| Notes |
- WIBUR L. JOHNSON The son of two of McIntosh county�s earliest pioneers, Wilbur L.Johnsonwas the first white child born in Hoskins, N. D.
Born November 28, 1887, he was only six months old when hisparents,Clarence D. and Louisa Castor Johnson moved to the new town ofAshley,where he received his early schooling.
After the death of his father in 1898, however, Mr. Johnson movedwithhis mother to Oakland, Ore., where he completed his elementaryschooltraining, and then took a business course at Portland, Ore.
Mr. Johnson returned to North Dakota in May, 1906, to accept apositionin the First State Bank of Wishek. John H. Wishek, Sr., washis firstemployer and to this pioneer and his family Mr. Johnson hasdevoted hisentire working career.
In July 1908, Mr. Johnson moved to Ashley to become assistant cashierofthe Ashley State Bank. He has been employed by that institutionsince,and has risen from his first position to the one of vicepresident.
On December 29, 1910, he was married to Mildred Bernice Warren,daughterof Adam R. and Ella Woolsey Warren of Whitehall, Wis.
Mrs. Johnson, who has served as postmaster of Ashley sinceherappointment in 1933, was born August 26, 1889.
She has been an active feminine leader of the city, through her workinthe Women’s club, Thimble Bee, American Legion auxiliary and otherchurchand civic movements.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of two children, Clair Warren,bornJuly 5, 1914, and Mary Erle, born February 3, 1917. Louisa Helen,bornOctober 8, 1920, died at the age of six weeks.
Both children were given excellent educational opportunities bytheirparents. Clair, after being graduated from the University ofOregon in1937, accepted a position as reporter with the Salt LakeTribune, SaltLake city, Utah. Mary, who completed a business trainingcourse at theMinnesota School of Business, Minneapolis, Minn., isemployed as astenographer by the Home Owners Loan Corporation, Fargo,N. D.
Interested not only in the welfare of his children, but others aswell,Mr. Johnson has been a leader in local youth movements. For sixyears heserved as Scoutmaster. For several years he managed the JuniorAmericanLegion baseball team. He has been a constantly loyal supporterof publicschool activities.
Despite a physical handicap which made participation instrenuousactivity impossible, Mr. Johnson has always been interestedin sports.The first grandstand at the ball park west of town wasconstructed underhis management. He has often served as manager of thecity baseball team.He has helped promote various sporting events, andhas gained an enviablereputation as a good sportsman in hunting andfishing circles.
Active in civic affairs, Mr. Johnson has served as city treasurerandjustice of the peace. He was at one time a member of the I.O.O.F.He is amember of the Commercial club and a charter member of the newlyorganizedLions club.
Politically, Mr. Johnson has been a member of the Democratic partyduringhis entire career. He is one of the party leaders in McIntoshcounty, andfor several years has been one of the members of theDemocratic StateCentral committee, part of which time he has served onthe executivecommittee of seven members.
Mr. Johnson, in addition to his administrative position with the bank,isassociated with others in the lumber and elevator business in Ashleyandsurrounding towns.
Mr. Johnson has little to say of early day hardships, but does tellofone amusing Indian experience, which occurred one time theJohnson,Wishek and several other families were visiting at Fort Yates.
It seems that while they were there Chief Sitting Bull rode up onhishorse. For a joke, Mr. Wishek handed Mr. Johnson up to the famouschief,who held him on his lap. However, Mr. Johnson’s father, who hadnever hadany great love for Indians, made such a fuss about it thatSitting Bullwas glad to return the boy to his father’s arms.
Another interesting incident of Mr. Johnson’s childhood occurred whenheand another boy fastened their hand sleds on the back of a teamdrawnsled and rode out near the George Bender farm.
On their return trip they rested one knee on the sled, pushed withtheirfree foot and started across the prairie, with Mr. Johnsonfollowing hisfriend.
He looked up and couldn’t see his friend but kept following thetracks,and all of a sudden plopped down into a hole right beside hisfriend, andthe two boys found themselves in a farmer’s cow barn.
Snow was so deep they had started across the covered barn and thenfallenthrough the roof. The farmer finished milking, gave them somefood andthen took them to town, where both boys "got what was comingto them"from their Dads.
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1887 - Yes, date unknown
