1906 to Walter Spaulding.  Their only child was Clara Thilda, born December 6, 1907, died March 22, 1941.  She was married January 29, 1939 to Floyd E. Bledsoe.

2)      Hulda Johnson, born September 14, 1892, now a resident of Dallas.

3)      Johnnie Johnson, born December 2, 1894 and died March 1, 1919.

4)      Charlie G. Johnson, born January 8, 1899, married Josie McCarty

December 19, 1924.  Their children are:

a)      Charlie G. Johnson, Jr., born May 13, 1927, married Patsy Wanda Littleton March 13, 1949.  Their children are Eric Vincent Johnson, born November 23, 1949 and Timothy Mark Johnson, born February 28, 1954.

b)      Roy Lee Johnson, born June 6, 1931.

c)      Billy Ray Johnson, born September 23, 1932, married to Lorene Sessum on June 8, 1951.

d)     Joe Alden Johnson, born March 9, 1941.

5)      Mae Johnson, born May 15, 1903, married to James Elridge Berry on May 10, 1930.  Their son, James Elridge Berry, Jr. was born September 10, 1932 and died March 28, 1957.

Mrs. Johnson (Gertrude Nillestad) born in Halslo, Norway, February 21, 1887, died May 23, 1920.  John Gustav Johnson (Johan Gustav Janson) born in Sweden June 17, 1845, died October 28, 1926.  Both are buried in Bourland Cemetery.