John H. Lenburg, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of John H. Lenburg
JOHN H. LENBURG. From small beginnings John H. Lenburg has worked his way upward to a position where he is recognized as one of the prosperous and progressive farmers and stock raisers of Porter county, his finely cultivated property being located in sections 13 and 7, Portage township. There is both lesson and incentive in reviewing the salient points in the career of a man who has so husbanded his resources as to attain success, for such men honor their communities and have won the right to be classed among the representative citizens of the county. Mr. Lenburg was born in Valparaiso, Indiana, October 18, 1856, and is a son of Jacob and Anna (Roeweder) Lenburg, natives of Holstein, Germany. His parents came to this country as young people, being married in Valparaiso and later coming to Portage township, where they now make their home. They were the parents of seven children, of whom five survive: John H., James and Don A., all living in Portage township; Minnie, the wife of Albert Tofte; and Alvina, who married John J. Ohlfest.
John H. Lenburg received his early educational training in the public schools of Valparaiso, and was later given the advantages to be secured in the Methodist College and Valparaiso University. As a youth he was reared to the work of the home farm where his father, a skilled agriculturist, taught him the principles of successful farming which have been of great value to him in his later years. As a young man he worked at his chosen vocation, ever bearing in mind his ambition to establish himself in an independent position, and during the years he worked as an employe he and his wife conserved their resources in every possible way, being economical and self-sacrificing. Eventually they secured the first tract which formed the nucleus for the present fine home, which now embraces 157 acres in section 13 and twenty-one and one-half acres in section 7, in addition to which Mrs. Lenburg owns twenty acres in the former section of Portage township. Here Mr. Lenburg is bringing his business and executive ability to bear with excellent results, devoting his attention to stock raising and carrying on diversified farming. He is upright and straightforward in all the relations of life, and is one of the valued members of the community. He was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, and is fraternally affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and Hobart Lodge, Knights of Pythias, in the latter of which he is past chancellor and has represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of the state. In his political allegiance he is a Republican, served as trustee of his township from 1895 to 1900, was census taker in 1910, and at present is acting efficiently as assessor of Portage township.
Mr. Lenburg was married (first) to Miss Augusta Kappelmann, whose parents were from Europe, and four children were born to this union, three now being alive, as follows: Amelia, the wife of Edward A. Anderson, of Portage township; James A., who married Hattie Lahayne; and Harvey H., who is single. Mr. Lenburg's first wife died, and in 1904 he was married to Mrs. Lena (Miller) Kreuger, the widow of Frank Kreuger. Mrs. Lenburg had two children by her former marriage: Ross, who is a fireman on the E. J. & E., at Gary, Indiana; and Grace, who is single and resides at home. It may be noticed that the Lenburgs have always lived lives of honesty and uprightness of character, and they hold a place of respect in the hearts of their neighbors.
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: 752-753
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