August S. Johnson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1198, 1201 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				AUGUST S. JOHNSON.  

	August S. Johnson, who owns and operates a farm comprising four 
hundred acres of land in Benton township, Minnehaha county, is a 
representative of one of the respected and honored pioneer families of 
South Dakota. His birth occurred in Sweden on the 15th of August, 1866, 
his parents being Samuel and Agneta Johnson. The family emigrated to 
the United States in May, 1871, settling in Lafayette county, 
Wisconsin, where the father worked as a farm hand. In 1874 he came to 
South Dakota, locating in Benton township, Minnehaha county, where he 
homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres and took up a timber claim of 
eighty acres. Here he has resided continuously for over four decades, 
enjoying recognition as one of the substantial agriculturists and 
esteemed early settlers of the community. Samuel Johnson has attained 
the venerable age of eighty-five years, while his wife is eighty four 
years old. Both are living on the old homestead.  

	August S. Johnson, who was but four years of age when brought by 
his parents to the new world, acquired his education in the public 
schools and early became familiar with the work of the fields as he 
assisted his father in his agricultural labors. Starting out as an 
agriculturist on his own account, he bought eighty acres of land from 
his father and subsequently augmented his holdings by additional 
purchase until they now embrace four hundred acres in Benton township. 
comprising a highly improved and modern farm. The place is lacking in 
none of the accessories and conveniences of a model property of the 
twentieth century and in its operation Mr. Johnson has met with 
excellent success. He likewise devotes considerable attention to live 
stock, feeding twenty-five head of horses, forty head of cattle and one 
hundred and fifty hogs, and is a stockholder and director of the 
Farmers Elevator Company and the Crooks Lumber Company of Crooks.  

	On the 4th of September, 1888, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage 
to Miss Augusta Arvidson, a daughter of Arvid and Petronella Johanson, 
who passed away when eighty-five and eighty-six years of age 
respectively. Our subject and his wife have the following children: 
Samuel A., a resident of Benton township; Alma, the wife of P. C. 
Peterson, of Benton township; Hildur, who follows the profession of 
school teaching; Olga; Ruth M. and Dewey A., twins; Miles A.; George 
William; Edwin A.; Clara R.; and Alice E.  

	Mr. Johnson gives his political allegiance to the republican 
party and is now ably serving as a member of the town board. His 
religious faith is that of the Lutheran church, the teachings of which 
his wife and children also profess. In the community where he has 
resided from boyhood he is well known and highly esteemed as a 
representative of one of the old pioneer families who braved the 
hardships and dangers of life in an undeveloped and sparsely settled 
district. They have witnessed the wonderful transformation that has 
occurred as primitive conditions have given way before the onward march 
of civilization and as a direct result of their own labors and 
enterprise.