Ida Jane Johnson
29. Ida Jane Johnson [387], daughter of Luther Hunt Johnson [17] and Mary Jane Bowlby [16], was born in 1859 in Ohio and died on 17 Dec 1928 at age 69.
General Notes: Ida Jane Johnson.
Ida A Johnson: Attested so in the 1870 federal census, presumably a misheard response.
Ida Jane Neer: Attested so in her death notice.
Ida Near: Attested so in the 1880 federal census.
Her birth, 1859: I do not have textual evidence for Ida’s birth-date, but Peggy asserts that she and Oliver Lee were married on her birthday, 16 March, 1878. Her birth place, Ohio, is attested in the 1880 federal census entry.
1865 or 1866: Ida’s mother Mary Jane dies.
1870: Ida Jane is not to be found in the federal census entry for Emanuel Bowlby, but instead is in the custody of Noah and Amelia Neidhart, ages 28 and 20 respectively. This means that when Mary Jane died, Ida (then aged 6 or 7) ultimately joined the family of her half-sister. Peggy reports remembering that Ida thought Amelia was mean.
1878: A copy of the marriage certificate is in our possession.
1880: She appears in the federal census with Oliver Lee Near (sic) in Laramie, Wyoming, listed as keeping house. The place of birth of her father is given as Pennsylvania. The place of birth of her mother is not given.
Charlotte reports a number of stories her mother Leona Jane told about Ida, with whom she lived for periods during high school. Ida could reportedly go into the local department store, presumably in Douglas AZ, look at the most expensive dress, go home, and replicate it. Ida made the dress Leona Jane is wearing in her posed high school graduation picture. She always spoke of Ida with affection, and Charlotte states it was Ida who put the articles about Leona (and presumably Agnes Neer) in the local newspaper.
Peggy remembers Lee saying that Ida belonged to the WCTU. She remembers seeing an article from the Douglas Dispatch describing how Ida went to a meeting in Tucson.
Her death: Evidence of her death comes from the California Death Index, state file number 62969. Peggy’s letter describing that entry says the place code is Los Angeles. I do not find this online at ancestry.com, where searches for Ida Neer turn up absolutely nothing. Peggy has a xerox of the December 19, 1928 Los Angeles Times with the following entry: "NEER. December 12. Ida Jane Neer, beloved wife of Oliver L. Neer, and loving mother of Lee Neer. Remains at Pierce Brothers." This date conflicts with what I have recorded, but it is likely to be right. It appears to provide further confirmation that two of the three sons were dead.
Her burial: Ida is buried in Douglas AZ without a headstone. They must have returned her from Los Angeles when she died. Peggy says that "the one who ruptured his appendix in LA" is buried next to her. Peggy reports that there were five plots, but only two were used. Oliver must have bought five plots and not used them all. Peggy thinks that Ida was shipped to Arizona to be buried because Oliver had already paid for the plot. But, by the time he died there was no money to get him back there.
Ida married Oliver Lee Neer [11] [MRIN: 7] on 16 Mar 1878.
