Brief History
Benjamin Samuel Johnson and Susan Elvira Martineau
Prepared by a son Samuel Joseph Johnson
And the Lord said, "And these I will make my rulers." He could well have been referring to Benjamin S. Johnson and Susan Elvira Martineau Johnson, for true to their convictions and their calling they lived out their second estate, in righteousness and when the Lord called them home, I know, He must have said, "Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into thy Joy."
Benjamin Samuel Johnson was born on the 20th day of April, 1853, at Santiquin, Utah. Susan Elvira Martineau was born on the 14th day of August, 1856, at Parawan, Utah. Much could be said of the lineage of these stalwarts of Righteousness, but a record of their ancestors is contained in other biographies.
During the year of 1874, this couple was married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Daniel H. Wells. Shortly after this marriage, President Brigham Young issued a call for missionaries to go into the state of Arizona, and there, settle the country and preach the gospel. This call came to many of the saints, including this newly married couple, Sam and Elvira. This group of colonizers and missionaries left Logan, Utah, on the 7th day of March, 1876, and traveled southward for about three months, arriving at Tuba City or Moencoppy as it was then called. Here many of the group stayed while others traveled on. Ben and Elvira, as they were known, made their first home in Moencoppy. Here Ben was put in charge of all farming activities and Elvira was in charge of the kitchen. Here in Moencoppy they did much work among the Indians and became very efficient in the speaking of the Indian language. While in this little community, Ben S. Johnson planted many fruit trees, he had brought with him from Utah. I (S.J. Johnson) recall that just prior to Father's death, I took him back to Moencoppy and there we saw the trees loaded with fruit and from the Indians there we secured a basket full of apples from these same trees that Father planted.
While living and doing missionary work among the Hopies, Father had many exciting and dangerous experiences with the Indians. Once a band of Hopi Indians with painted faces came into our camp and brought a young Indian man and said they wished to see the leader of the settlement. Brother Brown (Bishop Brown) came forward and the Indians said, "This young man has stolen and killed some of your cattle. He is no good. Kill him, stone him or skin him just as you wish." Bishop Brown stated, "We wish to do nothing to the boy. If he has stolen our cattle, just return to us the number killed and that is all we ask." Then the chief spoke. "No, this boy did not kill your cattle, but your boys killed two of our cattle, so you give us two beef and we will go away peacefully." Father often remarked how disappointed the warriors were that Brother Brown had not imposed a stiffer sentence on the Indian boy who was supposed to have done the killing.
A few years later Father moved to Lone Pine. This trip took them along the Little Colorado River, through the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. At Lone Pine, he set up a shingle mill and built a log house to live in. Here they farmed, raising potatoes and corn. As Indian trouble was always to guarded against, it was the duty of Luellen Harris to ride the ridges and guard against raids. He and this group of saints had a wonderful time, with corn roasts, baked potato roasts and barbeques. One day the joy and silence that had prevailed throughout the community was broken. About 4:00 a.m. the camp was aroused by the milling and sniffing of the animals. This was an obvious sign that the cattle were smelling buckskin. Father awoke the camp, the oxen were hitched and away they went for the nearest community. Before leaving all the calves, cows, horses and chickens were turned out as they did not know when they would again be able to return home. As they went down the canyon they looked back as the Indian warriors broke open the doors, rifled the houses, ruined the bedding, stole what they wanted, killed the animals and took only the hind quarters, leaving the rest to waste. We wasted no time as we knew that once they had completely devastated our homes they would head for the next ranch. Penrods was the next ranch, we had sent a runner to warn them of the impending danger. The Penrods also fled their home, but in their haste they forgot to turn out the calves. Mr. Penrod sent Eaf Penrod back to do this chore. After turning out the calves, Eaf passed the milk house and thought that this was surely an opportunity to drink all the cream that he wanted, so he went in and drank his fill. As he came out he could see the Indians swooping down the hills by the house so he began to run, bullets pierced his clothing several places, but he was uninjured. His father asked him while at a crucial time as this, that he would delay to drink cream. His only answer was that if he was to be killed, he wanted to die will a full belly.
At the Penrod Ranch the Indians did the same thing. Killed hogs, chickens, cattle and then went on their way. At the next ranch they found a lone man, killed him, looted his home, took his horse and saddle and went on. The next day they killed Nathan Robinson. When he was found he had three bullet holes in him. They stole all his belongings that they wanted. They stripped his body except his garments and threw him in the river. That evening they came to the settlement where the people had all gathered, here they surrounded the town, built fires and whooped and hollered all night. The next morning as people began to stir, it was a funny sight. Some were in their night gowns, petticoats, underwear. Some hadn't had time to gather up clothing before their hurried flight, while others had lost it on the way. The people all immediately went to Taylor for protection, and they never returned to their homes, because they had been so thoroughly destroyed. While in Lone Pine a child Wilmirth was born to Sam and Elvira, and while at Taylor another child, James was born. After leaving Taylor, they moved to Amity on the head of the Little Colorado. Here they became intimately acquainted with Jacob Hamblin, the Great Indian Missionary. I recall he used to tell of his missionary experiences. They next moved to Eagerville where father built a home, the fourth house to be built in the village. Their next home was St. Johns. Here father made a living by hauling. Coal was hauled from east of St. Johns and salt from New Mexico. They found the Mexicans to be as treacherous as the Indians, and every man had to carry a gun and at every camp one must stand guard. Not withstanding every precaution taken, many wagons were looted and burned. I remember during the cowboy Mexican trouble, Nat Greer caught a Mexican, cut his ears off and let him go.
Times were hard, and they felt very fortunate that they had barley bread, corn dodger, hominy, parched corn penoli, and molasses for sugar, while living in Meadows, a small community along the Colorado. As a boy I had to glean wheat from the fields after the reapers. Also, we gathered straw from which mother braided hats for the family and neighbors.
Once Father made a bargain with a butcher in St. Johns to take all the rabbits we could kill. He hadn't reckoned on the fact that father was an expert shot. The first day we were out we killed over 100. We delivered them to the butcher and that completed our rabbit business. We had killed more in one day than he had supposed we could do in a week.
Father was an excellent sawmill hand, and also a champion Cradler, having held that title many years in Arizona.
The next family move was into Greer Valley where Father fenced and farmed the land over an area two miles square. This later became the town of Young, and the town is still standing on the same area my father owned and farmed. At this time my grandfather's family, consisting of his five wives and their children, moved to Tempe, Arizona, so father moved there with them in 1886. The church authorities advised the saints to sell their land in Tempe and move to Mesa. Many did and others stopped three miles west of Mesa at a place called Nephi. Here again they were pioneers, as each place they went the land must be cleared and irrigated in preparation for planting. Father also built a home in each of the places we lived. As we had to haul water from the canal at Nephi, father cut a willow and water witched a well near the house and it was wonderful water, cool and clear and we never did draw the well dry. While at Nephi he again set out fruit trees and orchards.
In the year of 1899 he took his family and moved to San Pedro Valley where he again cleared the land, dug canals, planted trees, dug artesian wells and did truck gardening for a living. Again they moved into Pomerene three miles south of Benson. Here he engaged in dairy farming and for many years shipped milk into Phoenix. By this time the children were all married, and he moved with his wife back to Mesa, built a little home surrounded with citrus trees and here he hoped to spend the rest of his life, working in the temple with his life time wife and sweetheart Elvira. This he did faithfully for the last 13 years of his life.
One day after enjoying the work in the temple he was coming down the stairs when he fell and broke his hip. This was the end of his earthly mission and he died a few days later, thus ending the career of a noble Latter-Day Saint, and ending his missionary labors which had lasted for 63 years. Benjamin Samuel Johnson died in 1939 having lived 86 years, 5 months.
A great deal has not been said about the life of Susan Elvira Martineau Johnson, but let it be known that she was a constant companion, sharing joy and sorrow, and playing well the part of a mother to her children, and ever exemplifying the teachings of the Savior. "For inasmuch as you do it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
S. J. Johnson
Mesa, Arizona
May, 1947
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