 1893 - 1973 (79 years)
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| Name |
Clinton Henry Johnson [2] |
| Birth |
31 Jul 1893 |
Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan  [3] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Alt. Birth |
31 Jul 1893 [2] |
| Alt. Birth Lansing, Ingham Co, MI |
| Burial |
1973 |
Webberville Cemetery, Webberville, Michigan [3] |
| Alt. Death |
2 Feb 1973 [2] |
| Alt. Death Del Ray Beach, FL |
| SSN |
Social Security #: 284-01-7385 [4] |
| Death |
2 Feb 1973 |
DelRay Beach, Florida [3] |
| Notes |
- November 28, 1991
CLINTON HENRY JOHNSON
Born July 31, 1893, the son of Henry Frederick Johnson and Nellie FrancesJohnson (Webb). Hi s early childhood and school years were in Lansing. Being mechanically inclined, he joined wi th his father in the heating and home building business. At one time he was employed, or asso ciated with, theHolland Furnace Co. He met and married Ferne Marguerite Kinney who lived in J ackson, Michigan. They were married September 1, 1914. The wedding took place at the bride' s home located at 701 South Pleasant St. Jackson,Michigan. After the ceremony they left for t heir honeymoon on a trip on the Great Lakes. Their first home was located at 804 Hamlin St. i n Jackson. It was here that their first son was born on July 15, 1915.
On June 7, 1916 the family moved to 706 West 17th St. in Topeka, Kansas. It was here that Cl int joined his uncle, Herbert Putney, in theagriculture machinery business. Their second son , Clinton Stanley, was born here on March 3, 1918. Shortly thereafter (1919) the family retur ned to Michigan living with Clint's parents at their home on the southwest corner of Lenawe e and Capitol Avenues. Their return to Lansing was due inpart to the ill health of Erwin. Thi s condition was corrected with the removal of Erwin's tonsils by Dr. William G. White, the hu sband of Pearl White (Webb), a sister of Nellie.
In the spring of 1921, the family moved to Canton, Ohio. Ward W. Webb, an uncle of Clint's li ved there and was engaged in the insurance business.In Canton, Clint was employed as a mechan ic at the Cleveland Cadillac Co. He later became the manager of the Allegheny Oil Co. His ass ociation with the automotive industry continued when he opened his own garage on Cleveland Av e. N.W. between 4th and 5th Streets. He later was associated with the Cities Service Oil Co . and in 1938 he joined the Weirich Buick Co, as Assistant Sales Manager. He resigned this po sition in 1940 and moved back to Michigan. Their third son, William Webb, was born in Canto n on October 18, 1922 and their daughter, Barbara Josephine, was born July 9, 1929.
Upon their return to Lansing, Clint was employed as Manager of the sporting goods departmen t at the Vandervoort Hardware Co. As the war clouds thickened they purchased a farm on Stat e Route 100, a few miles west of Grand Ledge, MI. Although still employed at Vandervoort's, C lint had always wanted to own a farm which he felt would provide security for the family. Thi s venture unfortunately did not work out the way he had hoped. His love of hunting and the sp orting goods business beckoned and in April of 1952 he opened his own sporting goods store.
Sportland, Inc. was the name of the company which opened in space leased from the J.W. Knap p Department Store in Lansing. From a small beginning on the fifth floor the business grew an d eventually opened several other stores. In 1971 "Ole" as he was known to his many friends f inally sold the business in 1971. At that time the main store occupied a major section of Kna pps' Department Store on the first floor and was perhaps the leading sporting goods store i n Michigan.
Of significance was the tragic death of their son, Stanley, who died from injuries received i n an auto accident in June of 1959. Stanley's widow, Sue, died within the next year leaving t heir three children, David, Gregory, and Catherine Sue. Clint and Ferne made a home for the t hree children in Okemos, Michigan. Today, all three of the children have graduated from colle ge, are married and parents. So in fact, Clint and Ferne actually raised two generations whic h was indeed quite an accomplishment.
After retirement "Ole" enjoyed spending the summers at their cottage on the Tittabawassee Riv er near Gladwin, Michigan fishing and caring for his two horses.
In the fall for many years "Ole" and some of his pals would pack up and go big game hunting i n the Pacific Northwest. This was the big event of his life since he loved animals and the ou tdoors. His last big gamehunting trip took place in the fall of 1967 when he and Erwin spen t two weeks at the Diamond L Bar Ranch in northern Montana.
"Ole" died on February 2, 1973 while he and Ferne were on vacation at DelRay Beach, Florida . He is buried in the Webberville Cemetery with his wife in the family burial plot.
BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL
BORN: July 31, 1893 - the son of Henry Frederick Johnson and Nellie Frances (Webb)
MARRIED September 1, 1914
DIED:February 2, 1973
HOBBIES: Hunting and fishing, outdoor activities of all kinds. Loved animals. Mechanically i nclined and especially talented in construction. Clint designed their cottage and was persona lly involved in theconstruction. He enjoyed working with his hands and was quite innovative . While in Canton, Ohio, he belonged to the Oakwood Golf Club (1928-29), a small 6-hole clu b with a membership of just 35. Later he belonged to the Shady Hollow Golf and Country Club . One of "Oles" favorite pastimes was the training of hunting dogs, especially the Beagle. H e along with Lew Smith belonged to a Beagle Club near Waynesburg, Ohio where they would wor k with their Beagles in Field Trials for the tracking of rabbits."Ole" was also a better tha n average pool player. He also enjoyed card games such as Bridge and Cribbage.
CHURCH: Member of the St. Paul Episcopal Church
ASSOCIATIONS: A member of the Elks, Masonic Lodge, the Ingham County Conservation League, Nat ional Rifle Association, and organizer of the Central Michigan Sport and Boat Show, a membe r of the Lansing Sporting Goods and Marine Dealer's Association.
REFLECTIONS: As his oldest son, I remember Dad for his dedication to his family. His stron g convictions and ethics. His love for animals and the outdoors. He was a great story telle r and loved life. Socially active and well respected. As a young man he kept an article tha t appeared in the newspaper. It was a poem written by Gus Williams entitled "My Darling Elois e." By coincidence the events recited in that poem were similar to an event that actually hap pened to Eloise and Erwin shortly after they met. A copy of that poem is enclosed.
Erwin H. Johnson
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| Person ID |
I21067 |
Glenn Cook Family |
| Last Modified |
30 Nov 2006 |
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| Sources |
- [S292] Pammala Garber nee Thomas.
- [S39] Abraham Whiteman Marty.FTW.
- [S110] Lemmon, Jeannine, Charlotte Whiteman Kinney Descendants 000618, (Private Publication, Gedcom).
- [S641] Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 6, Social Security Death Index: U.S., Date of Import: Mar 19, 1999, Internal.
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