James Lenburg, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of James Lenburg
JAMES LENBURG. Porter county has its full quota of men of ability and inflexible integrity of purpose who have won success by their own efforts in the productive industries which have made this section one of such marked importance in the agricultural world. Such a man is James Lenburg, who, being essentially the architect of his own fortunes, is now one of the leading farmers of Portage township, where he owns a fine property in section 8, and a citizen valued, respected and honored. Mr. Lenburg was born at Valparaiso, Indiana, December 12, 1857, and is a son of Jacob and Anna (Roeweder) Lenburg.
Mr. Lenburg's parents, natives of Holstein, Germany, came to the United States as young people and were married in Valparaiso. Later they came to Portage township, the father engaging in agricultural pursuits, and this locality is still their home. They had a family of seven children, of whom five survive, the three sons, John H., James and Don A., all being residents of Portage township; while Minnie married Albert Tofte; and Alvina is the wife of John J. Ohlfest.
As a youth James Lenburg was trained in the stern discipline of the home farm, and his early education was secured in the district schools, this being supplemented by attendance at the Valparaiso Normal University. When he was twenty-one years old he started out to make a place for himself in the field of agriculture, his sole possessions being the clothes he wore, a few dollars capital, and an unlimited amount of energy, enterprise and ambition. Securing employment at the occupation in which he had been trained, Mr. Lenburg worked faithfully and industriously until he was able to save enough to purchase a small property, and from that time to the present his rise has been rapid and sure. By following modern, intelligent methods, he has so made his operations pay that he is now the owner of 190 acres in section 8, Portage township, and forty acres in Liberty township, and is numbered among his township's most representative farmers. In all that touches the prosperity and material advancement of the community, Mr. Lenburg has maintained a lively interest, and has assisted in supporting movements for the civic welfare. Personally he is affable and genial, traits that have gained and retained numerous warm friendships.
On March 9, 1880, Mr. Lenburg was united in marriage with Miss Helena Weitzel, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, April 4, 1860, daughter of Henry and Mary A. (Sweir) Weitzel. Mr. Weitzel was born in Germany, in 1827, was there reared and educated, and was married to Mary A. Sweir, who was born in the Fatherland in 1826. They came to the United States in 1851, and for some years resided in Chicago, but subsequently moved to Portage township, Indiana, where the father died in March, 1906, and the mother in August, 1909. They had a family of eleven children, of whom four are living: Gary, who married (first) Cecelia Attica and (second) a Mrs. McDonald; Mary, who is single; Helena, the wife of Mr. Lenburg; and Elizabeth, who married Theodore Buchler. Mrs. Lenburg was reared in Porter county, Indiana, and there received her education in the district schools. She and Mr. Lenburg have had nine children, of whom five are living: Mary, a graduate of the common schools, and a student at South Bend, Indiana, wedded Martin Jentzen, a resident of Portage township; Elizabeth, a graduate nurse of St. Mary's Hospital, Chicago; Gertrude, a graduate of the common and high schools and the Scientific College of Valparaiso, and now the wife of Joseph Robbins, postmaster of Mc Cool and agent for automobiles and machinery; Anna, who is thirteen years of age; and James, who is in his tenth year. The family is connected with the Catholic church, the St. Patrick's at Chesterton, and fraternally Mr. Lenburg belongs to Calumet Lodge, No. 379, A. F. & A. M. Politically he is a stanch Republican, and has served as township supervisor and as a member of the advisory board of Portage township. He has achieved success by legitimate means and as a result of his own industry and effort. Such men constitute the element which has made Porter county into a live, flourishing community, and have proved what may be accomplished by those who are willing to take advantage of the opportunities here afforded in the various fields of industrial activity. Mr. and Mrs. Lenburg are citizens who command the universal respect of their community, and have earned an honored place as residents of Porter county, Indiana.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 726-729
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook