William F. Johnson, a man of excellent standing in the community and possessed of keen discrimination and business ability with integrity and honor of high degree, is the owner of one of the most valuable estates in Nez Perces County and which is handled with all the skill and energy to make it a first class twentieth century farm. This valuable estate consists of three hundred and twenty acres in section seventeen and four hundred and eighty acres in section sixteen, township thirty-three and range two, east, it being a little over one mile south of Nez Perce. Mr. Johnson has a large band of hogs, plenty of other stock for the farm and is raising the cereals and other crops adapted to the climate. He has over twelve hundred fruit trees, all kinds of shrubbery and other useful plants and his farm is provided with an elegant nine room house, a commodious barn and other improvements necessary.
William F. Johnson was born in Benton County, Iowa, on September 30, 1872, being the son of Stephen and Elizabeth (Hardinger) Johnson. He grew up on a farm, received a good education from the common schools and on December 25, 1895, in his native place, Mr. Johnson married Miss Hattie, daughter of Samuel and Alary (Tanner) Long, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Long were married in Ohio and came to Benton County, where Mrs. Johnson was born on July 8, 1871. Her parents both died in Iowa. Mr. Johnson received from his father a team and one thousand dollars when he became of age. He at once wisely invested his money in land and farmed there until the year 1900. In that spring he came to the reservation and searched out a place which he purchased and then sold his Iowa place for thirteen thousand dollars. In the fall of 1900 the entire family came out and here Mr. Johnson has resided since. He added the other four hundred and eighty acres by purchase later. The entire farm is under cultivation. Mrs. Johnson is a member of the German Baptist Church and is devout in her adherence to the principles and the support of this organization. Three children, Galen L., Leland M., and Dwight E., have been born to bless this happy marriage and all of them are at home. Mr. Johnson is of exceptionally good standing in the community, is a man of intelligence and intrinsic worth and our County is to be congratulated that he came from the east and settled in our borders.