John Victor ("Victor") Johnson was born "Johan Viktor Johansson Bäckman" on April 30, 1881 in the parish of Sideby on the western coast of Finland, a Swedish-Finn community. His parents were Johan Jakob Gustafsson Bäckman and Wendla Sofia Abrahamsdotter Högback. Five of the seven children in his family who lived to adulthood immigrated to America.
• Hilma Sofia b. 1870 married Viktor August Eriksson Pellfolk
• Axel Adrian b. 1871 to USA 18 Jul 1890
• Hilda Cecilia b. 1874 to Föglö, Åland Isles, Finland (later to USA)
• Johan Viktor b. 1876, d. 1879
• Frans Oskar b. 1878 to USA Florida, died in Florida 1904
• Johan Viktor b. 1881 signed on a ship in 1899, to America 1900
• Josef Henrik b. 1883, d. 1886
• Mathilda Fransiska b. 1884, to USA 1903 married A. Finney, d. 1967
• Josef Arnold b. 1887 married Aino Juliana Fredriksdotter Sjöblom.
At the time of his birth, the Finnish people had faced extreme political and economic hardship for many years. A combination of Russian rule, forced military conscription, and harsh economic conditions had forced many Finnish people to emigrate. As a young man, he realized that the opportunities in Finland for advanced schooling were very limited. Enlisting with the mercantile marine was possibly the only way he could further his education.
Victor enrolled at the Åland Island Mercantile Marine office at Vårdö at the age of 18 on December 6, 1899. The Åland Mercantile Marine sailed under the Russian Flag because Finland was under Russian rule at that time. His Fräjdebok (inscription document) lists information about his service, the ports of call, and the names of the large sailing ships on which he served as ship's carpenter, second mate, and constable. He immigrated to the USA at Ship Island (near Biloxi, Mississippi) in 1905, at the end of his first term of service.
He paid for his younger sister Mathilda's fare from Finland to the USA in 1903. Like many other Scandinavian immigrants, Mathilda settled in Minnesota, where she married Alfred John Finne (Finney), a Swedish American. Another sister Hilda Cecilia Johansdotter Bäckman immigrated to Minnesota in 1900.
It was a common practice for American immigrants to Anglicize their names. Victor changed his name to "John Victor Johnson." Unlike most other Scandinavian immigrants who settled in the northern states, however, he settled in Florida, perhaps because his brother Frans Oskar had already settled there. Victor's older brother Axel Adrian changed his name to Axel Johnson after he immigrated to Michigan in 1890.
Victor married Eva Pearl Adams, who was from the Anthony, Florida area. They relocated to South Carolina, where he held various jobs, including presenting a "Magic Lantern" show. Their daughters Edna Victorine (April 1908 -1933) and Martha Windla (November 18, 1910 - January 4, 2000) were born there. They returned to Florida, where he was foreman of the Tilghman Cypress Company in Lukens, near Cedar Key, a coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico, where their son John Victor "Vic" (December 1912 - October 13, 1989) was born. Eva died on March 26, 1915 from a massive infection, possibly uremic poisoning. She is buried in the Anthony Cemetery (Anthony, Marion County), near where she and Victor had owned a farm.
After Eva's death, Victor was a 34-year-old man with three young children to raise.
He met Katie Frances DuBose during one of her frequent visits to her sister Bessie DuBose Davis in Cedar Key. They were married on April 2, 1916 in Worthington Springs. Katie was the daughter of Samuel Wiles ("Wiles") DuBose (February 22, 1854 - March 8, 1936) and Susan Alice Pinkston DuBose (January 11, 1861 - August 30, 1902). She was born on December 27, 1894 at her parents' home on Olustee Creek, near Providence, Florida. Her parents owned an orange grove on the Olustee Creek. The family moved to Worthington Springs after devastating freezes destroyed their grove in 1895 and 1896.
Katie and Victor had two children, Elmer Hunter Johnson (January 11, 1917 - February 27, 2007) and Alice Lucille Johnson (November 6, 1920 - February 6, 2012). The family moved to Sumner in 1920, where Victor was the foreman of the Cummer Lumber Company. He was subsequently foreman of the Tidewater Cypress Company in Bridge End (later Osceola) and the pine mill in Groveland. The family settled in Sanford, where the children grew up.
Victor was a partner in a meat market in Sanford with a man named John Stemper. The family also had a farm. Victor and Katie moved to Jacksonville after 1940. He built several houses and did carpentry work. He owned two houses in the Beaver Street area. Katie became ill (melanoma) and died on December 3, 1952.
Victor enlisted with the Mercantile Marine and left Finland during a time of mass emigration. Perhaps he only wanted to further his education. Perhaps economic conditions or the possibility of forced conscription influenced his decision. Or maybe a powerful desire for adventure motivated him to explore the world. Although he did not enjoy the financial success that he might have hoped for in America, he led an interesting and productive life. He witnessed many changes in the world during his life and experienced both happiness and tragedy.
Unfortunately, his life ended tragically. He was murdered during an apparent burglary at his home on November 3, 1960. A newspaper article suggested that an open Bible might provide a clue to his death:
"An open Bible lent a twist of irony Monday to the bludgeon slaying of a 79-year-old man found beaten to death at his home Sunday night.
Police said an open Bible, with the victim's glasses neatly folded on top of it, was found beside the body of John Victor Johnson. He was a widower who made a practice of lending money to others.
The Bible was opened to the 15th and 16th chapters of Jeremiah. One verse, in which Jeremiah speaks to the Lord, read: "I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me."
The case was never solved.
= = = =
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, his granddaughter
• Hilma Sofia b. 1870 married Viktor August Eriksson Pellfolk
• Axel Adrian b. 1871 to USA 18 Jul 1890
• Hilda Cecilia b. 1874 to Föglö, Åland Isles, Finland (later to USA)
• Johan Viktor b. 1876, d. 1879
• Frans Oskar b. 1878 to USA Florida, died in Florida 1904
• Johan Viktor b. 1881 signed on a ship in 1899, to America 1900
• Josef Henrik b. 1883, d. 1886
• Mathilda Fransiska b. 1884, to USA 1903 married A. Finney, d. 1967
• Josef Arnold b. 1887 married Aino Juliana Fredriksdotter Sjöblom.
At the time of his birth, the Finnish people had faced extreme political and economic hardship for many years. A combination of Russian rule, forced military conscription, and harsh economic conditions had forced many Finnish people to emigrate. As a young man, he realized that the opportunities in Finland for advanced schooling were very limited. Enlisting with the mercantile marine was possibly the only way he could further his education.
Victor enrolled at the Åland Island Mercantile Marine office at Vårdö at the age of 18 on December 6, 1899. The Åland Mercantile Marine sailed under the Russian Flag because Finland was under Russian rule at that time. His Fräjdebok (inscription document) lists information about his service, the ports of call, and the names of the large sailing ships on which he served as ship's carpenter, second mate, and constable. He immigrated to the USA at Ship Island (near Biloxi, Mississippi) in 1905, at the end of his first term of service.
He paid for his younger sister Mathilda's fare from Finland to the USA in 1903. Like many other Scandinavian immigrants, Mathilda settled in Minnesota, where she married Alfred John Finne (Finney), a Swedish American. Another sister Hilda Cecilia Johansdotter Bäckman immigrated to Minnesota in 1900.
It was a common practice for American immigrants to Anglicize their names. Victor changed his name to "John Victor Johnson." Unlike most other Scandinavian immigrants who settled in the northern states, however, he settled in Florida, perhaps because his brother Frans Oskar had already settled there. Victor's older brother Axel Adrian changed his name to Axel Johnson after he immigrated to Michigan in 1890.
Victor married Eva Pearl Adams, who was from the Anthony, Florida area. They relocated to South Carolina, where he held various jobs, including presenting a "Magic Lantern" show. Their daughters Edna Victorine (April 1908 -1933) and Martha Windla (November 18, 1910 - January 4, 2000) were born there. They returned to Florida, where he was foreman of the Tilghman Cypress Company in Lukens, near Cedar Key, a coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico, where their son John Victor "Vic" (December 1912 - October 13, 1989) was born. Eva died on March 26, 1915 from a massive infection, possibly uremic poisoning. She is buried in the Anthony Cemetery (Anthony, Marion County), near where she and Victor had owned a farm.
After Eva's death, Victor was a 34-year-old man with three young children to raise.
He met Katie Frances DuBose during one of her frequent visits to her sister Bessie DuBose Davis in Cedar Key. They were married on April 2, 1916 in Worthington Springs. Katie was the daughter of Samuel Wiles ("Wiles") DuBose (February 22, 1854 - March 8, 1936) and Susan Alice Pinkston DuBose (January 11, 1861 - August 30, 1902). She was born on December 27, 1894 at her parents' home on Olustee Creek, near Providence, Florida. Her parents owned an orange grove on the Olustee Creek. The family moved to Worthington Springs after devastating freezes destroyed their grove in 1895 and 1896.
Katie and Victor had two children, Elmer Hunter Johnson (January 11, 1917 - February 27, 2007) and Alice Lucille Johnson (November 6, 1920 - February 6, 2012). The family moved to Sumner in 1920, where Victor was the foreman of the Cummer Lumber Company. He was subsequently foreman of the Tidewater Cypress Company in Bridge End (later Osceola) and the pine mill in Groveland. The family settled in Sanford, where the children grew up.
Victor was a partner in a meat market in Sanford with a man named John Stemper. The family also had a farm. Victor and Katie moved to Jacksonville after 1940. He built several houses and did carpentry work. He owned two houses in the Beaver Street area. Katie became ill (melanoma) and died on December 3, 1952.
Victor enlisted with the Mercantile Marine and left Finland during a time of mass emigration. Perhaps he only wanted to further his education. Perhaps economic conditions or the possibility of forced conscription influenced his decision. Or maybe a powerful desire for adventure motivated him to explore the world. Although he did not enjoy the financial success that he might have hoped for in America, he led an interesting and productive life. He witnessed many changes in the world during his life and experienced both happiness and tragedy.
Unfortunately, his life ended tragically. He was murdered during an apparent burglary at his home on November 3, 1960. A newspaper article suggested that an open Bible might provide a clue to his death:
"An open Bible lent a twist of irony Monday to the bludgeon slaying of a 79-year-old man found beaten to death at his home Sunday night.
Police said an open Bible, with the victim's glasses neatly folded on top of it, was found beside the body of John Victor Johnson. He was a widower who made a practice of lending money to others.
The Bible was opened to the 15th and 16th chapters of Jeremiah. One verse, in which Jeremiah speaks to the Lord, read: "I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me."
The case was never solved.
= = = =
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, his granddaughter
John Victor ("Victor") Johnson was born "Johan Viktor Johansson Bäckman" on April 30, 1881 in the parish of Sideby on the western coast of Finland, a Swedish-Finn community. His parents were Johan Jakob Gustafsson Bäckman and Wendla Sofia Abrahamsdotter Högback. Five of the seven children in his family who lived to adulthood immigrated to America.
• Hilma Sofia b. 1870 married Viktor August Eriksson Pellfolk
• Axel Adrian b. 1871 to USA 18 Jul 1890
• Hilda Cecilia b. 1874 to Föglö, Åland Isles, Finland (later to USA)
• Johan Viktor b. 1876, d. 1879
• Frans Oskar b. 1878 to USA Florida, died in Florida 1904
• Johan Viktor b. 1881 signed on a ship in 1899, to America 1900
• Josef Henrik b. 1883, d. 1886
• Mathilda Fransiska b. 1884, to USA 1903 married A. Finney, d. 1967
• Josef Arnold b. 1887 married Aino Juliana Fredriksdotter Sjöblom.
At the time of his birth, the Finnish people had faced extreme political and economic hardship for many years. A combination of Russian rule, forced military conscription, and harsh economic conditions had forced many Finnish people to emigrate. As a young man, he realized that the opportunities in Finland for advanced schooling were very limited. Enlisting with the mercantile marine was possibly the only way he could further his education.
Victor enrolled at the Åland Island Mercantile Marine office at Vårdö at the age of 18 on December 6, 1899. The Åland Mercantile Marine sailed under the Russian Flag because Finland was under Russian rule at that time. His Fräjdebok (inscription document) lists information about his service, the ports of call, and the names of the large sailing ships on which he served as ship's carpenter, second mate, and constable. He immigrated to the USA at Ship Island (near Biloxi, Mississippi) in 1905, at the end of his first term of service.
He paid for his younger sister Mathilda's fare from Finland to the USA in 1903. Like many other Scandinavian immigrants, Mathilda settled in Minnesota, where she married Alfred John Finne (Finney), a Swedish American. Another sister Hilda Cecilia Johansdotter Bäckman immigrated to Minnesota in 1900.
It was a common practice for American immigrants to Anglicize their names. Victor changed his name to "John Victor Johnson." Unlike most other Scandinavian immigrants who settled in the northern states, however, he settled in Florida, perhaps because his brother Frans Oskar had already settled there. Victor's older brother Axel Adrian changed his name to Axel Johnson after he immigrated to Michigan in 1890.
Victor married Eva Pearl Adams, who was from the Anthony, Florida area. They relocated to South Carolina, where he held various jobs, including presenting a "Magic Lantern" show. Their daughters Edna Victorine (April 1908 -1933) and Martha Windla (November 18, 1910 - January 4, 2000) were born there. They returned to Florida, where he was foreman of the Tilghman Cypress Company in Lukens, near Cedar Key, a coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico, where their son John Victor "Vic" (December 1912 - October 13, 1989) was born. Eva died on March 26, 1915 from a massive infection, possibly uremic poisoning. She is buried in the Anthony Cemetery (Anthony, Marion County), near where she and Victor had owned a farm.
After Eva's death, Victor was a 34-year-old man with three young children to raise.
He met Katie Frances DuBose during one of her frequent visits to her sister Bessie DuBose Davis in Cedar Key. They were married on April 2, 1916 in Worthington Springs. Katie was the daughter of Samuel Wiles ("Wiles") DuBose (February 22, 1854 - March 8, 1936) and Susan Alice Pinkston DuBose (January 11, 1861 - August 30, 1902). She was born on December 27, 1894 at her parents' home on Olustee Creek, near Providence, Florida. Her parents owned an orange grove on the Olustee Creek. The family moved to Worthington Springs after devastating freezes destroyed their grove in 1895 and 1896.
Katie and Victor had two children, Elmer Hunter Johnson (January 11, 1917 - February 27, 2007) and Alice Lucille Johnson (November 6, 1920 - February 6, 2012). The family moved to Sumner in 1920, where Victor was the foreman of the Cummer Lumber Company. He was subsequently foreman of the Tidewater Cypress Company in Bridge End (later Osceola) and the pine mill in Groveland. The family settled in Sanford, where the children grew up.
Victor was a partner in a meat market in Sanford with a man named John Stemper. The family also had a farm. Victor and Katie moved to Jacksonville after 1940. He built several houses and did carpentry work. He owned two houses in the Beaver Street area. Katie became ill (melanoma) and died on December 3, 1952.
Victor enlisted with the Mercantile Marine and left Finland during a time of mass emigration. Perhaps he only wanted to further his education. Perhaps economic conditions or the possibility of forced conscription influenced his decision. Or maybe a powerful desire for adventure motivated him to explore the world. Although he did not enjoy the financial success that he might have hoped for in America, he led an interesting and productive life. He witnessed many changes in the world during his life and experienced both happiness and tragedy.
Unfortunately, his life ended tragically. He was murdered during an apparent burglary at his home on November 3, 1960. A newspaper article suggested that an open Bible might provide a clue to his death:
"An open Bible lent a twist of irony Monday to the bludgeon slaying of a 79-year-old man found beaten to death at his home Sunday night.
Police said an open Bible, with the victim's glasses neatly folded on top of it, was found beside the body of John Victor Johnson. He was a widower who made a practice of lending money to others.
The Bible was opened to the 15th and 16th chapters of Jeremiah. One verse, in which Jeremiah speaks to the Lord, read: "I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me."
The case was never solved.
= = = =
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, his granddaughter
• Hilma Sofia b. 1870 married Viktor August Eriksson Pellfolk
• Axel Adrian b. 1871 to USA 18 Jul 1890
• Hilda Cecilia b. 1874 to Föglö, Åland Isles, Finland (later to USA)
• Johan Viktor b. 1876, d. 1879
• Frans Oskar b. 1878 to USA Florida, died in Florida 1904
• Johan Viktor b. 1881 signed on a ship in 1899, to America 1900
• Josef Henrik b. 1883, d. 1886
• Mathilda Fransiska b. 1884, to USA 1903 married A. Finney, d. 1967
• Josef Arnold b. 1887 married Aino Juliana Fredriksdotter Sjöblom.
At the time of his birth, the Finnish people had faced extreme political and economic hardship for many years. A combination of Russian rule, forced military conscription, and harsh economic conditions had forced many Finnish people to emigrate. As a young man, he realized that the opportunities in Finland for advanced schooling were very limited. Enlisting with the mercantile marine was possibly the only way he could further his education.
Victor enrolled at the Åland Island Mercantile Marine office at Vårdö at the age of 18 on December 6, 1899. The Åland Mercantile Marine sailed under the Russian Flag because Finland was under Russian rule at that time. His Fräjdebok (inscription document) lists information about his service, the ports of call, and the names of the large sailing ships on which he served as ship's carpenter, second mate, and constable. He immigrated to the USA at Ship Island (near Biloxi, Mississippi) in 1905, at the end of his first term of service.
He paid for his younger sister Mathilda's fare from Finland to the USA in 1903. Like many other Scandinavian immigrants, Mathilda settled in Minnesota, where she married Alfred John Finne (Finney), a Swedish American. Another sister Hilda Cecilia Johansdotter Bäckman immigrated to Minnesota in 1900.
It was a common practice for American immigrants to Anglicize their names. Victor changed his name to "John Victor Johnson." Unlike most other Scandinavian immigrants who settled in the northern states, however, he settled in Florida, perhaps because his brother Frans Oskar had already settled there. Victor's older brother Axel Adrian changed his name to Axel Johnson after he immigrated to Michigan in 1890.
Victor married Eva Pearl Adams, who was from the Anthony, Florida area. They relocated to South Carolina, where he held various jobs, including presenting a "Magic Lantern" show. Their daughters Edna Victorine (April 1908 -1933) and Martha Windla (November 18, 1910 - January 4, 2000) were born there. They returned to Florida, where he was foreman of the Tilghman Cypress Company in Lukens, near Cedar Key, a coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico, where their son John Victor "Vic" (December 1912 - October 13, 1989) was born. Eva died on March 26, 1915 from a massive infection, possibly uremic poisoning. She is buried in the Anthony Cemetery (Anthony, Marion County), near where she and Victor had owned a farm.
After Eva's death, Victor was a 34-year-old man with three young children to raise.
He met Katie Frances DuBose during one of her frequent visits to her sister Bessie DuBose Davis in Cedar Key. They were married on April 2, 1916 in Worthington Springs. Katie was the daughter of Samuel Wiles ("Wiles") DuBose (February 22, 1854 - March 8, 1936) and Susan Alice Pinkston DuBose (January 11, 1861 - August 30, 1902). She was born on December 27, 1894 at her parents' home on Olustee Creek, near Providence, Florida. Her parents owned an orange grove on the Olustee Creek. The family moved to Worthington Springs after devastating freezes destroyed their grove in 1895 and 1896.
Katie and Victor had two children, Elmer Hunter Johnson (January 11, 1917 - February 27, 2007) and Alice Lucille Johnson (November 6, 1920 - February 6, 2012). The family moved to Sumner in 1920, where Victor was the foreman of the Cummer Lumber Company. He was subsequently foreman of the Tidewater Cypress Company in Bridge End (later Osceola) and the pine mill in Groveland. The family settled in Sanford, where the children grew up.
Victor was a partner in a meat market in Sanford with a man named John Stemper. The family also had a farm. Victor and Katie moved to Jacksonville after 1940. He built several houses and did carpentry work. He owned two houses in the Beaver Street area. Katie became ill (melanoma) and died on December 3, 1952.
Victor enlisted with the Mercantile Marine and left Finland during a time of mass emigration. Perhaps he only wanted to further his education. Perhaps economic conditions or the possibility of forced conscription influenced his decision. Or maybe a powerful desire for adventure motivated him to explore the world. Although he did not enjoy the financial success that he might have hoped for in America, he led an interesting and productive life. He witnessed many changes in the world during his life and experienced both happiness and tragedy.
Unfortunately, his life ended tragically. He was murdered during an apparent burglary at his home on November 3, 1960. A newspaper article suggested that an open Bible might provide a clue to his death:
"An open Bible lent a twist of irony Monday to the bludgeon slaying of a 79-year-old man found beaten to death at his home Sunday night.
Police said an open Bible, with the victim's glasses neatly folded on top of it, was found beside the body of John Victor Johnson. He was a widower who made a practice of lending money to others.
The Bible was opened to the 15th and 16th chapters of Jeremiah. One verse, in which Jeremiah speaks to the Lord, read: "I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me."
The case was never solved.
= = = =
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, his granddaughter
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