Harry C. Johnson from Chicago, Illinois

Harry Charles Johnson was born on November 19, 1891, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Henry Johnson and Caroline “Carrie” née Nonnast. Henry and Carrie, devoted members of the local German Lutheran church, First Saint John, had him christened there on December 13, 1891.

The neighborhood at that time was a magnet for German immigrants. That is why I want to pause here and highlight the importance of this congregation: the church played a central role in Harry’s family history. His parents married there, his paternal grandparents were members, and his extended family remained tied to the congregation for decades. To give you a sense of its background, here’s a passage from the church’s own history:

During the period from 1868 to 1875 (the Civil War just having come to an end) a large number of emigrants from the northern part of Germany came to America and settled near Chicago in a section which was known as Jefferson Township. Most of these people took to truck farming, finding a ready market in nearby Chicago for their products. Lutheran churches were few and far between, the nearest one being in Niles. (...) Chicago's only church was St. Paul's, and shortly thereafter two more churches were organized, First St. John's and First Bethlehem (...) In the spring of 1876, three lots were bought on Montrose and Lavergne Ave. A frame church, thirty by fifty feet, with steeple and brick basement was erected and dedicated on October 14, 1876.

By 1900, the Johnson family was renting a home at 138 N Talman Avenue in Chicago. Harry lived there with his older brother Convent W. and his younger brother Clifford, while their father earned a living as a dry goods merchant.

But how did this particular photo of Harry end up in Germany, where I discovered it? Census records suggest that Harry’s father was a first-generation American, while both of his paternal grandparents were born in Germany. His grandfather, Peter Johnson, who died in 1897, originally immigrated from Strücklingen in the Duchy of Oldenburg - though some documents, including census entries, instead give Bremen as his birthplace. His grandmother, Marie “Mary” Consor, came from Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The precise year of their emigration is unclear, but church records from First Saint John reveal that they were married in 1855.

Harry’s mother, Carrie née Nonnast, adds another layer to the immigrant story. She was born in 1870 in Stuttgart, Germany, and immigrated with her family as a child, becoming naturalized in 1878 at the age of seven. A little over a decade later, in 1889, she and Henry Johnson were married at First Saint John.

It seems likely that this photo was sent back across the Atlantic to relatives in the old world, a reminder of the family’s life in America.

Fast-forwarding to Harry’s adult years, the 1930 Census shows that he was 33 when he married Frieda, who was just 16 at the time. By then, the couple had already been married for six years, meaning the wedding probably took place around 1924, though I have not yet found a marriage record. Frieda had been born in Massachusetts to a Swedish father and a Norwegian mother. The 1930 Census also reveals that they had no children and that Harry was both manager and owner of a dry goods store.

By 1940, Frieda had begun working alongside Harry in that same store. The census for that year again records them as childless.

Earlier, in 1919, Harry appeared in a record of military service, indicating that he had served during World War I.

Tragically, Harry’s life came to a sudden end in July 1940. At just 49 years old, he drowned in Minnesota. The Brainerd Dispatch reported on the death of the Chicago businessman, noting that although he was considered an excellent swimmer, he drowned at Trout Lake, most likely after suffering a heart attack.

Harry was laid to rest at Mount Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, DuPage County, Illinois. His widow, Frieda, was left behind at only 36 years of age.

I haven't done any research on Harry's siblings and if they had any children. If you're related to the Johnsons from Chicago - please contact me!