Harlow S. Johnson
Harlow S. Johnson, Health Officer, Ravenna, was born February 1, 1821, in Nelson, this county. His father, Alanson Johnson, a native of Litchfield, Conn., was a great-grandson of the famous Sir William Johnson, who took great part in settling a colony in the Mohawk Valley, N. Y. The town of Whitehall, Washington Co., N. Y., was built on an estate of the family. Alanson Johnson was a cousin to Richard M. Johnson, late Vice-President of the United States, and also to Mrs. Martin Van Buren, and was second cousin to President Andrew Johnson. He married Miss Betsey Northrop, of Cornwall, Conn., a descendant through her grandmother of the family of Sir Francis Drake, and one of the oldest Puritan families of New England. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and in 1816 they came to this county, and settled in Nelson. Of their five children Mrs. Elizabeth S. Spencer now lives in Windham, this county; Mrs. Antoinette Couch, of Nelson, died July 6, 1884, aged seventy; Mrs. Julia Hunt, of Nelson, died April 6, 1884, aged sixty-six, and one daughter died in childhood. The father and mother lived the lives of useful pioneers and were honored by a large circle of friends. She died March 6, 1877, aged eighty-three. He died January 2, 1880, aged eighty-eight. Our subject was their only son. He married Miss Emily Baldwin, of Nelson, August 22, 1844. She was born October 19, 1827, and is a daughter of Stephen Baldwin, who was among the earliest settlers of that township, having come from Granville, Mass., in 1803. Her mother's maiden name was Hannah Clark, a native of Cornwall, Conn. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born four children: Loren Alanson, Auditor of the freight department of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, Cleveland, Ohio; Andrew J., in Warren, Ohio, inventor of a successful fire-escape and Superintendent of the Warren Fire Escape Company; Frank H. (deceased), late journalist. Bay City, Mich., and an infant (deceased). After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Johnson resided on their farm until 1872, when they sold out and located in Ravenna. Our subject has held the position of Health Officer of the city since 1880. He is discharging his duties faithfully and efficiently and has put the city in first-class sanitary condition. Mr. Johnson is a life long Democrat. Mrs. Johnson is a consistent member of the Congregational Church.
From History of Portage County, Ohio, Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885