Legal Documents (Copies), 1877-1957

The Johnson Family Records document various Johnson family enterprises from 1877-1978. The bulk of this collection documents the business affairs of the Bernhard Johnson Mill and the Johnson family farm and trace the development and inter-relationship of these two agribusinesses. The daybooks, cash books, ledgers, and contract books contain a variety of interfiled information such as detailed records of farm and mill laborers (1894-1940); wholesale commodity prices; railroad freight charges; the day to day expenses of the Johnson family. Family correspondence (1920-1924) provides insights into the concerns of farm families during the early 1920’s with discussions on the state of the agricultural economy and family finances. Researchers should note that Box #1, File Folder #2, pages 597-599 provides a list of grocers and feed stores located in Whiteside, Lee, and southern Ogle and DeKalb Counties (December 1903).