Mathilda pursued a teaching career for ten years before she married in 1914. Six years later and a widow with two young sons, she returned to education when she decided to run for Griggs County Superintendent of Schools. She placed the following announcement in the Griggs County Sentinel Courier, "Acting on the request of my friends, I hereby announce myself as a candidate for the office of County Superintendent of Schools. Your support will be greatly appreciated. My name will not appear on the ballot in the primaries, but call at the (Hannaford) Enterprise office and get stickers or write in my name. ''
Her surprise election in November created some personal problems. Most importantly she didn't have an automobile or money to buy one. The car was necessary for her official duties. She borrowed money from her father to buy a car and in her usual way quickly paid him back.
Her official duties required her to regularly visit the county's many rural schools. She was active in the Griggs County Parent-Teacher Association, judged declamatory contests, helped raise money for the Cooperstown Juvenile Band, supervised the county play day program, accompanied students to contests around the state and participated in various other school related activities.
Among the many activities of this period of her life was Mrs. Johnson's interest in preserving the early history of the state and county. She requested all the teachers in the county to have their eighth grade students interview the old timers and write down their histories. These were simple accounts of the problems of everyday living but they provided valuable information that would have been lost forever in a few more years. She apparently performed her duties to the satisfaction of the voters. She was regularly re-elected and many times ran without opposition. In 1930 she received more votes than any candidate for any office in the county that year.
In 1931 Mathilda Johnson was married to T. P. Overby. After his death she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where she and Anna Nelson opened a restaurant. When Anna Nelson returned to Cooperstown Mrs. Overby supported herself by renting rooms and working in a hospital cafeteria until she retired at the age of 80. She then moved to Cary, Illinois where she lived with her son Bremen and his family until shortly before her death, March 27, 1975.
Almost 90 years old when she died, her longevity is characteristic of the Lars Johnson family members. Her father, Lars, was Griggs County's oldest citizen when he died at age 94. Her mother died in 1928 at 81. Her oldest sister, Brita, died in 1971 six months short of being 100 years old. Her younger sister, Louise, is a healthy 87.
Longevity is not the only characteristic of the Lars Johnson family. Although each generation pursued its own goals, there was the spirit. The spirit of community pride and participation. The spirit of a happy and industrious family. The spirit of a resourceful family.
A spirit they tried to share with others. It is a spirit that will outlast the Lars Johnson family.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 431