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.

1939 - Harold LeRoy Johnson
born October 7, 1939,
Son of Johnie & Marie Johnson

Earliest remembrances:

FERNDALE:

Watching cow-milking; holding the cow's tail so it wouldn't switch in Dad's face.

Helping clean the ____ gutter!  Cleaning up the SURGE milker.  Really!!

Getting milk squirted into my face like Buddy did to the cats that were begging. 

Playing in the “hay-mow”.  Climbing up and down the barn ladder and jumping from the upper loft to the lower loft when there was plenty of hay to jump into.

Watching my first pig-slaughtering; and it being dipped into the scalding hot water!! 

Playing on the small hill in back of the house-riding down the hill on a bike that had no tires/ just rims and no chain.

Myrtle and I getting scared out of our skins when a blimp (we thought it was a bomb-it was wartime!) flew over our place.  It flew from the north over the trees that were across the Brown Road from our house.

Norm was a soldier somewhere and came home to a big family welcome!  He'd been hurt but was ok and we really were glad to see him again.

Watching the 1947 blue and gray Pontiac drive up our driveway and two men in business suits come up to inform Mom that Dad had drowned in Alaska (Tenekee Inlet).  I didn't quite understand all the details at the time.

Having Pearl “push” me off the yellow school bus the first day of school!!  Probably cried all day. No wonder I don't like school buses.  Why do they paint them yellow?

Going to Birch Bay with Marian and Vic, Dick and Jim.

Riding Babe and Prince bareback from the back-forty to the barn.  Falling off Prince just as we were going by the big stump behind the barn!  Ouch!

Buddy brought a friend from Simpson to visit.  He wanted to show-off the local sites.  Carl and I rode in the back of the ‘29-Model A pick-up.  Buddy and J.D. Roche (I think) rode in front.  Buddy took us up and down the roller-coaster like back roads that made our “tummies” do flip-flops.  The only problem was when the road ended at a “T”.  The mechanical brakes failed and we ended up ripping through a fence and into a hayfield.  We came to a bouncing stop to watch the right-front wheel roll on down the hill!  It's a wonder that Carl and I are still here to talk about it; right Carl?

Later on  - I must have been about eight; 

Moving to SNOHOMISH:

Speaking about rolling - when we were moving to Snohomish, the top of Mom’s round dining table rolled off the truck and down the hill into a ditch.  I think Carl retrieved the top for us.

Attending Cathcart School.  You should see that building now!  It's still there!!

Riding my bike down the Snohomish hill (now Highway 9) to go pick strawberries.

Trips to places like Hurricane Ridge with M (Marian) and V (Vic) and Dick & Jim.  We brought back some Quail chicks (mother had been killed by a car I think).  We built a cage of 2 X 12’s and chicken wire.  Those chicks didn't live long.  The cats got to them!

Lillian and Myrl gave me my first dog.  A miniature Doberman-BOOTS.

Waiting for the school bus I tried to be like Tarzan and jump from one limb of the cherry tree to another.  All I remember is the next place I woke up was on the living room couch.  How’d I get there?

Our well dried up.  Mom spent a lot of money to have a drilling outfit drill 800 feet down in the existing well only to bring up clay!!  So drilling outfit went to the back of our four acre spread-drilled 200-plus feet and struck plenty of freshwater!

Taking a major trip to Seattle in our Model A with Carl driving-was a real event those days.  Passing through Clearview, Woodinville, Redmond, around the north of Lake Washington, down the Holman Road to 7535 Dibble Avenue North.  (Marian and Vic's place).

I remember clearly visiting Cec and Harold's home on Mercer Island. Their steep driveway was almost the ruin of that old Model-A.  It didn't have a very good brake and rolled backwards-down the drive-resting in the bank at a good angle, but didn't roll over.

Then the summer before I turned twelve;

Moving to 3031 West 64th/ SEATTLE:

The house Mom bought was built in 1909.  The previous owner raised pigeons and there was a loft over the garage and a separate roost.  This was great because Mom wanted to raise chickens plus have a place to plant a little garden.  Great!  Gathering eggs, scrapping the hen house and chopping off the heads of chickens, plopping them into boiling water and ripping off the feathers.  I still don't like boiled chicken!

Attending James Monroe Junior High.  Delivering P.I. papers.  Going to the Ballard Free Methodist Church and youth groups.

Wished that Myrtle didn't have to go to Vancouver to school but that was best for her.

Played baseball in the street in front of our house.  That was great until I hit a ball through the front upstairs bedroom window.  Mom didn't like that too well. 

Begged Mom to let me buy an electric guitar from Gerke’s.  Never did learn how to play it!

Getting my first taste and love for music playing in band and orchestra.

Family get-togethers mostly on the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Most important was all sitting at the same table eating!  What a treat!  At least 25 to 30 of us! 

Moving on to Ballard High School (graduated as well!).  Involved in music there too!!

Band, Orchestra, Choir, and Spanish club (three years).  Sang with the Ballard Quartet during my senior year of High School.

Worked at the Beach Pharmacy (32nd and 65th), and Stan Schwarts’s apple cannery-after school and weekends and delivered papers in the morning.

Stan would have me drive the flatbed truck down to 1st avenue-pick up casual workers and keep them busy in the cannery.  I would run the Hyster to bring loads of boxed apples out of the cooler to the processing area.  At day’s end he'd pay them in cash and I would load them up and take them back to 1st avenue.  The best season was fall-making apple cider.  Nothing like fresh cider right from the pulp/ worms and all!!

Buying my first car-Carl's 49 Dodge Club Coupe so he could go to Asbury.  You got paid, right Carl?  My second car was a ‘51 Ford Crown Victoria /Flathead-Automatic hardtop!!

Graduating from Ballard.  751 (or so) in the class of ‘57.

Attending Seattle Pacific College.  Continued music interest singing and touring with the SPC Choir.

Meeting Barbara C. Daniels at the SPC Hub.  Going to visit her in Yakima on weekends.

Meeting her dad for the first time in Big Timber, Montana.  Boy was I scared!  What a giant of a man for both our son’s Kurt and Scott to model their lives after!!

Deanna was the apple of Les’s eye!!  (Zachary would give Grandpa a thrill for sure!)

We married in October of 1959.  Bought our first home in Des Moines, Washington.  We have three children each born at Burien General with Dr. Frank J. Underhill performing the honors. Kurt, Scott, and Deanna Lynn.  Kurt and Amanda, Jazmine, and Heide live in Chandler, Arizona. Scott is in Phoenix too!  All doing well. 

Deanna, Bill, and Zachary live in Redmond.

Words are not enough to express what you brothers and sisters and your families have meant to Barb and our family.  Thanks for being there all these years!!!

Click on a link below to continue with the JOHNSON FAMILY photos and stories.

Same links as the Home page

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