Nels Johnson
American clockmaker
Died when: 76 years 48 days (913 months)Star Sign: Sagittarius
Nels Johnson (1838–1915) was a Danish-American professional mechanic and engineer who was the manufacturer of Century tower clocks, commercial tower clocks that were guaranteed for 100 years.
The clocks put in business buildings, government buildings, churches, and courthouses.He also repaired nineteenth century machinery as various businesses and made grandfather type tall clocks.
He was a businessman and manufacturer associated with commercial shipping, railroad equipment, engine equipment, sawmill machinery, and mechanical devices.His businesses were in Manistee, Michigan.
He was also a scientist there and worked with astronomy to learn how to get clocks at different locations to synchronize at the correct time.
Johnson as a boy of seven had to start working to make a living on his own as he was kicked out of his large family.
He first did unskilled labor jobs at farms in his home town.As a young man of fourteen he traveled to Italy and found some unskilled jobs there.
When he was sixteen he went to Copenhagen and there apprenticed at a local shop to learn the blacksmith trade.
His main work was on windmills and at 23 years of age his apprenticeship was completed and he was drafted into the army.
In a series of events that happened in time he eventually wound up in England in 1863 at the age of 25 where he came across a group of Danish immigrants on their way to America and immigrated with them.
