YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY MINNESOTA
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Submitted to the Minnesota Biographies Project by:
Name: LaNaye Hennen
Email: henfarms@clarkfield.ruralink.com
Date: 29 June 2000
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"A History of Yellow Medicine County" by Arthur P. Rose,published in 1914



ELMER JOHNSON (1904)

Elmer Johnson is in the blacksmith business at Granite Falls and has been
engaged in that line of work since 1904.  He is a son of John D. Johnson, a
native of Sweden.  The father came to the United States when nine years of
age and located in Carver county in the early fifties, being one of the
pioneers of Minnesota.  He is now living at Bird Island at the age of
seventy-three years.  He married Johanna Nord, also a native of Sweden, who
came to America when seven years old.  She is also living at Bird Island.
There were seven children, five boys and two girls -- William, Ida, Joseph,
Elmer, Alice, Frank and Henry.

Elmer Johnson was born on his father's farm in Carver county, Minnesota,
April 7, 1880.  When nine years of age he went to Bird Island, Renville
county, and at the age of ten years started out for himself.  At the age of
eleven he took employment in a blacksmith shop at Bird Island, where he
learned the trade.  On arrival at the age of eighteen he went to Danube,
Minnesota, and opened a blacksmith shop, conducting the same about seven
months, when he sold out.  He then went to Clara City and ran a shop five
years.

In 1904 Mr. Johnson located in Granite Falls and purchased the Ernston
Brothers shop, since which time he has been continuously engaged in business
at that point.  He put up a new building in 1910 and has one of the finest
shops in this section of the state.  He does general blacksmithing work of
all kinds and makes a specialty of horse-shoeing.

Our subject was married at Belview, Minnesota, February 21, 1909, to Annie
Nelson of Granite Falls.  She was born in Sweden and came to the United
States when a child.  She is a daughter of Esten Nelson of Granite Falls.
Mr. Johnson is a member of the Modern Brotherhood of America Lodge.