Bio-Johnston, WmSeth

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William Seth Johnston
(1863-1926)

William Seth Johnston was born in 1863 in Brownsville, Licking County, OH, the son of Seth R. and Isabel (Minor) Johnston.

At a young age, Will moved with his parents to nearby Glenford, Perry County, OH. There, he owned the first automobile in the town, and later became partners with his father in the family store. In 1896, the New Lexington Tribune reported that "S.R. Johnston & Co. is a firm of the past; it now reads S.R. Johnston & Son."

On April 25, 1914, at the age of 51, Will married Freda M. Neel ( ? -1960). They had three children, all of whom died young. They also adopted a girl named Katherine and two other local orphans.

Glenford, as seen from a nearby hill in the early 1900s

The online Book of Perry County states that Will was vice president of the Glenford Manufacturing Company. The enterprise, founded in 1904, served as "dealers of lumber and coal and manufacturers of crates, boxes, flooring, siding and planing-mill line... They have a modern and well-equipped plant, give steady employment to twenty hands, and enjoy a large trade which is constantly expanding." His partners in the venture were George E. Ice, D.H. King and George Swinehart.

The Johnstons were members of the St. Paul's Reformed Church in Glenford, seen here in an unusual red-ink postcard image.

William passed away in 1926. At his death, the Somerset Press eulogized that:

     ...Some men live for a while and then when they die they are soon forgotten, people seldom mention their names. But long after he is gone from us people are going to remember William S. Johnston for his sterling qualities.
     ...After the death of his father he took over the business himself. Many a fine young man took his apprenticeship in the grocery business in the Johnston store at Glenford.
     ...Despite a weak constitution and a physical handicap, Mr. Johnston developed a remarkable activity in church and community affairs. He was a member of the local Parent-Teacher association. During the Forward Movement in the Reformed church he served as the local treasurer.
     ...People will remember him as a patient sufferer and a kind husband. His generous, fatherly spirit was shown in the adoption of little Katherine into the home. His desire to be of further help to the unfortunate was evidenced when he and his good wife decided to make a home for two little orphaned boys. This project was however nipped in the bud by his death.

After William died, an inventory of his entire general store was taken, encompassing more than 360 separate items. A copy of the inventory is now in the Minerd-Miner-Minor Archives. It provides a fascinating window into the goods needed by the citizens of Perry County on the eve of the Great Depression.

Freda outlived her husband for more than three decades. She died on Jan. 16, 1960.

Adopted daughter Katherine married a man named Jones and lived out of state as of 1960.

The identities and fates of the two orphaned boys in their home is not known, but will be reported here when learned.