James W. Johnston Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1802-1803 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	JAMES W. JOHNSTON, secretary and general manager of the Faulk 
County Land and Title Company, is a well-known citizen of Faulkton. He 
was born in Center county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of October, 1854, 
being a son of William and Agnes (Watson) Johnston, both of whom were 
likewise born and reared in Pennsylvania. The father of the subject was 
a successful farmer of Center county, where he continued to reside until 
1869, when he removed with his family to Lee county, where he and his 
wife resided until their deaths.

	James W. Johnston passed his youth on the family homestead farm in 
Pennsylvania, and received a common-school education. He accompanied his 
parents on their removal to Iowa. In 1879 he came to South Dakota, so 
that he may be consistently termed a pioneer of the state, and shortly 
after his arrival he entered claim to one hundred and sixty acres of 
government land ten miles north of Watertown, which he proved up. He 
then assisted on the government surveys of the territory until January, 
1883, when he removed to Faulk county, which was then unorganized, and 
filed a pre-emption on one hundred and sixty acres of land joining the 
town site of La Foon, which afterwards became the first county seat of 
Faulk county. At the first general election held in Faulk county, 
November 8, 1894, he was elected to the office of register of deeds, 
being the first chosen to this position by popular vote. He served one 
term, while subsequently he was again elected to this office, serving 
one term. His long experience in the office has made him thoroughly 
familiar with land values in this section and this knowledge has been of 
great benefit to him in his real-estate operations. In 1886, when the 
railroad was completed to Faulkton, the present county seat, he removed 
to the new town, with whose interests and upbuilding he has since been 
identified. He continued his business individually until 1893, when he 
effected the organization of the Faulk County Land and Title Company, of 
which he has been secretary and general manager from the start. The 
company own a complete set of abstracts of land titles of Faulk county. 
Mr. Johnston is a member of the Republican party, and for the past eight 
years has served as chairman of the Republican county central committee. 
He served two terms as a member of the city council, and for three years 
as a member of the board of education. Fraternally he is identified with 
Faulkton Lodge, No. 95, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Faulkton 
Chapter, No. 30, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is high priest at the 
time of this writing; the order of Knights of the Maccabees and Modern 
Woodmen of America.

	On the 5th of November, 1885, Mr. Johnston was united in marriage 
to Miss Lizzie M. Cochrane, of Des Moines, Iowa, who was born and reared 
in that state, being a daughter of J. C. Cochrane. In the spring of 1883 
Mrs. Johnston came to South Dakota with her uncle, Joseph Cochrane, and 
filed a pre-emption claim. She may be termed a pioneer of Faulk county, 
having settled on her land prior to the time it came into the market. In 
December, 1884, Judge Seward Smith appointed her clerk of the district 
court, in which office she served about two years, having been the first 
woman to hold the office in the state. She resigned the position at the 
time of her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had born to them ten 
children, of whom but four are living: Belle, Lloyd, Laura and Ralph. 
Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are members of the Congregational church.