Theodore Carl Johnson (1884 - 1971)

Born 29 Jan 1884 in West Point, Cuming, Nebraska Territory, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died Mar 1971 at age 87 in Omaha, Nebraska

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Eric Johnson [send private message]

Biography

Theodore was born in 1884. Theodore Johnson ... ^[1]

1940 - September - Lived at 2348 N 61, Omaha, NE. Phone number was Glendale-5173^[2]

Let me tell you about Grandpa and Grandma John. I'm one of the few fortunate ones to grow up in that era to say that I was able to actually get to know my Great-Grandparents! I loved them dearly and miss them to this day... I was able to hear first hand accounts from them about the | Great Blizzard of 1888. They told me about sod houses, prairie fires, and the few buffalo that were still here and there. They told me that the Indians had no longer been a threat, but lived on the nearby Santee and Rosebud Reservations. By this time, the Indians had been reduced to poverty, and would show up on the farm on rare occasions, reduced to begging.

While they knew English all their lives, Swedish was their first language, and they would speak Swed to each other, especially if they argued. (There is a story to be told here, but it does not come off well in print, you have to hear it to enjoy it!) While I was in grade school, from 2nd through 5th grade, I would walk from Benson West Elementary to their home every weekday for lunch. Roast Beef or Roast Chicken, or what ever Grandma had been cooking that day. I can still taste the chicken and dumplings. I was a super skinny kid, but fattened up then, and have stayed fat to this day!!!

Grandpa would tell stories, and draw cartoons for Sandy and I. I still have a few of the drawings... He fell on the ice, and broke his hip during or around 1968. He had to be moved to the care home and he hated it!

Grandpa and Grandma were very staunch Republicans. If you wanted to get Grandma started on a rant, just mention the name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She would refer to him as a "Low Down Pup!" She would say that Daylight Savings Time was started so that Roosevelt could spend more time on the golf coarse. As you and I know, FDR could not walk, and likely couldn't play golf. From her perspective, everything they lost during the Great Depression, which was considerable, was all the fault of FDR. She told me the one time they went on the "dole" (welfare assistance,) was when they accepted food distribution which consisted of a bag of rotten oranges which had to be thrown away. ^[3]

On his WWII draft registration card (4/12/1942), while living at 2348 North 61st Street in Omaha, he was listed as 6'3" and 185 pounds with Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, and a light complexion. He listed an identifying charecteristic as a cut thumb and finger on left hand.

Sources

1. ↑ A source for this information is needed.
2. ↑ Omaha September 1940 White Pages http://nebraskaccess.nebraska.gov/1940census/omaha.asp
3. ↑ Story from Shulze-8

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=136890561