San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN SCHENKENBERGER
For almost a quarter of a century, John Schenkenberger
has lived in the Lodi district of San Joaquin County, eighteen years being
spent on a nineteen-acre ranch, three miles southwest of Lodi on the Lincoln
Highway, which he developed to vineyard and later sold. He was born in South Russia not far from
Odessa, June 28, 1854, a son of John W. and Christina Schenkenberger, both
natives of Russia. When he was nineteen
years old, his parents left their native country for America and settled in
Yankton, South Dakota, where the father farmed until his death at the age of
sixty-six, the mother surviving until she was sixty-eight years old. They were the parents of nine children: Jacob, Charles and Michael are deceased;
Clara, John Phillip, Katherina, Peter and Adam are
living.
John Schenkenberger received his
education in the public schools of Russia and when he came to America with his
parents in 1873, he assisted his father in farming until he was old enough to
homestead a tract of land of his own near Yankton, South Dakota. In December, 1878, he was married to Miss
Louisa Berreth, also a native of Southern Russia,
born in the same vicinity as her husband.
She is the daughter of Michael Berreth and the
youngest of a family of five children:
Conrad, Katherina, Michael, Jacob and Louisa,
the mother passing away when she was a small girl. Mr. and Mrs. Schenkenberger lived on their
homestead until 1889, when they removed to Hutchinson County and rented a farm
near Menno, where they remained until 1898 when they came to California and
settled at Lodi. Here Mr. Schenkenberger
purchased nineteen acres of unimproved land three miles southwest of Lodi on
the Lincoln Highway, which he gradually developed to vineyard which he farmed
until 1916 when he sold out and removed to the Barnhart tract near Lodi and
remained there until they moved to their present home located at 215 West
Walnut Street, where Mr. Schenkenberger is living retired from active business
cares.
Mr. and Mrs. Schenkenberger are the
parents of ten children: Louise,
deceased; Amelia, Mrs. Lange, residing in North Dakota; Lydia, Mrs. Stoddard,
resides in Fresno; John and Henry reside in Lodi; Pauline, Mrs. J. A. Bender,
resides in Lodi; Jacob served in the 363rd Regiment, 91st
Division overseas, was wounded in the Battle of the Argonne, resides in Lodi;
Sarah, Mrs. W. A. Moore, resides in Lodi; Samuel resides in Lodi; Bertha, Mrs.
Fred Hoff, resides in Lodi. Mr.
Schenkenberger has been actively interested in the affairs of his locality and
served as trustee of the Henderson School District for one term. He favors the Republican platform and so
casts his vote. The family
are members of the German Reformed Church in Lodi.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1544-1545. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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