Biography of John Lutz, pages 611/612.  History of DeKalb 
County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 
1914.



To rescue from fading tradition the personal annals of the 
pioneers of our country is a pleasing but laborious task; 
not as laborious, perhaps, as perplexing, by reason of the 
fact that many facts and impressions of the early days have 
faded from memory. To gather up the broken threads of 
strange yet simple stories of individual lives, to caught 
the fleeting stories and fireside histories and hand them 
down to posterity is a laudable ambition worthy of 
encouragement on the part of everyone interested in his 
community. John Lutz, who long since passed to “that 
undiscovered bourne from whence no traveler returns,” was 
one of the pioneers of DeKalb county, Indiana, that noble 
band who were in the van of civilization moving westward, 
and who here passed through years of arduous toil and 
hardships, amid primitive conditions which sound strange to 
the present generation. Because of his labors and his 
character he is eminently entitled to representation in the 
annals of his county.  John Lutz was born in Stark county, 
Ohio, in 1826, came to DeKalb county, entering a tract of 
government land in Union township. Here the father 
commenced the task of clearing the land, but his death 
occurred within two yeas after his arrival here, leaving to 
his widow and children the gigantic task to complete. Mrs. 
Lutz was an energetic, ambitious woman, and worked hard to 
make a home and rear her children. In this she was assisted 
by her son, the subject of this sketch, who devoted himself 
to his mother with a faithfulness and devotion that was 
commendable in him.  She died in 1882, after a life of 
usefulness and honor. John Lutz inherited seventy-three 
acres of land from his father’s estate and to the 
cultivation and improvement of this land he bent his 
energies. He was accustomed from his youth to hard work, 
which became a habit with him.  In his younger days to him 
was assigned the duty of hauling the farm produce to market 
and bringing back the needed supplies.  He generally drove 
over the miserable roads to Ft. Wayne, Kendallville and 
other points, and it was always necessary to carry along an 
axe to clear the roads of the fallen timber before he could 
get through. Mr. Lutz, by hard work, good management and 
wise economy, was prospered and at the time of his death, 
which occurred on December 15, 1894, he owned two hundred 
and seventy acres of good land, his farm being well 
improved in every respect, including a splendid frame 
residence and other features that made it one of the 
attractive and valuable homesteads in the county.  On March 
24, 1868, Mr. Lutz was united in marriage with Susannah 
Oberholtzer, who was born in northeastern part of what is 
now Grant township, this county, the daughter of Jacob and 
Elizabeth (Gingrich) Oberholtzer. To them were born six 
children, as follows: One died in infancy; Bessie died on 
October 17, 1884, at the age of five years, a sprightly and 
lovable child, of pleasing manners; John Jr., born in 
November, 1875, died on August 9, 1894, aged eighteen years 
and nine months. He was singularly exemplary in character, 
a dutiful son and affectionate brother; the other three, 
Jennie, Addie and Martha, live on the old homestead, east 
of Waterloo. They were born, respectively, on February 28, 
1870, December 21, 1871, and August 26, 1873. John Lutz was 
baptized in the faith of Lutheran church, and was faithful 
to this religious convictions to this death. A faithful 
husband, kind father and upright citizen, he was respected 
and esteemed by all who knew him, and his death was 
considered a distinct loss to the community which had been 
honored by his citizenship.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com