History of Nemaha County, Kansas . he was twenty years of age. On themorning of January i, 1878, he started out for himself and took chargeof a sixty-five-acre farm in Atchison county, Kansas, which he rentedfor one year. Next, he located on Coal creek, on an eighty-acre place,which he farmed for one season. These undertakings were profitable,and by the end of the second year of independent farming, he had accu-mulated enough to close a deal for eighty acres in Granada township,Nemaha county. The land was unimproved, and he wa^ further hin-dered by two bad seasons, in which his crops were ruin
History of Nemaha County, Kansas . he was twenty years of age. On themorning of January i, 1878, he started out for himself and took chargeof a sixty-five-acre farm in Atchison county, Kansas, which he rentedfor one year. Next, he located on Coal creek, on an eighty-acre place,which he farmed for one season. These undertakings were profitable,and by the end of the second year of independent farming, he had accu-mulated enough to close a deal for eighty acres in Granada township,Nemaha county. The land was unimproved, and he wa^ further hin-dered by two bad seasons, in which his crops were ruined. This setbackwas serious to the young farmer just starting up in life, but it did .notdaunt him in the least, and when there was nothing to do on his ownplace, he worked out, often taking as low as $1 a day for his team andhimself in order to earn some money during his idle hours. As the placewas totally unimproved, he could put in only the most inexpensivebuildings at first. He had to content himself with a straw barn and with. SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF JAMES JOHNSTONE. HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY 759 a house sixteen feet square. He lived on this place until 1891, havingimproved it somewhat each year. About that time he traded it for 160acres in Harrison township, which he farmed until 1913, when he boughttwenty acres in Goff and moved there to live in retirement. By this timehe had accumulated considerable property, for in 1893, he bought backthe eighty acres which he had traded off previously, and in 1897 he boughtanother eighty acres. He was at a later date the owner of 700 acres;for this he was in debt $2,800, but in one season, by a clever businessmaneuver, he cleared enough to pay off this debt, when he refused to sellhis corn crop at thirteen cents and held it the following year and receivedfifty cents a bushel for it. In addition to his farming, he was an extensive stock raiser andfeeder. At the time he moved to Goff he had thirty-eight hogs, elevenhead of cattle and twent
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