Andrew Johnson

Andy was born in Finland 12 February 1864. On his death certificate it said his father was Tög Mickelson of Sweden, and his mother, Maggie, also of Sweden.

When he lived in Finland he made pegs for ships and made nets for fishing.

Two old people arm in arm, standing on the porch of a log home.
My Grandmother Harriett (called Hattie, like my mother) and my Grandfather Andrew (Andy) Johnson at their log home in Seldovia.
The side of a small log house in a snowy field, deciduous trees in front, fir trees behind.
Our log house, Seldovia, 1910. We lived in this house till I was 9 years old.

We heard that he came through Canada from Finland, then came down the Yukon River on a raft with two men. He mined in the Montana and Wyoming Copper mines, then went to Alaska evidently to search for gold. He went on the Chilkoot trail for gold and must have found some as they always had everything they needed. He met Hattie Susanna Bowen, not sure if it was in Kodiak, but they married and had eight girls. He bought the property that was at that time above my great Uncle Rufas’s place, which was where the Morris family built a big house and a store. He sold part of the property to Matt Yuth, who was a friend of the Bowen family.

In 1912 he, with Charles Olssen and Rufas Bowen built our log house. My mother was born while they were building it. The log house had four rooms and an outdoor toilet.Open the document They used Uncle Rufas’s horses to pull the logs from the woods. Grandpa also built a boat in the front yard. They named it Elsie after my mother’s youngest sister.

Grandpa was a tall thin man. He had a white beard. We lived in his log house with him until I was nine years old. At that time he was sick and we moved over the hill to the big white house above the bridge and slough. He always carried around my sister Lavern (Dolly) as she couldn’t see well. I remember him making kindling for the fire. He would use his knife and shave down the stick until he had fine shavings for starting the morning fire. Still sitting by the old wood stove, he would wind the clock. Exactly 9 o’clock he expected everyone to go to bed. He would walk in his sleep and my mother would put wet towels by the door; this would wake him up before he got into the pantry or outside. Once he went into our big pantry, which was off the porch and in it were barrels of peas, beans, rice, etc. And he mixed everything up. That is when the wet towels started.

When Grandpa died, 13 July 1940,Open the document Being the oldest daughter I learned to cook, sew, and watch the his coffin was too short so they had to build him another. I remember walking to the graveyard; I lost my voice for 3 days and couldn’t talk, and there was a lump in my throat. We were all close to him and called him papa.