From the land of Denmark came the subject of this article and since his arrival here he has thoroughly espoused the cause of the patriotic American citizen and is one of the valuable additions to Nez Perces County, being a substantial and thrifty farmer located five miles southeast from Melrose.
Andrew C. Johnson was born on March 23, 1847 and his parents were Christ and Mary (Hanson) Johnson, natives of Denmark, and born in 1818 and 1819, and died in 1894 and 1895, respectively. The father was a soldier in Denmark in 1849-1850. Our subject went to work for himself at the early age of sixteen and wrought in Copenhagen and other points until he was twenty-five, when he determined to see the world and accordingly embarked for Greenland, where he worked in the crockery mines for eighteen months and then came to the United States, landing in Philadelphia, whence he came to Omaha, and then to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he wrought on the Union Pacific. He fired for three years and then went to San Francisco and shipped on the Pekin as fireman and sailed to China and other places.
In 1876 he settled in San Jose and farmed for nine years. Then came a journey to Portland where six years were spent in the service of the O. R. & N., inspecting ties and so forth. Then Mr. Johnson settled near Palouse and farmed, for ten years. In the spring of 1896 he came to the reservation and selected his present place, and to the cultivation and improvement of this Mr. Johnson has devoted himself with wisdom and energy, he does a general farming business and also raises stock.
At Walla Walla, in 1884, Mr. Johnson married Miss Margaret, daughter of Antlers and Sine Mikkelsen, natives of Denmark, but immigrants to the United States in 1890. Mrs. Johnson was born in Denmark. Mr. Johnson has the following brothers and sisters, Henry and Nels, in the United States; Ann, Christina, Mary, all in Denmark. Five children have been born to this household, Julia, Mary, Christina, Albert, Mabel.
Mr. Johnson and his wife are faithful members of the Lutheran Church. He is a Republican and is active in the support of those principles, while also he is a staunch supporter of good schools and general advancement.
Source: An Illustrated History of North Idaho: Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho; Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903