University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Johnston, John, 1836-1904.

Family papers, 1855-1930.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BL

.8 cubic ft. (1 archives box, and 2 small archives boxes)


ABSTRACT: The John Johnston papers include correspondence and diaries of John Johnston and his family. The correspondence, 1855-1930, is almost all personal letters between John Johnston and his second wife, Ethelinda. There are also letters of John and Ethelinda Johnston to and from their children, Hilda and John T. Johnston. In the 1850s and 1860s, John Johnston received letters from his family in Scotland, particularly his brother, George. There is a small group of letters to John Johnston from his uncle, Alexander Mitchell, which includes some information on business matters. These Mitchell letters are dated:

Also included in the collection are a few business papers, and there is some ephemeral material. The diaries of John, Ethelinda, John T., and Hilda Johnston are primarily concerning their various European trips.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: John Johnston, the son of George and Margaret Mitchell Johnston, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on June 8, 1836. He attended the University of Aberdeen, where he received a Master of Arts degree in 1855. In 1856 he immigrated to Milwaukee at the urging of his uncle, Alexander Mitchell. His first position in Milwaukee was as general bookkeeper at the Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company Bank, which was managed by Alexander Mitchell. He advanced to the position of cashier and retired in 1893. after the bank panic of 1893, Mr. Johnston resumed his position as cashier under the reorganized bank, renamed the Marine National Bank, and was vice-president of that institution when he died in 1904.

John Johnston was very active in civic affairs. Positions he held included: president of the Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin; president of the Board of Trustees, State Historical Society of Wisconsin; and trustee and treasurer of Milwaukee College, forerunner of Milwaukee Downer College. He also had other business interests, among them the Milwaukee City railway, the Milwaukee Cement Company, and the Chippewa Valley and Superior Railway. He donated land for a city hospital for Milwaukee in 1893. When a new hospital was built in 1931, it was named the Johnston Emergency Hospital.

Mr. Johnston married Margaret Hunter, a native of Scotland, in 1861. Mrs. Johnston died in 1878, leaving a daughter, Mrs. Edith Mae Cruickshank. In 1881, he married Ethelinda Marie Thorsen of Milwaukee, the daughter of John Thorsen. There were two children, John T. Johnston, who attended the University of Wisconsin, and Lady Hilda Johnston Butterfield, who attended Vassar College.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:
Johnston, John, 1836-1904. Family papers, 1855-1930. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BL. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

Mitchell, John L. (John Lendrum), 1842-1904. Mitchell family papers, 1847-1923. (UWM Manuscript Collection 75)

Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company. Records, 1839-1852. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection X)


ACQUISITION: Presented by Miss Carolinda Waters of New York, New York in December 1961.

PROCESSING: Processed by S. A. Sheppard on November 14, 1966.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:
MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION BL BOX FOLDER
Correspondence, 1855-1877 1 1
Correspondence, 1880-1886 1 2
Correspondence, 1886 1 3-4
Correspondence, 1887-1889 2 1
Correspondence, 1890-1899 2 2
Correspondence, 1900-1902 2 3
Correspondence, 1903-1904 2 4
Correspondence, 1905-1930 2 5
Correspondence, undated 2 6
Ephemera, 1883-1904, undated 2 7
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1892 [volume 1] 3
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1905 [volume 8] 3
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1906 [volume 9] 3
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1907 [volume 11] 3
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1909 [volume 12] 3
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1911 [volume 13] 3
Johnston, Ethelinda T., Diary, 1927 [volume 10] 3
Johnston, Hilda, Diary, 1899 [volume 3] 3
Johnston, Hilda, Diary, 1901 [volume 5] 3
Johnston, Hilda and Jack Johnston, Diary, Kept by Their Aunt, Emma Thorsen, 1889 [volume 2] 3
Johnston, John T., Diary, 1899 [volume 4] 3
Johnston, John T., Diary and Address Book, 1903 [volume 6] 3
Johnston, John T., Notebook, 1903-1904 [volume 7] 3
Miscellaneous Business Papers, 1885-1922 2 8

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Last edited on Thursday, June 26, 2003.
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