from "​Double Cousins" by Ralph Hammersborg, A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996

Ralph Hammersborg had asked his Mother’s cousins to write about their lives. The cousin's stories are taken from "Double Cousins by Ralph Hammersborg, A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996.” Birth dates of living relatives have been removed from the original text.

1916 - Arnold LeRoy Johnson

born March 18, 1916, died at age 76 on April 10, 1992.
Son of Helmer & Alfrida Johnson

The following is written by Olive (Arnold's wife) in March 1995

Arnold was the third child of Helmer M. and Alfrida (Susag) Johnson. He was born near Binford, North Dakota in March of 1916. He was born early on the morning of March 18th and when the midwife recorded his birth she said that he had been born last night. No one knew until Arnold got a copy of his birth certificate that the date was entered as March 17th. He decided it was easier to change his birthday than to go through the legal hassle of changing the date on the birth certificate.

When Arnold started school in Binford, Norwegian was the language used in the home. His first teacher, who was also Norwegian, made it very clear that this was the United States and that English was to be used in the school. As he got older he often missed school in fall and spring when there was farm work to be done. He finished the 8th grade but didn't go to high school. He was well educated by reading and his math abilities were great.

Arnold tells that he tried to start farming in North Dakota and rented some land. He worked for the use of machinery to put in and harvest his crop. When he harvested the crop and paid the bills, he had just enough money to buy a tank of gas for his car. Johnnie and Arnold then decided to go west to Washington where his uncle Johnie and Aunt Marie were living. I believe that was in 1936. They spent the winter and then went back to North Dakota the next summer. They came back the next winter and pretty much stayed after that. He worked on dairy farms, and other farms. He was working on a grain farm near Colfax, Washington when he found out that he would soon be drafted so he went back to Seattle, and he and Lester and his friend Barney Stone enlisted in the army.

He was in the army for four years mostly working as a mechanic. He was in Oran (Algiers) and in France as well as other places. He came back to Seattle in late 1945 and was offered a job at Montgomery Elevator Company. In Seattle, he roomed with a friend that he had met in the army, Chuck Newberg. Chuck's parents lived in McMinnville, Oregon, and on a trip to visit them I met Arnold. We were married on August 31, 1946, in McMinnville and lived in Kirkland, Washington for six months. We bought a house in Seattle in the Lake City area. Arnold was often sent out of town to install elevators and I would go with him for the first three years. Soon Dwight Arnold was born and then Merrilee Sue. We decided it was very difficult being separated when he was away and my parents were needing help on the dairy farm. We moved down to McMinnville on July 15, 1953, and a house was built on the farm for us.

When the kids were teenagers we bought a boat for water skiing and we all enjoyed that. Arnold liked to water ski but I think he would rather drive the boat for others to ski. There were lots of family and friends outings.

We bought the farm in 1963 and we both enjoyed dairying very much. The one drawback being the twice a day EVERY DAY bit!! Arnold was active in the Yamhill County Livestock Association and was president for one year. He was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and had a gun collection. He liked to hunt and took numerous trips to Central Oregon and earlier in Washington with friends to hunt deer and elk. In later years he would much rather see the deer and take pictures than shoot them. He felt the same about pheasants as he was a bird watcher. A friend persuaded him to join the Elks Club and he enjoyed taking his grandchildren to the Easter egg hunts and the Christmas parties.

Arnold retired from dairy farming in 1982 when Dwight and Linda took it over. He helped them with driving the tractor to prepare the ground for silage corn, and in planting and harvesting the crops.

Arnold loved to fish and he did a lot of salmon fishing on the ocean in the early years of retirement. Very often I went along, too, and we really loved it on the ocean.

We bought a used motor home and took one long trip and many short ones with it. We spent five weeks in 1984 visiting family in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and in Canada. We spent time on the coast, a couple of trips to Canada to visit Uncle Sigurd Susag and family, and visited the Washington Johnsons.

Dwight graduated from high school in 1967 and went to college for 3 years. The last two he took machinery repair courses at Lane Community College that have come in very handy in the years since then. He and Linda Ann Lauderdale were married and Jessica Kirsten was born. Jessica graduated from Western Oregon State college last June and is still living in Monmouth, working three part-time jobs, and taking some classes.

Merrilee graduated from high school and went to Oregon State in Corvallis 5 years to get her pharmacy degree. She passed the boards and worked in Stayton for several years. She married Phillip Fery and Scott Michael and Mark Phillip were born. Merrilee and Phil are now divorced and she and the boys are living here on the farm in my parent's house. She's managing the pharmacy in Walmart in South Salem so she has a long commute. The boys are doing well in school and seem very happy to be here.

Arnold quit driving in late 1990 but I never knew exactly why. He would not go to a doctor-- hadn't been to one for 20 years. He had a stroke on March 15, 1992, and passed away April 10, 1992.

Johnson Family (home) - Kinstories (home) - Susag Family - Flatau Family - Beckman Family
Granquist Family - Anderson Family - Stout Family - Walker Family - Peterson Family - Morris Family - Cauble Family