The Papers of Albert H. Johnson Papers primarily document his professional career as an Oberlin banker and president of the Oberlin Gas Lighting Company (later the Oberlin Gas & Electric Company) and president of the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company.  Johnson participated in several Oberlin business related projects, including the construction of the gas-holding building located on South Main Street. 

The correspondence received by Albert H. Johnson (54 letters) from various businesses, such as the Vermilion (Ohio) Coal Company, and James Gamble (Bank of Commerce Building, New York, New York), materials relating to the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company (Series 7), and three financial ledgers (Series 3) provide evidence of Johnson’s leadership roles in the Oberlin business community and in the railroad.  Johnson’s business transactions included work with individuals in the Oberlin concerning stocks and property, financial institutions such as the Bank of Helena, Arkansas (served as President), and companies such as the Cleveland (Ohio) Electric Supply Company.  A modest amount of correspondence  (5 letters) relates to Albert Mussey Johnson’s work with the Mussey Stone Company and other business concerns.

Although Albert H. Johnson contributed to the Oberlin community and Oberlin College, there is very little documentation in the collection relating to his personal life.  Johnson served as a trustee of Oberlin College, provided support (including financial) as a guardian for the children of Janus Stone (Oberlin, Ohio), and was the Superintendent of Sunday School at the Second Congregational Church (Oberlin, Ohio).  The collection contains papers relating to the guardianship of the Stone children, records (deeds) relating to the Johnson properties in Lorain County, Ohio, and some personal correspondence (23 letters).  The materials provide only a modest amount of documentation concerning the Johnson Family.   

Series 1: Biographical File and Personal Materials, 1886-1904, 1909, 1926, 1943, 2004, n.d. (2 folders, 0.2 l.f.)

This series contains biographical information on Mrs. Cliffe Updegraff Johnson Merriam, daughter of Albert H. Johnson, including obituaries and clippings (photocopies), a biographical sketch, and correspondence that document the life of Mrs. Merriam (1867-1943). The series also includes a guest book used in the household of Albert’s brother and sister-in-law, Edward and Edna Johnson, along with a transcription of the book’s entries completed by Shiela Rogstad in July of 2003.  Filed with the guest book is a printout from the 1880 U.S. Census, listing the members of the Johnson Family.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1870-75, 1880-82, 1894, 1897, 1900-01, 1934, n.d. (16 folders, 0.3 l.f.)

The correspondence series is divided into two subseries. Subseries 1 consists of eight folders of business related correspondence received by Albert Johnson between 1872–1897.  Correspondents include Clark Walcott & Co. Bankers, Samuel Plumb of the Vermillion Coal Company, and others in regard to Albert Johnson’s involvement with the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company and his business activities in Oberlin. The business correspondence subseries also includes three folders of letters received by Albert Mussey Johnson between 1897 and 1901, primarily relating to the Mussey Stone Company. Subseries 2 consists of five folders of personal correspondence sent or received by members of the Johnson family from 1880-1894 (n.d). The bulk of the subseries contains correspondence between Albert Johnson and his family including his wife, Rebecca Johnson, his son, Albert Mussey Johnson, and his cousin, brothers, and mother.  The personal correspondence includes letters received by Albert M. Johnson.  Correspondents include Milton Chapman, the Resident Manager of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida (1934), an undated postcard sent to Albert Mussey Johnson from his grandmother, Cornelia Mussey Johnson, and letters from President John Henry Barrows of Oberlin College that concern discussions of personal matters as well the purchase of property in Oberlin (1900).

Series 3. Financial Records, 1863-1917, n.d. (4 folders, 4 ledgers, 0.4 l.f.)

The financial series includes three business ledgers, housed in oversized box 7, that primarily document financial activities related to Oberlin residents, businesses, and banks, as well as the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company, and other companies and individuals. A fourth business ledger (n.d.) documents the financial activities of Albert Mussey Johnson.  Also included are individual bills, invoices, bank statements, pay-stubs, promissory notes, and cancelled checks that trace the Johnson family’s personal and business transactions from the period 1886-1901.

Series 4. Printed Matter, 1861, 1869, 1881, 1891, 1899, 1902, 1918, 1920, 1924-25, 1984, n.d. (4 folders, 6 books, 0.6 l.f)

The printed matter consists of books, publications, and other materials collected by Albert H. Johnson and other Johnson family members.  Included are business cards, a manual and pocket companion, a New Testament Bible, a hymnal and a souvenir booklet.  See the inventory for the listing of the specific titles.

Series 5. Property Records, 1822-1905 (4 folders, 0.15 l.f.)

The property records consist of four folders of wills, deeds, and associated correspondence that document the transfer of ownership of property in Lorain County to the Johnson family for the period 1822 to 1905.

Series 6. Vital Records, 1867-72 (3 folders, 0.05 l.f.)

The Vital Records series includes contracts, affidavits, and associated documents relating to Albert Johnson’s legal guardianship of the children of Janus Stone (1867). The series also contains ten homeowner’s insurance policies belonging to Albert Johnson, Rebecca Johnson, and others (1870-73). Also among the vital records are documents associated with Albert Johnson’s claim for pension from the U.S. Department of Interior in 1868. See Series 5 for wills relating to the Johnson property in Lorain County.

Series 7. Materials relating to the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company, 1853-97 (6 folders, 1 book, 0.3 l.f.)

This series consists of seven folders relating to the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company. Included are three booklets outlining amendments made to the company charter and deed of trust from 1853-1889, handwritten motions to amend the company charter, and associated correspondence from 1855 and 1857.  Financial documents relating to the railroad company’s 1879 assets are filed here, along with a handwritten account of a company meeting that took place that same year (see also Series 3. Financial Records for additional financial information contained in ledgers). The series also consists of an 1891 booklet of local passengers and tariffs, an 1897 locomotive specifications document from the Richmond Locomotive Company, and a transcript of record of an 1885 case in the United States Supreme Court that involved the Arkansas Central Railway Company.

Series 8. Scrapbooks, 1881, 1890s (3 scrapbooks, 0.3 l.f.)

This series consists of two scrapbooks.  One scrapbook contains illustrations of paintings (i.e., Madonna) and sculptures (i.e., Venus de Milo) and other artwork collected by Albert H. Johnson’s sister-in-law, Edna Johnson, dated 1881, complete with a printed contents list.  The second scrapbook consists of clippings, business cards, and correspondence related to the Mussey Stone Company (1890s). The last scrapbook is a collection of newspaper and magazine clippings, including poetry, cartoons, and essays.  The longer essays deal with domestic advice, recipes, and spiritual or moral guidance in everyday situations.

Series 9.  Photographs, 1905, 1919, n.d. (3 prints, 5 photocopies, 0.1 l.f.)

The papers of Albert H. Johnson were received from the Walnut Creek Historical Society, Walnut Creek, California, in five installments, (2005-2006). A third scrapbook and a hymnal were received from the Walnut Creek Historical Society in February 2007.

Letters received By Oberlin College, Office of the Treasurer (7), 21 letters from Albert H. Johnson, 1887-1899; Office of the Secretary (5), Building cards, “Johnson House.”