Ole Johnson & Anna Young

**Anna Christina Young** was born in Sweden in 1842. At some point before 1872 she immigrated to the US. No information found yet on her parents and family.

**Ole B. Johnson** was born in Denmark in 1851. His parents were Johan Pedersen and Barbara Margrethe Hansen and he had several siblings. He immigrated to the US in 1871. His mother and sisters might have immigrated at the same time.

Ole and Anna met in the US and were married in 1872 in LaCrosse, WI.

They had a son and a daughter, both born in Minnesota. Oscar Emil was born 1873 and married Maggie Olsen. Alma was born 1895 and married Ben Martinson.

Ole and Anna travelled back to Scandinavia for a visit later in life. There is an old photo of a man in front of a house titled "Our Old Home in Dalby, Danmark", with several names written at the bottom and dated 1913. Ole's name is the center and it seems the photo is of Ole.

Anna died in 1917.

Ole applied for a passport in 1919 which states that Ole plans to travel to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark to visit relatives. No travel records found yet.

Ole remarried after Anna's death. **Jennie Bornschein** was born in 1871, so she was 20 years younger than Ole. She also outlived him by over 25 years and is buried with her parents in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.

## Jennie Bornschein

### death place

St. Louis, MO

Ole died in 1931.

Ole, Anna, and both of their children are buried in Ruthton Cemetery in Ruthton, MN.

## Parents & Ancestry

Census:

* Ole's parents were both born in Denmark.
* Anna's parents were both born in Sweden.

Ole's US passport application:

* Ole's father's name was typed as "Johan Pederson" and "Johnson" was written in after it. This might be because it was expected that Ole would have the same surname as his father, which in realty would not have been the case per Scandinavian naming customs.
* Ole's father was born in Denmark and died at some point before the application, which was in 1919.

Denmark Baptism:

* Ole's parents are Ole Johansen and Barbara Margrethe Hansen

## Children

According to the census, Ole and Anna only had 2 children. There were no additional children that died young.

### Oscar Johnson

*Main article: Oscar Johnson & Maggie Olsen*

* Born on January 26, 1873 in Winona, MN
* Married 1898
* Died on January 20, 1948 in Tyler, MN
* Links:
	+ FindAGrave.com
* Spouse: **Maggie Olsen**

### Alma Johnson [Martinson]

* Born 1877
* Married 1895
* Died 1928 in Pipestone County, MN
* Buried in Ruthton Cemetery in Ruthton, MN
* Links:
	+ FindAGrave.com
* Except from Johnson Family History:

> Alma Johnson married Ben Martinson in 1895. He was born in Mason City, Iowa, in 1870. His father was a railroad man and a farmer. Ben came with his family to a farm near Ruthton in 1882. Ben and Alma moved to Ruthton in 1904 where he ran a livery stable. Many times he would take salesmen to different towns with horse and a buggy. Later he went into the implement business. They had two children, Mildred, born March 8, 1899, and Merle. Alma died in 1928. When the girls were grown Ben remarried. He died in 1955.
>
>

* Spouse: **Bennett "Ben" Martinson**
	+ Born 1870 in Mason City, IA
	+ Died 1955 in Pipestone County, MN
	+ His parents immigrated from Norway
	+ Links:
		- FindAGrave.com
* Daughter: **Mildred Irene Martinson [Andersen]**
	+ Born March 9, 1899
	+ Married November 28, 1922
	+ Died 1987
	+ Links:
		- FindAGrave.com
		- FamilySearch.org profile
		- Obituary
	+ Spouse: **Alfred Andersen**
		- Born 1897
		- Died 1979
		- His parents immigrated from Denmark
		- FindAGrave.com
	+ At least 3 children
* Daughter: **Merle Evelyn Martinson [Christensen]**
	+ Born March 1, 1901 in Ruthton, MN
	+ Married October 14, 1925 in Ruthton, MN
	+ Died December 10, 1993
	+ Buried in Slayton Memorial Gardens in Slayton, MN
	+ Several children
	+ Links:
		- FindAGrave.com
		- Obituary
	+ Spouse: **Fred S. Christensen**
		- Born August 26, 1902
		- Died January 29, 1955
		- Buried in Slayton Memorial Gardens in Slayton, MN
		- Links:
			* FindAGrave.com
			* FamilySearch.org
			* Minnesota Births and Christenings
	+ Son: **Fred John Christensen, Jr.**
		- Born April 14, 1941
		- Died June 14, 1967, age 26
		- Buried in Slayton Memorial Gardens in Slayton, MN
		- FindAGrave.com
		- Minnesota Birth Index

## Documents & Articles

### FindAGrave.com

* Ole B. Johnson
* Mrs. O.B. Johnson
* Johanna "Jennie" Bornschein Johnson

#### Denmark Baptisms - Ole Johansen

* DanishFamilySearch.com
* FamilySearch.org (no image)

 Gender
 Christening Date
 Christening Place
 Birth Date
 Father's Name
 Mother's Name

#### O.B. Johnson Family

*Main page: O.B. and Johnson Biography*

Another old time family is that of O.B. Johnson. They were pioneers in the Ruthton vicinity. O.B. Johnson was born in 1851, in Denmark, and came to America in 1871. In Denmark he was a farmer, here he did many things and had much to do with the development of the town. He married Anne L.C. Young in LaCrosse. Wis., in 1872. They had two children, Oscar, born in 1873, and Alma. Anna died in 1917, and he died in 1931.

Oscar married Magdalene Olsen in 1898, and Alma married Ben Martinson in 1895.

Oscar and Magdalene had five children: Lester, Leroy, Ruth, Violet, and Francis. Oscar was a blacksmith, was in business, was night cop, a mailman, a fireman, worked for the school, and was on the Village Council.

All the children married and moved away except Francis. He lived in Ruthton all his life. He was married and had one daughter, Berdetta. She married, had three children and lives in Chicago, 111. Francis' first wife died and he remarried and had six step-children. His wife lives in Pipestone, Minn. He spent 42 years working for the railroad and as section boss for many of them. He also had other jobs. He died in 1984.

In a letter Violet wrote, she tells about her dad building a house. The bank went broke so their money for the house was gone, then he broke his leg, causing another delay. They lived in the basement and little by little the first floor was finished. The Johnsons lived in Ruthton until their deaths in 1940 and 1948.

Alma Johnson married Ben Martinson in 1895. He was born in Mason City, Iowa, in 1870. His father was a railroad man and a farmer. Ben came with his family to a farm near Ruthton in 1882. Ben and Alma moved to Ruthton in 1904 where he ran a livery stable. Many times he would take salesmen to different towns with horse and a buggy.

Later he went into the implement business. They had two children, Mildred, born March 8, 1899, and Merle.. Alma died in 1928. When the girls were grown Ben remarried. He died in 1955.

Mildred married Alfred Andersen on Nov. 28, 1922. They had the children: Jean, Mrs. Jack Miller, Tracy, Minn.; Jack, Hutchinson, Minn.; and Douglas, Palm Desert, Calif. They all attended the Ruthton High School. Alfred had a hardware and shoe shop. Mildred worked in the Ruthton bank and a!, a bookkeeper in the elevator. Later Alfred and Mildred moved to Arlington, Minn., where she worked as the city clerk. He died there. Mildred died Feb. 26, 1987.

Merle worked in several banks including the Ruthton State Bank. She married Fred Christensen and they had five children, one boy and two girls have died. Fred worked for the John Deere Company and later had an implement business in Slayton. Fred is deceased hut Merle still resides in Slayton.

#### My Heritage

*Main page: Johnson Violin*

My great-great-grandparents, on my father's side, were born in Denmark. They lived on a small farm and lived to the ripe old age of ninety-three. They died in Denmark.

My great-grandfather was born in Denmark and was a great violinist. He died at the age of fifty-four. His violin was an old one and according to the date stamped on the inside of the violin, it is two hundred and twenty-seven years old. It is greatly cherished by my grandfather, Mr. O.B. Johnson, who now lives in the city of Ruthton, Minnesota.

My great-grandmother was born in Denmark and came to this country in 1871 with her son and two daughters. She settled in St. Louis, Missouri where her son resided. After living in St. Louis a short time, she came to Minnesota. For a while she lived in Winona, Minn. and from there came to Pipestone county. She took up a homestead on the Northeast Quarter of Section 32 of Etna Township. School was held in her home for two terms. She sold this homestead and moved to Ruthton, Minn. While in Ruthton, she built a home on lot four, block four, and died in this place at the age of seventy-four years and eight months. She was buried in the Ruthton cemetery.

### Ruthton Cemetery

Located in Ruthton, MN

Find-a-Grave links:

* Ole B. Johnson
* Anna Christina *Young* Johnson

### Dalby House

*Main page: Dalby House*

According to the caption, this is Ole in 1913. He must have gone back to visit his childhood home.

### Census

#### 1880 US Federal Census

*Main page: USFC 1880 Ole Johnson*

* A man named LeRoy Jones lives next door with his family. This might be the same person that signed Ole's passport application in 1919. The application said they had known each other 30 years. If this is the same person, they actually knew each other closer to 40 years.

 County
 State
 Date
 Enumerator

#### 1995 Minnesota State Census

* Ancestry.com
* June 5, 1895

#### 1900 US Federal Census

*Main page: USFC 1900 Ole Johnson*

* Ancestry.com

 County
 Town
 Date

#### 1910 US Federal Census

*Main page: USFC 1910 Ole Johnson*

* FamilySearch.org
* Ancestry.com

#### 1920 US Federal Census

*Main page: USFC 1920 Oscar Johnson*

* Ruthton, MN
* Oscar and Maggie have 5 children living at home, ranging in age from 4 to 20
* Ole B. Johnson is widowed and lives with his son's family
* The date is left blank, which is unfortunate because Ole had plans to travel to Scandinavia in late 1919 and the date might have helped determine if he went or when he returned.
* FamilySearch.org

### Birth

#### Denmark Baptisms - Ole Johansen

* FamilySearch.org
* No image

 Gender
 Christening Date
 Christening Place
 Birth Date
 Father's Name
 Mother's Name

### Travel

#### Passenger Lists - US Citizens Arrival

* Ancestry.com
* The information on naturalization appears to apply to both Ole and Christina.

 Departure Place
 Departure Date
 Arrival Place
 Arrival Date

Lake Benton, MN
January 9, 1884
 Johnson, Kristina

#### Passport Application - Ole B. Johnson

* *Main page: Passport Application - Ole Johnson*
* Ancestry.com
* **Frederik VIII**
	+ The passport application says Ole plans to sail from New York on Frederick VIII on November 18, 1919
	+ Norway Heritage - partial record of the ship's movements
	+ Wikipedia - includes photo of the ship
	+ TimeTableImages.com

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