A Short Sketch of the Life of Charles Johnson
by Paul G. Johnson

My father, Charles Johnson, was a Utah pioneer of 1863. He was born in Alingsås, Älvsborg,(now Vastra Gotalands) Sweden, on November 14, 1835. His father and mother, John and Anna Swenson, were members of the Swedish Lutheran Church, to which his three sons also were affiliated. Father was the youngest of these sons.
His father contracted pneumonia and died when he was but 28 years of age. Father was but eight years of age at the time of his father's death. He thus became acquainted with responsibility very early in life. This naturally had a bearing on his future life and helped to make him the hard working and trustworthy citizen he became.
Father very early in life took up the trade of carpentry. He followed this trade all his life. He was a great lover of outdoor sports and became especially adept at skating. As a young man and even in old age, he loved to put on his skates and do some fancy capers on the ice. I understand that he won many prizes for speed and fancy skating. This was while he was in his native land of Sweden. After he had become a comparatively old man, I witnessed him perform on the ice with great skill.
When father was 24 years of age, he married Anna Brita Erickson in October 1859. The following February, they, together with father's mother, became converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were baptized on February 17, 1860, at Alingsås, Sweden, by Jonas Lindberg, who was the father of John Lindberg of Tooele, Utah. He (father) received the Priesthood in 1862. He was a member of the High Priests Quorum for many years before his death.
After joining the church, Father's home became a gathering place for the missionaries. Many cottage meetings were held at his home. There was a great deal of bitterness towards the so called Mormons at this time. As these cottage meetings were held, many scoffers and as the Apostle Paul puts it, "certain lewd fellows of the baser sort" would appear at the windows shouting. However, some of these later became converted to the gospel and I am informed, one became a bishop. Father was working as a carpenter for the railroad at the time he joined the church. Some of his companions told him he would be discharged as soon as the railroad officials learned he was a Mormon.
He was not discharged however, because he was an expert workman and minded his own affairs and did well the work assigned to him.
In April 1863, he and his wife, his wife was widowed with a young daughter, his wife's sister and his mother, decided to immigrate to the United States. They were enabled to do this through the kindness of Brother Anders Eliason who loaned Father the money for this purpose. One of Father's first concerns on arrival in Utah was to obtain work and pay back this loan.
It took six weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel. Father and his folks above mentioned came across the plains in 1863 in Captain Lund's company. He pushed a handcart part way and also received some assistance and traveled by ox team part way.
His mother walked the entire distance as she was afraid to ride. They arrived in what is now Utah in September 1863, and immediately settled in Grantsville.
As plural marriage was practiced at this time, Father married Charlotte (Lottie) Erickson, his first wife's sister, on March 12, 1865. He married my mother, Anna Olson, on the 14th of March in the year 1879. They were married by Daniel H. Wells in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. Charles Johnson became the father to 10 children and also adopted the daughter of his first wife who she had by her late husband. He had three children by his second wife and six children by his third wife.
In his prime, Charles Johnson was six feet tall with black, curly hair, brown eyes and an athletic build. As he was an excellent carpenter, he always had plenty of employment. He built 30 houses in Grantsville. He and a man named Williams did the carpenter work on the old Grantsville Ward (now the Grantsville First Ward Chapel) meeting house. He and Moroni Durfee built the old Co-op Store (now remodeled and called the Stromberg Apartments). In the early days in Grantsville, there was an epidemic of diphtheria. Father was called in to administer to many who were afflicted. None of his family ever contracted the disease. He built 70 coffins for those who passed away. He made no charge for these where the husband or father was serving in the mission field.
Father made comfortable and happy homes for his three families. There was never anything but the best of feelings between these wives and their children, as far as I could discern. Father had deep religious convictions and there never seemed to be any doubt in his mind concerning the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which he had accepted in his native land and for which he sacrificed much. He felt that this gospel was more important than any other consideration. He was a great reader of the scriptures. He was kind and generous to his children and his memory is greatly revered by them. He died at the age of 87, or March 22, 1922.
I remember that when I was ready to leave for the mission field, Father was overjoyed that I should have this privilege. Father had many commendable traits which went to make up his character. Among them was his absolute honesty which was proven throughout his long and useful life. He was very thorough in whatever he did and believed that whatever was worth doing at all was worth doing well.
He lived according to his understanding of the gospel. He was a strict observer of the Word of Wisdom. He was blessed with health through his long life. His children and grandchildren greatly revere his memory. Many of them have fulfilled missions in the world. It is my firm belief that his children, grandchildren and his great grandchildren will always be found showing revere to his memory.

Note: I am indebted to my half sister, Mrs. Minnie Norberg, for a considerable amount of the material which makes up this brief history. She wrote a history some years ago from which some the information included in the above sketch was obtained.

Presented by Paul Johnson at the 1956 Johnson Family Reunion Grantsville, Utah.


Children of Charles Johnson
Known as Carl Johannesson in Sweden

Charles Johnson and Anna Brita Erickson
Wilhelmina (Minnie) Johnson
Born: July 22, 1864, Grantsville, Utah
Died: October 20, 1939

Also, Charles adopted Anna Brita's daughter, Augusta. Her father died in Sweden.


Charles Johnson and Charlotte Erickson
Charles Albert Johnson
Born: August 25, 1866, Grantsville, Utah
Died: March 15, 1910

Alexander Johnson
Born: September 2, 1870, Grantsville, Utah
Died: April 26, 1943

Leo J. Johnson
Born: September 7, 1873, Grantsville, Utah
Died: October 20, 1948


Charles Johnson and Anna Olson
Annie Josephine (Mollie) Johnson
Born: June 12, 1880, Grantsville, Utah
Died: March 13, 1955

Mary Matilda Johnson
Born: February 15, 1882, Grantsville, Utah
Died: April 26, 1882

Alice Alfretta Johnson
Born: January 23, 1886, Grantsville, Utah
Died: November 11, 1967

John Albert Johnson
Born: July 28, 1888, Grantsville, Utah
Died: April 30, 1964

Mabel Augusta Johnson
Born: November 22, 1890, Grantsville, Utah
Died: August 29, 1970

Paul G. Johnson
Born: June 2, 1893, Grantsville, Utah
Died: August 17, 1958