Always look before you take that first step.....

John "Racehorse" Johnson

30 May 1940, Ronan Pioneer

Maria Johanna Waara

Maria Waara Johnson driving sleigh
from the Sandy Johnson Barker collection

"Racehorse" Johnson

John "Racehorse" Johnson
 photo from the Sandy Johnson Barker collection

This is only the second photo I've ever seen of John "Racehorse" Johnson. Sandy has lots of stories about the Johnson family. With her permission, I'll be sharing some of them here in the future.

Meeting that distant cousin

Quite some time ago I began emailing with a cousin from the Johnson line of my tree. She has done tons of research over the years and has lots to share. Recently I was speaking at a little town near Helena and she and her husband were in the audience. We had such a nice chat afterward and then we talked by phone over the weekend. She has sent many more pictures, family stories and shared a family mystery with me. This has to be one of the best parts of my research. The connections with distant relatives. So. Much. Fun.

Another lost cousin found

John "Racehorse" Johnson

I took a road trip to Eastern MT to speak at a couple of libraries and tour a few museums. On the way home on Thursday, I stopped at the Museum of the Beartooths in Columbus MT. The research I was conducting centered around Horace Countryman (father of the woman I portray in my program). The museum director, Penny, was showing me around and we were chatting about this and that. She mentioned that she was from Red Lodge. I mentioned that dad's relatives had come from there. She asked the surname. I said "Johnson". She says "Not Racehorse Johnson." I said "Racehorse is my gt. great grandfather" to which she replies "we're related". We'll be connecting again to exchange info. How great to find, not only the info I went for, but a new relative to boot.

Wedding Wednesday

Albert and Elina Johnson
June 27, 1913

Joseph and Katherine Marxer
May 27, 1884

These are my paternal great grandparents. 

Joseph and Katerine Marxer were married in St. Paul MN in 1884. They lived there for a couple of years before coming west to homestead near Great Falls MT. Joseph was a stone mason and helped to build many structures in and around Great Falls. He built the home that he and Katherine would raise their family in with his own two hands. They eventually went into farming, but when Joseph had to go to town for work or supplies, he'd walk the 10+ miles in order to save on livery fees for the horses. When he returned home, he'd carry all the food and supplies for his family on his back. Joseph and Katherine had 15 children over the years. My grandfather, Edward Marxer was the youngest of this bunch. When Edward married my grandmother, Marie, they took over the ranch and lived there with their own children until they retired. I spent many happy times at the ranch and rambling around the old house and all the many acres of property. I would often run down the gravel road to the old stone school house that Joseph helped to build and that his children attended. Even as a small child I knew that the history of that place was rich. I haven't been there for many years, but the memories are vivid in my mind.

Albert and Elina Johnson were married in 1913. Albert came from Sweden in 1890. Elina was born in Red Lodge MT in 1894. They met and married in Red Lodge and raised their two daughters in Roberts Montana.

Albert was a farmer by trade. Interestingly, I know little about him as a person but have a pedigree chart from a cousin that traces his family back 7 generations. There is also a long and quite detailed compiled family history on the Johnsons that mainly covers the story of his parents and their arrival and life in MT. Albert and Elina died in the 1960's and my hope is that my dad and his brothers can shed some light on what they were like as people.