Heinrich Ludwig Friedrich Lembcke was born on 23 Dec 1880 at NeuBukow, Mecklenburg Schwerin GE. His Godparents were Heinrich Metelmann, bricklayer helper from Roggow, Maria Voigt, a Cottager's wife from Nantrow and Wilhelmine Wandschneider, daughter of a cottager from Neu Nantrow.
He emigrated on 14 Sep 1881 with his Father, Mother, Brother and three sisters from Mecklenburg-Schwerin Germany and arrived in Kellogg Iowa October 19, 1881. On the manifest of the Steamer Hamburg, he was listed as Henri Lemcke on the manifest on 23 September 1881. On the 14th of October, they arrived in New York City on the SS City of Paris and traveled by train on to their final destination of Kellogg, Jasper County, Iowa arriving on the 19th of Oct 1881. His name changed to Henry William Lemke after sometime arrival in Amerika.
He enlisted in the 16th U.S. Infantry in 3 April 1900, served three years being discharged from the 25th Field Artillary on 29 March, 1903. Family history has it that he only told his mother that he had found a job where they slept in tents and walked a lot. We will never know if she was mad when she found out the truth. He was discharged at Angel Island, California on 29 March 1903. Angel Island was billed as the "Ellis Island of the West", and within the Immigration Service it was known as "The Guardian of the Western Gate" and was designed to control the flow of Chinese into the country, who were officially not welcome with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
This facility was primarily a detention center. Beginning with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, a series of restrictive laws had prohibited the immigration of certain nationalities and social classes of Asians. Although all Asians were affected, the greatest impact was on the Chinese.
He married Edith Clara Finner, daughter of Charles Ernest Finner (Fenner) and Rosa Schmidt, on 3 May 1904.
He worked for the Chicago, rock Island & Pacific Railroad for many years. During the great depression, he was without work and because Doris Joy was working for the telephone company, neither he nor Lester (Dutch) were elligible to work for Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Depression and the New Deal , some of the programs were the Emergency Relief Administration, the Civil Works Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, or the Works Progress Administration . He died on 18 Nov 1957 at Bedford, Iowa, at age 76. He was buried on 20 Nov 1957 at Old German Lutheran Cemetery, Kellogg, Jasper, Iowa, next to his wife and two of his children.
Edith Clara Finner died 3 June 1949 and is buried in the Old German Lutheran Cemetery, Kellogg, Jasper, Iowa.
The 1920 Grinnell city directory shows Henry W Lemke working as a signalman for the C R I & P railroad and living at 721 Main.
Children of Henry William Lemke and Edith Clara Finner were as follows:
Doris2 Joy Lemke (Henry1Lemke) was born on 20 Dec 1907 at Kellogg, Jasper, Iowa. Doris Joy graduated from Grinnell High School in 1927. She worked most of her adult life for the telephone company. She married Crayton Benjamin Holcomb, son of Crayton Wayne Holcomb, on 7 Mar 1942 at Rolla, MO. She died on 12 May 1989 at Cedar Falls, Iowa, at age 81. She was buried on 14 May 1989 at Hazelwood Cemetery, Grinnell, Poweshiek, Iowa. Her Social Security number was 478-01-5351.
Crayton Benjamin Holcomb died 28 March 1990 in the home of his son at Huntsville, Madison, Alabama from Cancer. His Social Security Number was 483-10-5417
Children of Doris Joy Lemke and Crayton Benjamin Holcomb were:
3. Lester2 Ernest 'Dutch' Lemke(Henry1Lemke) was born on 9 Dec 1910 at Kellogg, Jasper, Iowa. He was a Game Warden for most of his life. He married Kathryn Ellen Graham, daughter of Thomas Graham and Margaret Crawford, on 19 May 1933. He died in May 1987 at age 76. Buried in Fairview Cemetery, Bedford, Iowa.
Children of Lester Ernest 'Dutch' Lemke and Kathryn Ellen Graham were: 5. Rita3 Pauline Lemke, born at Grinnell, Powshiek, Iowa; married Benny Coffey on 6 March 1965 in Oklahoma city, OK. 6. Henry3 Thomas Lemke, married Janie Osborn.4. Michal3 Larry Holcomb(Doris Joy 2,Henry1Lemke) was born in St. Francis Hospital at Grinnell, Poweshiek, Iowa . He married Kriuawalaya Sribuaroy on 15 Dec 1966 in Bangkok, Thailand.
29 March 1961 - 1 April 1985 UNITED STATES ARMY retired as First Sergeant E-8.
5. Rita3 Pauline Lemke(Lester 2Henry1Lemke) was born in Grinnell, Powshiek, Iowa. She married Benny Coffey say 1965. L520 Lemke, Rita wed Bennie Coffey of Okla City; 06 Mar at Okla City.
6. Henry3 Thomas Lemke(Lester 2,Henry1Lemke) He married Janie Osborn, daughter of Lloyd Osborn and JoAnn Osborn, on 25 Feb 1987.
L520 Lemke, Henry Thomas 18 Bfd wed Janie Lou Osburn 18 Bfd; 17 Jun at Bfd.
L520 Lemke, Andrea Kathleen df Henry, nee 23 Jan; #994, 986. CHJ & B 31 Jan 1980