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Ernest Fred Johnson was born on December 15, 1892, in Randolph, Utah, to John August Johnson and Sophia Anderson Johnson. Following the entry of the United States into World War I in 1917, Ernest Johnson was drafted into the Army. He trained at Camp Lewis, Washington, before being deployed to France in June 1918 where he served in Company I, 363rd infantry of the 91st Army Division. On September 28, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Ernest Johnson was killed in an explosion by an enemy shell casing fragment and buried in an American cemetery in France. Following the request of his mother, his body was returned to Randolph, Utah, where on August 21, 1919, he was given a soldier’s burial.

This collection consists primarily of correspondence sent to Ernest Johnson’s mother, Sophia, after Ernest’s death, including letters dealing with a life insurance policy set up for soldiers’ families, correspondence outlining the procedures for recovering a soldier’s personal effects, and letters between Mrs. Johnson and the U.S. Army concerning the return of his remains from France to Utah. The collection also contains correspondence from Ernest Johnson; a detailed account from the American Red Cross on soldiers from various companies that served in the Argonne and Belgian offensives from September 26 through November 3, 1918; a day-by-day account of the battles and lists the casualties from each battle; and letters that were sent to Mrs. Johnson from people who had known Ernest during his service in the Army. There is a finding aid of the complete collection available online.