Clarence Earl Johnston

Son of the Scottish pioneer James Johnston, born in Salt Lake City. Father of John Paul Johnston (Jerry's father). After his wife Tessie died in October 1954 he declined sharply, willing himself toward her; in his last days he gave young Jerry a silver dollar at his bedside. He died August 7, 1956 and is buried beside Tessie in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, with four generations of the family.

At a Glance Documented

Born: July 13, 1885, Salt Lake City, Utah
Died: August 7, 1956 (age 70), Salt Lake City
Parents: James Johnston & Bianca Jane Gibson
Spouse: Tessie Sims Smith (1887–1954)
Children: Loraine (1910–2004), Clarence Smith Johnston Jr. (1914–1975), John Paul Johnston (1916–1987), Frank Smith Johnston (1922–1985)
Family line: Johnston line (Jerry's father's side)
Relation to Jerry: Jerry's paternal grandfather — son of James Johnston the pioneer, father of John Paul Johnston

How sure are we? Documented.

Read about Clarence in…

The Name You Carry · The Family Tree

Sources for this page

Salt Lake City Cemetery records
Cemetery record · established 1847

200 North Street, Salt Lake City. Resting place of James Johnston, Bianca Jane Gibson, Clarence Earl Johnston, Tessie Sims Smith, John Paul Johnston, and Fern Blackett Johnston.
Family handwritten notes passed down to Jerry's father
Primary source — family papers

The handwritten notes preserved in the family, including the account of General William Stephens's death aboard the prison ship Forshay and the (likely erroneous) 1880 birth year for Robert Earl Blackett.

Notes from the family

Remember something about Clarence? A story, a photo, a correction, a date? Even a messy note helps. Just open the plain-text file research-notes/clarence-earl-johnston-notes.md and type it in — or tell Scott (or Claude Code) “add this to Clarence’s page,” and it will be woven in properly, with the source recorded.