About twelve miles southeast from Lewiston is the fine wheat farm of the subject of this sketch. It consists of one hundred and sixty acres of fertile soil which annually produces fine dividends of golden grain. He has it well improved and has lived here since 1 896 the date of his advent to Nez Perces County.
Thomas G. was born in Toronto, Canada, on April 25, 1847, being the son of James and Mary (Graham) Johnston. The father was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1811, and came to Canada in 1830. The mother was born in Enniskillen, Ireland, in 1809, and died December 8, 1868.
In his native place our subject was educated and at the age of sixteen started for himself. He learned the blacksmith trade and until 1870 he steadily worked at it in Canada. Then he came to Chicago and thence to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where he wrought at the forge for ten years. The next move was to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he took up land and went to farming, devoting a portion of his time also to his trade. In 1889, he left that country and located in Douglas County, Oregon. He bought a ranch there and was numbered with the thrifty agriculturists until 1896, the date of his coming to Nez Perces County. He selected the farm where he now lives, purchased it and there he has bestowed his labors since that time with gratifying success.
On November 27, 1872, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Mr. Johnston married Miss Mary E. Robinson and two children have been the fruit of the union, Frances M., wife of Alexander Stevenson, in this County; William T., at home. Mrs. Johnston was born in Steuben County, New York, in 1845, to Cyrus and Sarah (Porter) Robinson, natives of New York. Her grandfather was killed in the Revolutionary War and her half brother, S. O. Coddington, her brothers, William and John, and her brother-in-law. Perry Nicholson, were all in the Civil war. She had the following brothers, John, William, deceased, Robert and James.
Mr. Johnston is a member of the I. O. O. F., and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Johnston takes a proper interest in political matters and is allied with the Republican Party.
Back to: Nez Perce Biographies
Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903