Nancy and William J. McClellen
were parents of Nora F. McClellen. On April 10, 1887 she was united in
marriage to Joseph H. Waltermire at the age of =
18 and
Joe was 22 at the time. Two
daughters were born, on November 29, 1889, Mintie
Alice and on November 14, 1892, Katie A. (Post). A baby boy born in 1895 died at
birth. Their mother, Nora F. =
Waltermire passed away at this time also.
In 1906 on December 1 at Lexingt=
on,
Nebraska Alice
Waltermire and John Edward Johnson were married=
. They lived around Etna and Gothenburg, Nebraska
until moving to Montana
in 1914. They sold all their
belongings at a Public Auction and kept only what could be packed and shipp=
ed
by freight to Ingomar, Montana which was the ne=
arest
railroad depot, a distance of about 75 miles from their homestead.
John Johnson had come to what was then Dawson
County, Montana on North Lod=
ge
Pole, took out a Homestead
claim, and built a log house which is still standing. That was in the fall of 1913. He then went back to Nebraska
and made preparations for the family to move to Montana. John stayed and worked awhile and =
Alice
and four children arrived in Ingomar one cold s=
tormy
evening in February 1914. Gra=
ndpa (Joe)
Waltermire met us there with a four horse team =
and
covered wagon with a double bedded box.&nb=
sp;
A tarp was stretched over rounded bows fastened to the wagon box; th=
is
was to keep out wind and rain or snow while traveling. After two days and one night, we a=
rrived
at Grandpas’ place. But=
on
the way when we camped, Grandpa cooked fried potatoes and coffee on the
campfire. The potatoes were b=
urnt
with plenty of dirt and dust blown in while they were being stirred. But they were delicious eating. It seemed that we rode for ages in=
that
high covered wagon, but finally got to Grandpas’ late at night. It has always been a mystery to me=
how
we ever found our way home with only trails for roads and so dark out. I’ve learned later having fo=
ur
good dependable horses that knew the way home and that you could trust their
knowledge to know the way home was a big help in us finding our way. We were a hungry bunch when we
arrived. I’ll never for=
get
how good those Rhutabagas and Spare Ribs tasted=
to us
all. There was cornbread and =
other
good things; that’s the way I remember that first night.
The next several years were not so exciting. We all had to work hard to make a =
livin’ for those long cold winters. We got a milk cow from Grandpa and=
a
team of horses and a heal burner or walking plow to break up some ground fo=
r a
garden and a little grain. I
remember the corn we cut with a corn knife by hand, which was stacked to dry
for cow feed. The dry corn wa=
s used
for chicken feed and also ground for corn meal. We saved the corn cobs along with =
cow
piles for fuel to help out to save on wood which was very scarce. Those were happy years even with a=
ll the
hardships. All us kids grew u=
p and
went our separate ways.
In 1937, Mother and Dad left Garfield
County and moved to Bridger, Montana=
and lived on a ranch owned then by my brother Joe which was known as the Ro=
und
Butte Ranch. The folks had th=
eir
separate house; it was here that John, my Dad, died in May of 1951 at the a=
ge
of 72. Mover lived in Bridger=
until
her failing health caused her to be placed in the rest home in Billings, Montana
where she passed away in June 1966.
The following is a list of the children of John and Al=
ice (Waltermire) Johnson.
=
1. Joseph
Edward Johnson was married and has six children. His wife Phyllis passed away when =
the
children were small. They are=
all
grown and married at this time. Joe
now lives at Hardin=
, MT.
=
2. Ruby
Marie (Johnson) Hughes is widowed and now lives at <=
st1:City
w:st=3D"on">Hot Springs, MT.=
Ruby and husband Bill had six chil=
dren,
all married now. Bill passed =
away
August 30, 1975. (afternote=
:
Ruby passed away Aug. 12, 1994.
=
3. Wayne
Howard Johnson is married. He=
and
his wife, Eva, live at Santa C=
ruz,
California.
=
4. Hale
Lee Johnson passed away in 1919 at Dilo, MT.
=
5. Ivor Leo Johnson is married. He and his wife, Margaret, live at=
Billings, MT. They have two children, one marrie=
d and
one unmarried.
&nbs=
p;
Written by Ruby Marie (Johnson) Hughes before 1994.