Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1924-09-18
Funeral of Mrs.
Johnson Is Held
At NJ. E. Church

dist Episcopal church Thursday,
was a woman of unusual refine
ment and cultivation, and came
from true Mayflower stock, an an
cestor being mate on the historic
ship that bore the Pilgrims to these
shores. She was a graduate OF
the state normal school at West
field, Mass, and taught for many
years in the Bay State, mostly at
Great Darlington, also for some
three years in the New York Jul
venile Asylum, located in suburb
of the metropolis, and for a time
in the Mechanicsyille Academy, a
New York institution.
Later, for a year or so she taught
in North Greenfield, near MilWau-
kee, and it was in the latter city
that she was married to Mr.. John
son. This was on October 8, 1879.
Her maiden name was Mary Caro-
line Clark and she was born Feb
rurary II, 1845, at Fayetteville, Ind,
whittier her father, William Clark,
an eminent lawyer had come from
Franklin county, Mass, the ances-
trail home both of the Clarks and
the Johnsons. Long an orphan,
she was living in Massachusetts
with relatives prior to com
ing to Wisconsin for her
marriage, her mother dying wner
she was but a week old, her father
when she was only nine. The
wedding occurred at the home of
cousin. Most of her girlhood
was spent with all aunt in Massa-
chusetts, but not little of it at
Cambridge with her uncle, Alvin
Clark, famous maker OF astroncmal
instruments. 1t was in the Clark
works that the great tense was
made for the Yerkes observatory
at Lake Geneva, the last really big
glass manufactured by Alvin Clark
and sons.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Johnson came to
Sank county in 1881 and for many
years resided on farm north of
Baraboo, chiefly engaged in fruit
raising before moving into the city.
Both were much interested in hOr-
ticulture, and the records of the
State Horticultural Society contain
a graceful paper once read by Mrs.
Johnson at a state meeting. Mr..
Johnson was president of the state
society for some years, and he ser
we'd as an assemblyman in two
sessions of the legislature, 1901 to
| 1905. A daughter, Miss Leila
Thetis Johnson, was their only
child, Lawrence University alum
ma and a local teacher highly es-
| teemed; but in the Johnson home
also was reared Mrs. JOhnson's
niece, Sylvia Lee, now Mrs John
P. Toole, whose father in law, Will
liam Toole, is nationally known
for his wonderful pansies.
Mrs. Johnson had been i'll, slow
ly failing, for several years, the
end coming at 10:45 Tuesday morn
ing, Sept. 8, 1924, after three weeks
of rapid decline A devout mem
Der of the Methodist church, she
yet had been too frail for nearly
three years to attend service.
The Services
The services at the Methodist
church were by the pastor, Rev. W.
w. Moore, assisted by Rev. E. c..
Henke, pastor of the Presbyterian
church.
Rev. Moore spoke from John go
in which life is depicted as SUI
preme privilege. There are. per
sons, the speaker said, who think
that life is a failure, that it is a
doleful conception. John, however,
rises to a supreme conception. Rev.
Moore said that a spiritual concep-
ton of nature is what makes life
rich. He spoke of Mrs. Johnson
as realizing the full privilege of
living and that she stood for its
spiritual meaning in all things. She
loved life and got much out of It.
So many flowers, in designs and
bouquets, came from kind friends
they extended from end to end of
the platform on which rested the
pulpit.
A quartet consisting of Mrs. Joe
Harris, Miss Martha Newman. Don
aid Moore and J. L. Bonham Gang
two beautiful selections with Mrs.
w. d. Morse at the organ.
Interment was made in the Wal
nut Hill cemetery. The following
were pallbearers: A. H. Varnell, H.