Johnson, Charles Ellis, 1857-1926

Charles Ellis Johnson was born on March 21, 1857 to Joseph and Eliza Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1860 young Charles and his mother moved to Salt Lake City. In 1861 Joseph and his two other wives joined them, but Joseph did not like city life and soon thereafter the family moved to Utah Valley. In 1866 they moved even further south to St. George. As a boy Charles had a variety of interests including printing, botany, Indians, and the theater. In St. George he met Ruth Young, a daughter of Brigham Young, and the two were married in 1878. The couple had three children, but would eventually live separate lives. In 1882 they moved to Salt Lake City where Charles worked as a druggist for ZCMI. In 1889 he and Parley P. Pratt went into business operating a drug store. Charles began to dabble in photography and in 1893 he took over the photo studio of Hyrum Sainsbury. Johnson quickly became known as the unofficial photographer of the Salt Lake City theater. He took many glamour photographs of actresses and even artistic nudes and risqué stereoviews. In 1897 he met and became friends with the actress Lydia Manreouv Montford who was performing in Salt Lake City. In 1903 Montford returned to Utah and the two left to photograph the Holy Land with the intention of selling the views at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Johnson apparently made little money and he returned to Utah where his business was languishing. Johnson remained a studio photographer and druggist in Salt Lake City for many years. He moved to California in 1917 and died on February 21, 1926.

From the guide to the C.E. Johnson photograph collection, 1860-1920, 1893-1910, (Utah State University. Merrill-Cazier Library. Special Collections and Archives)

Mr. Johnson came across the plains in 1861.

From the description of Autobiography. (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 122653383

Dr. Charles F. Johnson was born in 1857. He graduated from Chicago Medical College in 1889 and soon married. He left on a Presbyterian medical mission in 1890 and after working briefly at a mission in Qingdao, joined a group who planned to extend the mission farther north of the upper Yang-tze River at Yizhou Fu. Once the American station in Yizhou Fu was completed in 1891, Dr. Johnson's wife and daughter joined him. Another daughter was born to them the next year, and five years later a son. After six years at the Yizhou Fu mission, the Johnsons returned home to Illinois in 1897, where Mrs. Johnson and the children remained for two years, while Dr. Johnson returned to Yizhou Fu. One year after his return however, Dr. Johnson was forced to abandon his medical mission in Yizhou Fu and flee the Boxer Rebellion, evacuating to Qingdao. All of the medical mission's property was destroyed or stolen by the rebels. From this point until the Japanese invasion of northern China in 1938, Dr. Johnson directed a rapidly growing medical mission that culminated in 1911 with the erection of Union Medical College, Jinan. Johnson served as director of UMC and later as the head of the Chinese Medical Missionaries' Association. The beginning of WWII ended his work and he left China permanently in 1942.

From the description of Dr. Charles F. Johnson papers, 1879-1944. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 53815237

Photographer in Salt Lake City, Utah from ca. 1884 to 1917 when he closed his studio and moved to San Jose, California. He was a partner in the photography business with Hyrum Sainsbury from ca. 1884 to 1893.

From the description of The Charles Ellis Johnson Photograph Collection, ca. 1884-ca. 1926. (Brigham Young University). WorldCat record id: 367577580

Charles Ellis Johnson was born March 21, 1857 to Joseph and Eliza Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1860 Charles and his mother moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Joseph and his two other wives joined them in 1861, but soon thereafter the family moved to Utah Valley. In 1866 they moved to St. George, Utah. In St. George, Charles met Ruth Young, and the two were married in 1878. The couple had three children, but would eventually live separate lives. In 1882 they moved to Salt Lake City where Charles worked as a druggist for ZCMI. In 1889 he and Parley P. Pratt went into business operating a drug store. Charles took over the photo studio of Hyrum Sainsbury in 1893. He quickly became known as the unofficial photographer of the Salt Lake City theater. Charles Johnson remained a studio photographer and druggist in Salt Lake City for many years. He moved to California in 1917 and died February 21, 1926.

From the description of C.E. Johnson photograph collection, 1860-1920 (bulk 1893-1910). (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 50989476

"Charles Ellis Johnson was born on March 21, 1857 to Joseph and Eliza Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1860 young Charles and his mother moved to Salt Lake City. In 1861 Joseph and his two other wives joined them, but Joseph did not like city life and soon thereafter the family moved to Utah Valley. In 1866 they moved even further south to St. George. As a boy Charles had a variety of interests including printing, botany, Indians, and the theater. In St. George he met Ruth Young, a daughter of Brigham Young, and the two were married in 1878. The couple had three children, but would eventually live separate lives. In 1882 they moved to Salt Lake City where Charles worked as a druggist for ZCMI. In 1889 he and Parley P. Pratt went into business operating a drug store. Charles began to dabble in photography and in 1893 he took over the photo studio of Hyrum Sainsbury. Johnson quickly became known as the unofficial photographer of the Salt Lake City theater. He took many glamour photographs of actresses and even artistic nudes and risqué stereoviews. In 1897 he met and became friends with the actress Lydia Manreouv Montford who was performing in Salt Lake City. In 1903 Montford returned to Utah and the two left to photograph the Holy Land with the intention of selling the views at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Johnson apparently made little money and he returned to Utah where his business was languishing. Johnson remained a studio photographer and druggist in Salt Lake City for many years. He moved to California in 1917 and died on February 21, 1926."http://library.usu.edu/specol/photoarchive/p0011.html.

From the description of C.E. Johnson photographs, ca. 1884-1926. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 368009049

Dr. Charles F. Johnson's parents migrated as pioneers to northern Illinois, settling near Chicago shortly before his birth in 1857. After maturing through a regimen of school, church and work on the family farm, Dr. Johnson graduated with his MD from Chicago Medical College (now part of Northwestern University) in 1889. He then soon married, leaving alone on a Presbyterian medical mission in 1890 and beginning a long career as a Christian educator in China.

After working briefly at a mission in Tsingtau, Dr. Johnson joined a small group of missionaries who planned to extend the mission farther into the wilderness of the upper Yang-tze River at Ichowfu. Once the American station in Ichowfu was completed in 1891, Dr. Johnson's wife joined him there, bringing along their recently first-born daughter. Another girl was born to them the following year, and five years later the couple also had their first son. After six continuous years of working at the Ichowfu mission, the Johnsons enjoyed a furlough at home in Illinois from Autumn, 1897, through Spring, 1899, where Mrs. Johnson and the children remained for two years in order for the young girls to receive American schooling, while Dr. Johnson recommenced his work at Ichowfu.

One year after his return from the U.S., however, Dr. Johnson was forced to abandon his medical mission in Ichowfu and to flee the Boxer Rebellion. Evacuating downriver to Tsingtau (which was held by German garrisons), Dr. Johnson waited out the insurrection and was rejoined there by his wife and children in April, 1901.

Still concerned for his family's safety following the uprising, Dr. Johnson secured his wife and son in Tsingtau, enrolled the girls in a British finishing school in Shanghai, and returned to the mission at Ichowfu. Although his immediate group surprisingly had endured no human casualties, all of the medical mission's property was either destroyed or stolen by the rebels. After he worked for six months to begin the mission's reconstruction, Dr. Johnson then spent six months with his family in Shanghai before returning with his wife and son to Ichowfu in early 1902.

From this point until the Japanese invasion of northern China in 1938, Dr. Johnson directed a rapidly growing medical mission that culminated in September, 1911, with the erection of Union Medical College, Tsinan. Dr. Johnson served as director of UMC and later as the head of the Chinese Medical Missionaries' Association. The beginning of WWII brought an end to his work there, however, and he apparently left China permanently in 1942 after a network of his Chinese and American acqaintances helped him through Japanese forces and secretly sent him back to the U.S.

From the guide to the Dr. Charles F. Johnson papers, 1879-1944, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)