1921 Duluth & St Louis County MN, Van Brunt.pdf - Garon.us

814 DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Hibbing. In 1909 he centralized his business at Virginia, where he has
since maintained his residence and headquarters and where he has
achieved a success that is on a parity with his energy and progressiveness
and also with his unqualified personal popularity. From a newspaper
article published in 1915 have been taken the following interesting
statements
:
"In a canvass of the state talking-machine authorities have discovered
that the Johnson Supply Company of Virginia is the oldest talking-machine
firm in Minnesota. Nineteen years ago Carl R. Johnson, present
manager of the company, and his former associate, H. A. Nelson, of
Duiuth, began selling talking-machines, and the company has continuously
sold talking-machines ever since. Another remarkable incident is that
hey have during all this time handled the Columbia line exclusively. Mr.
Johnson can undoubtedly relate many experiences from the early history
of the talking-machine business. He has seen it grow from almost nothing
to one of the largest musical industries in the country."
Imbued to the fullest extent with the true American spirit, Mr. Johnson
has been a naturalized citizen since June 10, 1902—or since he was
twenty-three years of age. In that year also his parents came to this country,
but both are now deceased. While a resident of Eveleth Mr. Johnson
served as a member of the city Board of Aldermen, and at Virginia
he is now serving efficiently as chairman of the Board of Education,
besides which he is a director on the Board of Trustees of the Virginia
Public Library and is serving as secretary of this board. He is a charter
member of the local Kiwanis Club, is a Republican in politics, and he is
a communicant and officer of the Swedish Lutheran Church. During the
nation's participation in the World war Mr. Johnson took an active part
in support of the various Governmental loans and other Governmental
agencies, and was an officer of the Virginia Motor Corps.
On the 9th of May, 1909, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Johnson
to Miss Gertrude B. Baker, of Kiron, Iowa, and they became the parents
of three children—William Norris, Norman and Robert Stanley. Mrs.
Johnson passed to the life eternal on the 16th of June, 1920, secure in the
aflFectionate regard of all who had come within the sphere of her gracious
influence, and of the three sons the second, Norman, is likewise deceased.
Mark Elliott. The varied phases of the industrial life of Mark Elliott,
a prominent and successful citizen of Virginia, are deserving of
more than passing notice, inasmuch as he has created for himself a more
than ordinarily active position in this part of the state of Minnesota,
being general superintendent of the Interstate Iron Company at Virginia.
Mr. Elliott was born at Galena, Illinois, April 1, 1865, a son of Thomas
and Dorothy (Grindy) Elliott, native of England. While yet a lad
Thomas Elliott came to the United States, was married in this country,
and for several years followed farming as a means of livelihood. In
the fall of 1873 he and his family moved to Michigan, and he became
engaged at mining in Negaunee, working for the Iron Clifi^s Company,
and in that place he spent the remainder of his life.
Mark Elliott is the second of five sons born to his parents, but two of
whom are now living, and his early years were passed on his father s
farm, where he assisted in agricultural operations. On his parents taking
up residence at Negaunee, Michigan, he attended the public schools
until he was about fifteen years old, at this time starting out for him-
self and working as a telegraph messenger for the Western Union Telegraph
Company. Later he learned telegraphy, and after he had become
proficient along that line of activity he was located for a time at Cascade