Johnson, James C.

In 1903 James Curtis Johnson came to Kemper County from Fulton, Kentucky, to set up and operate J.C. Johnson Lumber Company. In 1904 he moved his family and built a home in Scooba. This was a complete operation with a sawmill, planer mill and dry kiln with much of the finished lumber being shipped up north, primarily to Chicago, by rail. The two oldest sons, Neely and Dale, were involved in the business and daughter, Ona, ran the office and kept the books.

James Curtis Johnson and Jane Neely Johnson with their children in 1915. Seated left to right: Glenn Johnson, James Curtis Johnson, Jane Neely Johnson and Gerald Johnson. Standing left to right: Ona Elizabeth, Neely, Dale and Bernice Johnson

The J.C. Johnson home in Scooba

Mrs. J.C. Johnson in her buggy in front of the Johnson home in Scooba, 1920

Ona and Bernice Johnson, daughters of J.C. and Mary Jane "Jenny" Johnson.

Ona Elizabeth Johnson Boyd in her high school graduation dress. She was the first lady to drive a car in Scooba; organized the first Boy Scout troop in Kemper County; and was the first scout master. She was involved in many activities during her 89 years. She was an avid Kemper County historian and her historical collection is now part of the library at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi. She is the mother of Beth Boyd Bounds of DeKalb.

From "Kemper County, Mississippi - A Pictorial History", placed here with permission by the Kemper County Historical Commission.