Johnson, John W.
edited by Gabriella Hudyka
Mss: 
https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T39C7150
Biographical Note
John William Johnson (RC 1917) was born in 1895 in Stanton, NJ, to parents Jennie Opdyke Creveling and Dr. Frederick Lincoln Johnson. One of six children, he was the only son. Following perhaps in his father’s physician footsteps, he enlisted as a private with the New York Post-Graduate Hospital, in New York City, which organized Base Hospital #8 in Savenay, France. Once in Savenay, he was joined by several other Rutgers men, including Elmer “Toady” Bracher, Frank Broome, Joe Herben, Morris “Jill” Jackson, Carl “Slates” Maar, Frank Merritt, Ross Miner, Meff Runyon, Ralph Spencer Voorhees Jr., and Anton Ward. Owing perhaps to his relatively congenial circumstances, surrounded by familiar faces and several hundred miles from the Front, and to the terrible crush of patients at BH #8 in the spring and summer of 1918, Johnson writes only once. Joe Costa’s letter to Silvers suggests that Johnson may have suffered from a communicable disease of some sort (scarlet fever? mumps?) while working there, but he was apparently only briefly sidelined by it.
Johnson was mustered out of service at the rank of sergeant in March of 1919. He married Hilda Titus of East Orange, NJ, in 1921. His work drew him to chemical manufacturing and he soon after co-founded Pettit Paint Company, a manufacturer of marine coatings, where he worked for the remainder of his career.
Sources
- John W. Johnson, 65; Board Vice-Chairman at Pettit Paint Co., The Belleville Times (Belleville, New Jersey), December 22, 1960, p. 2.
- Patient Numbers, Base Hospital No. 8, Savenay, France, c. 1919, part of "UNMC in Service," University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Jennie Opdyke Creveling to Earl Reed Silvers, October 30, 1917
Oct
30
1917
THIS SIDE OF CARD IS FOR ADDRESS
EARL REED SILVERS
ALUMNI HOUSE
Private ,
,
Paris, France
A.E.F via New York.
.
Jennie Opdyke Creveling to Earl Reed Silvers, January 30, 1918
DR.
January 30th 1918
Mr. Earl Reed Silvers '13
Director War Service Bureau
Dear ,
I wish to notify you that ’s ‘17 address has been changed to . You are doing a wonderful work and I think every mother appreciates it.
Sincerely,
.
John W. Johnson to Earl Reed Silvers, March 28, 1918
AMERICAN YMCA
ON ACTIVE SERVICE
WITH THE
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
U.S Base Hospital #8 Mar. 28, 1918
My dear ,
Although it is rather a late date I want to thank you very much for the various college publications which you have sent. The letters and quarterlies have been a fine thing in keeping us in touch with the college news. As you already know there are a large number of Rutgers fellows in this unit and a larger delegation from Princeton.
So far I have heard from and in ‘17 who is over here with the ‘20 who is a Sergeant in the Med Corps stepped off to see us the other day. I have also seen , Y.M.C.A, ‘14 and ‘15. I think these are all the Rutgers men in the service whom I have seen here.
Any news which I may be able to tell you about the hospital will no doubt be old to you. We have been having a few ball games recently — three in all of which we have won two. is capt of the team and played in two games so you see they are upholding reputations. “Toady’s” efforts in getting a football team together last fall were not very successful.
We were all mighty proud of the record of the football team last year and hope the football team is equally as good. With best wishes for further success in your War Service Bureau work.
I am
Sincerely
'17
Earl Reed Silvers to John W. Johnson, April 25, 1918
April 25, 1918.
J.W. Johnson,
American Expeditionary Force.
Dear :
It was good of you to write your letter of [March] 28th and to tell me that you fellows over there appreciate the War Service Bureau and its work. Remember me to all of the Rutgers men at the Base Hospital and tell them to write to me whenever they can find the time.
Very cordially yours,
ERS/H