The Generation of the Great-Grandparents Pt. 1

The Generation of the Great-Grandparents: Olaf and Tomena Johnson

It has been a while since my last posting on family history. This generation represents a big jump. This is the first generation I have profiled who are no longer with us. Their stories go back a century to a time much different than today. Two-thirds of Americans lived on farms or small towns when they were born. New technologies such as the airplane and the automobile would change their world. They would live through two World Wars and the Great Depression, suffering hardship difficult to imagine. Here are their stories, beginning with Olaf and Tomena Johnson.

Olaf Johnson: August 19, 1905-July 4, 1966

Olaf was:
Kristen and Stephanie’s Great-Grandfather
Valeska’s Grandfather
Jackie’s Father

Olaf Johnson was born on August 19, 1905 in Norse, Texas in Bosque County. He was the son of Norwegian immigrants. He married Tomena Sigrid Knudson on May 31, 1927. They had two children, Jacqueline Charlotte Johnson and Derwood Johnson. Olaf moved to Waco in 1943, where he was a builder and developer. He built the Viking Hills development in Waco, which includes Valeska Drive, which he named after his grand-daughter. He died on July 4, 1966 in Waco, Texas.

Tomena Sigrid Knudson: March 18, 1905-September 25, 1973

Tomena was:
Kristen and Stephanie’s Great-Grandmother
Valeska’s Grandmother
Jackie’s Mother

Tomena was born on March 18, 1905 in Mustang, Bosque County, Texas. She married Olaf Johnson on May 31, 1927. They had two children, Jacqueline Charlotte Johnson and Gene Derwood Johnson. They moved to Waco in 1943. She died in Waco on September 25, 1973. Her first name “Tomena” is Valeska’s middle name.

The following family history of Olaf and Tomena was prepared by Matthew Eric Johnson, who is now a District Judge in Waco, Texas.

Olaf Johnson was born on August 19, 1905 in the Norse Community in Bosque County. He was the son of Matthias Johnson (1867-1952) and wife, Marthe Hanson (1865-1940). He was baptized in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at Norse on Oct. 15, 1905. While he was still a child, his parents moved to Cranfills Gap and transferred their membership to St. Olaf Lutheran Church, where he was confirmed on Sept. 4, 1921.

After graduating from the Cranfills Gap public schools, Olaf attended Draughon’s Business College in Abilene. He and Sigrid Tomena Knudson were married on May 31, 1927 in Clifton by Rev. O.T. Boe, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. Their lifelong friends, William B. Bertelson and Johanna “Jennie” Christensen, were witnesses to the ceremony.

Tomena was born in the Mustang community on March 18, 1905. She was the daughter of George Andrew Knudson (1869-1957) and wife, Oline Hanson (1875-1909). When Tomena was baptized at St. Olaf Lutheran Church on May 21, 1905, she was named after her aunt and baptismal sponsor, Mrs. Ole O. Jermstad nee Asborg Tomena Knudson. She was confirmed in the same congregation on June 6, 1920.

When Tomena was four years old, her mother died and Tomena lived near Clifton for a short time with her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. John Christenson. Tomena attended and completed the Mustang public school and Clifton Junior College. She was employed as a teacher in the Live Oak public school prior to her marriage.

After their marriage, Olaf and Tomena made their home in Cranfills Gap, were two children were born to them, Gene Derwood on July 22, 1929 and Jacqueline Charlotte on May 10, 1932. Olaf was self-employed first as a café operator and later as a grocer in Cranfills Gap.

In the Spring of 1943, the Johnson family moved to Waco and became members of First Lutheran Church. Olaf was first engaged in the small loan business in Waco, and later became a home builder and real estate developer. He built hundreds of homes in Waco and developed several subdivisions including Viking Hills and Sharondale. He was associated with William B. Bertelson and J.L. Broadway in many of his business activities.

Olaf died July 4, 1966 and Tomena died Sept. 25, 1973. They were buried in Waco Memorial Park.