~ Biographical Sketch ~

     Grace Elda Lenhart was born on Tuesday, July 30, 1907 near Zwingle, Jackson County, Iowa, daughter of Joseph Rush Lenhart and Elizabeth Willamenia Hachmann. Her birth occurred at home in what is known as the Wilbur Cueno home. It was located on a farm one mile south of Zwingle. The family moved from this home when Grace was about a year old. Grace was the sixth child and baby of the family. Her mother was 41 years old when Grace was born. During an interview, Grace stated that being she was so much younger than the others she got a lot of attention and that they were all good to her. She added that her mother used to read Bible stories to her and sang "Rock-a-bye Baby, in the Tree Top" to her as a lullaby.¹

Grace was 2 years, 4 months and 26 days old when her grandmother, Salina Minervia Lenhart, died on December 26, 1909. The only thing that Grace remembered about her grandmother was that they went to see her and she was very sick. Her other grandmother died when Grace was six months old. Both of her grandfathers had died before she was even born. She lamented that she never got to enjoy her grandparents. She felt like she missed out on the love from them.²

In 1908, when she was one year old, her folks sold their farm and bought the "Cort" farm, which was a quarter mile west of the little town of Zwingle. She grew up on this farm. Four years later, her family remodeled the home, added two large rooms and put in a furnace, plumbing, etc. Previously, their kitchen was in the basement. It was an open-front basement. It was too damp for her mother who had severe arthritis so, they moved the kitchen up to the 1st floor. The two-story farmhouse was quite large. It had five bedrooms and a large living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. Grace felt that she was fortunate that she had a good home. Her bedroom was upstairs in the front. Her room featured a lovely bay window that overlooked the large shady lawn where Grace had a hammock. Her mother grew lots of flowers and had a garden. Grace enjoyed swinging in the hammock while enjoying the view of the flowers and the creek that ran through the property near the house. They also had a rope swing on a tree. Grace wasn't allowed to go by the creek. She did go fishing though. She said that she would pump a pail of water, take a stick, tie a pin on and she'd fish, but she said that she never caught any fish in that pail of water.

Grace had chores to do when she was a child, such as setting the table, drying the dishes, running errands, getting in the wood for the cook stove, and carrying in a pail of drinking water from the pump.

As a talented professional seamstress, Grace’s mother made all of her clothes. Grace’s Sunday dresses were silk ones that had been made over from her sister’s dresses. As a child, her dresses were long waisted with a full gathered skirt. A special fashion article that she remembered having was a white furry muff.

Grace had chores to do when she was a child, such as setting the table, drying the dishes, running errands, getting in the wood for the cook stove, and carrying in a pail of drinking water from the pump.

She recalled that her father was a quiet, easy-going man. He was very generous and a hardworking farmer. Her parents were good and honest people and always took her to Sunday school and church on Sundays and Wednesdays. Grace said that once her father gave her a spanking. She said that she deserved it because she was doing something she should not have been doing and he told her to stop and she didn't. Grace's mother never spanked her but she did scold. That would really hurt Grace and so she'd behave then.

Grace had a poor appetite when she was young. She recalled that her mother made her eat a little, even though she didn't want it. She could eat puffing, though. She recalled that her mother's homemade bread and jam was good.

When she was real little, her favorite doll was a little rag doll with a tin head. Later she had a beautiful 15-inch doll with blonde hair and eyes that moved. She received a little rocking chair for Christmas one year. She loved to rock her dollies to sleep. Upon her death, the little rocking chair was bequeathed to her oldest granddaughter, Julie (Smith) Bergeron. As a child, Grace also liked to color with crayons and spent lots of time cutting out paper-dolls and the clothes to put on them. The family had a roller-organ and Grace would spend time turning it and it would play music.³

She was five years old when she started school. The school had all eight grades in one room. She recalled that when she first started school she had a mean teacher. He had a club (like a broomstick) and one day he hit and hit one of the big boys (a 16-17 year old). Grace was so scared at the time. But otherwise, she always liked school; it was easy for her. She didn't have far to go for school. The school could be seen from her home. Her mother could hear the children hollering at school and she said that she could hear Grace. Grace liked the spelling contests in grade school. One year she came up second in the county contest.

Her mother put homemade cookies in her lunch pail and the Doctor's son wanted to trade his boughten cookies for the homemade ones. He never had homemade ones, and she never had boughten cookies, so they traded and they both were happy. Grace remembered the outdoor toilet at school, "My! It was cold going out to it, and the seat would be so cold."

She finished the eighth grade when she was 12 years old and received a wristwatch for graduation. One year later, the school added the 9th grade; so, she started high school. And each year another grade was added. She got A+'s in Algebra and Arithmetic. She didn't want to admit what she got in History. In fact, one semester, she had to repeat her Ancient History class. She said, "I guess I did pretty good, though, because I graduated in 1925, at the age of 17 years. I was quite busy during my last three years of High School. My mother was very sick and we had a graduate nurse to care for her when I was in the latter part of the 1st year of High School. She passed away during the summer of July 20, 1922. It was my work to cook, clean, and wash and iron clothes after she got sick and to also attend school and take part in church work."

As a child, she used to paint with watercolors. She enjoyed drawing and tracing pictures. She also liked to play the piano. Her family had a piano, but she was the only one that played it. She took quite a few lessons, but after her mom died, she quit because she was too busy with housework and school. She admitted that she could play pretty good, but she needed lot of practice. She remembered that she had always wanted to be in a band and play the trumpet, but she never did.

The only money she remembers getting in her younger days was for leading the horse on the hayfork. It was a hot summer day, and she got a penny per load of hay. She saved the money to buy firecrackers, and then she was too scared to light them. Her brother had the fun of doing that, but she watched. When she was small, she could get a bag of candy for 10¢. They only had ice cream and pop on the 4^th of July. Her folks and she would go to little-town picnics on the 4^th. They went to the county fair at Maquoketa once a year in the fall. There was a merry-go-round, but Grace got dizzy the first time she rode on it, so she never rode again.

Though she didn’t see them often due to the distances, her childhood playmates were the children on neighboring farms. She like to roller skate, jump rope, and play games such as baseball, “ring-around-the-rosy”, and in the winter they would play “Fox and Goose.” She always enjoyed winter sleigh rides.

Favorite gifts that Grace received as a child were dolls, rocking chair, roller skates, a sled, a new dress, and a kitten.

One of her special memories of her father was, when he had come home from somewhere and he called to her, “Grace, come take this bag of bulbs to your Mother.” She was carrying them in towards the house and something wiggled in the sack. She looked and there was a little black and brown puppy as a pet. Oh! She was so happy. The farm also had a "farm dog" and several cats. Throughout her life, she always had either a cat or dog as a pet. Before she got married, she had a pet chicken. It slept in a box in their screened-in porch. She would let it outside in the daytime and when night came, it would cheep outside the door wanting in.

As a teenager, she attended school parties held at various homes. The school would also hold box socials. The girls and mothers would decorate boxes and fill them with a good lunch (for two). The boys and men would bid on them as the boxes were auctioned off.³

Grace was 14 years old and a freshman in high school when her mother, Elizabeth, died on July 20, 1922.^4,3

When Grace was 17 years old, she bought a taffeta navy blue dress. It was sleeveless, had a fitted waist, full skirt, and a big Bertha's lace collar. It was her favorite dress.

Many times, she would have girl friends stay overnight with her, especially on stormy or rainy nights. Her friends had three miles to walk home from school. They appreciated the shelter and it was company for Grace.

Her first dates were with her brother-in-law’s brother. He was a classmate-friend. They went to movies together and often her close girlfriend would go along. She went on picnics with school friends occasionally, and a few times fishing and picking up nuts. They also went on sleigh rides in big bobsleds in the winter.³

Grace graduated from Zwingle High School in 1925.²

While at a Sunday school picnic with some of her girl friends at Union Park, near Dubuque, she was introduced to Emmet Smith. About a year later, while traveling by train from Zwingle to Bellevue, the train stopped at the LaMotte station. It was April. Grace was 17 years old and still a senior in High School. Emmet was working in LaMotte as the section foreman on the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad at the time. He came to the coach window and talked with her. He asked that she would let him know later, but she didn’t. She was afraid that her father wouldn’t approve. Then he asked her again on a subsequent trip and she was so thrilled and she said, “Yes.” On a Sunday afternoon, they went to a movie, then to a nice restaurant and again to a movie. She thought that great. She wasn’t used to going to nice restaurants. She and the other kids just ate 5¢ hot dogs. They didn’t have much money. They had many dates after that.

They always dated on Sunday and Wednesday evenings but never on Saturday nights. They went to movie shows and ate at good restaurants. Emmet would often bring her big boxes of candy. They were always chocolate covered fruit and nuts. She recalled that they were so good. He also bought her a camera and a jeweled clock. Then her first Christmas present from him was a beautiful walnut cedar chest, which she still had as long as she lived. Her father said, “ Grace, you shouldn’t accept that.” She supposed that he was afraid of losing her. She sure wasn’t going to give up that present.

Emmet was good looking and mannerly. Grace stated that it was fun to be with him. He had a good job. (In those days, many were unemployed.)

Grace’s father also liked to visit with Emmet. He could talk on any subject. Grace had to admit that sometimes she’d get a little provoked as she thought he spent too much time with her father instead of being in the kitchen with her. She had kept house for her father and brothers for about four years following her mother’s death. Emmet had eaten at their place many times, and he knew that she was a good cook. After about a year, he gave her a diamond. She was thrilled.

Emmet was transferred on the railroad to a town a long ways away to West Union. This made them decide to set a date for wedding.

Grace’s sisters had a big shower for her on the Saturday before she was married. They had a nice delicious supper for 60 lady guests. Some came by horse and sleigh from the country. She received many nice gifts.³

At age 19, Grace married Emmet Willard Smith on Tuesday, November 30, 1926 at Harmony United Reform Church, in Zwingle, Jackson County, Iowa. Emmet was 28 years old. He was the son of John Smith and Sarah Louisa Minger. The ceremony was held at eight o'clock in the morning. The wedding invitations were printed on white vellum cards with black thermographed lettering. As Grace's mother was no longer living, her father issued the invitations. A note on the invitation added that the couple would be "At Home" after December 15th, at West Union, Iowa. Emmet’s folks did not attend the wedding because of distance and lots of snow. All of the schoolteachers and students were among those attending the wedding. Grace recalled that their wedding day was very cold with lots of snow, but she was happy. Grace wore a blue and taupe cut-velvet on chiffon dress. For travel, she had a tan suit and hat, matching shoes, and a blue coat.

The wedding ceremony was had in the early morning so that the couple could have their pictures taken at the photographer's studio and travel 15 miles to catch the 12:00 noon train. When the train stopped made its stop at Turkey River, north of Dubuque, Emmet's mother, two sisters, a sister-in-law and their children were there to congratulate the newlyweds. They had packed a delicious hot chicken dinner, which the couple later ate on train. Grace and Emmet then traveled on to Seattle, Washington. They had a railroad pass.

When the railroad Road Master heard they were getting married, he said to Emmet, “Why don’t you take a big trip, I’ll get you a pass.” So, he sent for one. It came to the office in Dubuque. The man in the office said, “He’s not married” and he sent it back and ordered a single pass. So he found out that Emmet was getting married and he reordered a pass and it came just in the nick of time before their wedding. "It was a good honeymoon," Grace added.^5,6

On their wedding trip, they visited Emmet’s brother and wife in Montana and then went on to Seattle. The visited several places and one was the Navy base. They went all through the Battleship Arizona. It was docked there for repairs and being painted. That ship was later sunk at Pearl Harbor by the attack by Japan. They were glad they had the chance to see it and tour it.⁷

An announcement in the LaMotte News for the marriage of Grace and Emmet read:

Miss Grace Lenhart
A November Bride

One of our late November weddings was that of Miss Grace Lenhart, youngest daughter of Mr. J. R. Lenhart, and Mr. Emmet Smith of Elkport formerly of LaMotte.

The event taking place in the Harmony Reformed church. The former pastor, Rev. J. M. Newgard, now of Wilton, Iowa, officiated. The ceremony being read at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday November 30, 1926. The couple were unattended and left shortly after the breakfast at the bride’s home for the immediate family, on their honeymoon trip to Seattle, Washington and other points of interest on Pacific coast as their destination.

The bride was handsome in a gown of beautiful creation of electric blue georgette crepe embroidered in fawn colored cut chenille shading to silver. Her slippers and other accessories in fawn shade.

Their first home was at West Union, Iowa. They rented an older home. It was cold. They only lived there for four months. Emmet got transferred back to his former job and would be working out of La Motte, Iowa again. So, they moved back to Zwingle. It was in this home that their first son was born.⁷

Grace was 20 when she gave birth to their son Don Emmet (Sr.) on Saturday, March 3, 1928, at home in a two bedroom bungalow (the old parsonage), on the south edge of Zwingle at 4:30 in the afternoon. She recalled that she was in almost 18 hours in labor. He weighed 8 1/4 pounds, was 21 inches long and had brown hair. He had "cut-out" marks on the back edge his ears just like his father had. She wrote in his memory book that he was a fussy (colic) baby..

Emmet worked at La Motte for one year and then quit the railroad. They moved to his home place in Turkey River, on his father’s farm. This wasn’t a good move. They shared the income with his father and there wasn’t a good living in it for them, so Emmet decided to find other work. He wrote his former road master on the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad and asked if he had an opening. He phoned back and said, “Be at Roundout, Illinois as soon as possible.” So off they went. This was at the start of the depression and the railroad company kept laying off the foremen – doubling up sections. Emmet would get bumped off and then he would bump someone else until he couldn’t any more. He went to the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company in Joliet, Illinois, and got on right away. He had very good recommendations. They lived at North Chicago, Illinois and were there for a while, but finally Emmet got laid off when the sections were doubled up.⁷

Grace gave birth to her son Galen Cecil on Friday, February 19, 1932, at 11:15 P.M. in North Chicago, Lake County, Illinois. Grace was 24 years old. He weighed 8 1/4 pounds and was 20" long. He also had cut-out marks on his ears - like his father..

In the meantime, Grace’s father had passed away (he had kidney trouble). Grace’s brother, Art Lenhart, was living alone on the family’s home farm so he wrote asking Grace and Emmet to come back to Zwingle to live with him and work for him. They went back and Emmet helped Art with the farm work. Galen was two years old. Emmet got 50¢ a day for working for Art. But at least they had a place to live, and part of their food was furnished. They stayed on the farm for one year.

Grace had inherited some money from her father and they bought the Gerber farm. It was about three miles south of Zwingle. They made a down payment and borrowed the rest from the Federal Loan Bank. They had to agree to raise their own food. The first thing the bank did was to take money from the loan and buy a large canning pressure cooker for them. The loan program required Grace to can 20 quarts of tomatoes per person (they knew that Grace and Emmet couldn’t afford oranges for Vitamin C). She had to can 100 quarts of tomatoes and lots of other vegetables. She canned 400 quarts of fruit and vegetables and 100 quarts of beef. They had pork and 400 chickens. The loan program wanted them to be well nourished. It was a good program and they kept checking on them. They wanted them to succeed. In 1989 Grace shared the following thought, “Too bad they (government) don’t make the welfare people earn their living these days, instead of just handing out money for free.”

There was lots of work on the farm and they really worked. Emmet often said, “I laid awake at night, and wondered if we could hold on to the farm.” (This was still during the depression.) Emmet would saw lumber and firewood for people to make enough extra to make the loan payments and pay taxes. No wonder he suffered from ulcers. When he would go to do field work, Grace would make him a thermos bottle of eggnog and he would take a few crackers. When his stomach would pain, he would take a little eggnog and a cracker and that would ease it. It was on this farm that Grace’s brother-in-law, Harry Cueno (Ruby’s husband), had his spinal cord broken. Emmet had so much corn in that year (1942) and the hay had to be made, so he let Harry and his son, Fred, put it up on shares. The hay wagon wheel went into a little hole or rut and tipped the wagon. Harry fell off and his spinal cord was severed. He lived about three months.⁷

Grace was 27 when she gave birth to their daughter Darlene Grace on Tuesday, June 18, 1935, at six o'clock in the morning. in Finley Hospital, in Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa. She weighed 8 1/4 pounds and was 20 inches long.

Grace and Emmet lived on a farm south of Zwingle. They raised chickens on their farm and sold eggs to the Kretz' Cafeteria in Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa. Occasionally, they would bring in a hog from their farm and sell it to the meat packers in Dubuque in order to have enough money to buy their groceries.

When they lived on the farm, they had a special shepherd dog named Rover. He was good with the animals on the farm. One-day Emmet’s team of horses ran away. Rover took after them and the horse kicked him and he died. Grace lamented, “We loved him and missed him so much.” Later on the family had a fox terrier. In later years, Grace and Emmet had a poodle named Punkie, and then a spitz named Chipper. They trained him to do lots of tricks. They really loved him. He was a good companion for Grace in her later years when Emmet died. Unfortunately, about a year and a half later, Chipper became ill from a deer-tick bite and died. Grace recalled that she really grieved for him and still missed him for the rest of her life.^1,3

On July 1, 1949, her son, Don, married Janet Grace Neuendorf.^8,9

On October 5, 1955, her son, Galen, married Anna Mae Scheckel.^2,10

On May 18, 1957, her daughter, Darlene, married Richard Frank (Sr.) Julson.^2,1

Grace Elda Lenhart was baptized by immersion on Sunday, March 8, 1959 at age 51 years, 7 months and 8 days, in the First Baptist Church (became Dubuque Bible Church) in Dubuque, Iowa.¹¹

Grace shared many favorite holiday memories. On Valentine’s Day during her school days, they had a party and gave out Valentines. Her Sunday school would have a party and the church would have a special party and service. At Easter time, the family always went to church in their best clothes to worship our risen Lord. They also had a chicken and noodle dinner and would color eggs. Mother’s Day was a special day. As a mother, Grace always received a gift. One year her three children, Don, Galen, and Darlene, surprised her and made the dinner. She commented, “Bless them (they were only kids). On the 4^th of July, the family always took off work and had a picnic dinner, and shot off firecrackers. Her pet chicken died from picking up some of the sulfur from the fireworks. When Grace was in grade school, she would go out into the woods the day before Memorial Day and gather wild flowers and ferns to put on graves the next day. They had a church service and a band played. On Halloween, they usually had school parties and dressed up – goofy. The older young ones back in the 1920s would play tricks on people – turn over toilets, and soap windows, etc. She added, “I’m so glad they don’t do that now.”

Thanksgiving customs included giving thanks to God for all blessings. They went to church if there were services. She usually served her family a big roasted chicken with dressing, pumpkin pie, etc. When they lived on the farm, they usually invited the pastor’s family for dinner and fellowship. The things that she was especially thankful for included “my God, my Heavenly Father, and precious Lord and Savior. That my immediate family knew the Lord. I’m thankful that Don (her firstborn son) gave his life’s work for the Lord. Thirty-five years as a missionary to the Indians. I’m thankful for a good marriage with Emmet. Oh! I have so much to be thankful for. Thank you Lord for all blessings.”

Special Christmas customs included their church having a special Christmas program on Christmas Eve. They had a large decorated tree. When she was young, she always had many parts in the programs. They gave bags of candy to the children. One special Christmas memory was when her family walked to church on Christmas Eve it was cold and the snow screeched under their feet was they walked. It was a bright moon. Parents put gifts on the church tree for their children. There was a big beautiful doll on the tree. Young Grace felt that its arms were stretched out to her and she told her mother that she’d like that doll. She got. Her mother had put it on the tree for her. Her mother was always up early and put a goose in the oven and prepared dinner. All the family enjoyed a wonderful feast that included baked apples with whipped cream, pies, etc. One Christmas, Grace got a rocking chair and she could rock her dollies to sleep. She added, “I’m 89 years old now and I still have my rocking chair. I now rock myself in my big rocker.”

At her own home, it was a custom for her family to have a Christmas tree and give gifts. On The 25th of December, they had a big dinner; usually a goose and all the trimmings: mashed potatoes, gravy, peas or corn and squash, apple pie, cherry pie, and pumpkin pie. All the food was homegrown.³

During their marriage, Grace and Emmet lived in numerous locations including West Union, IA; Turkey River, IA; Zwingle, IA; Round Out, IL (near North Chicago); Jolliet, IL; Tipton, IA; and Maquoketa, IA; finally settling in Dubuque, Iowa, where they lived together in the home that they built on John Deere Road until his death.^5,12

They had a special shepherd dog named Rover. He was good with the animals on the farm. One-day Emmet’s team of horses ran away. Rover took after them and the horse kicked him and he died. Grace lamented, “We loved him and missed him so much.” Later on the family had a fox terrier. In later years when they lived in Dubuque, Grace and Emmet had a poodle named Punkie, and then a spitz named Chipper. They trained him to do lots of tricks. They really loved him. He was a good companion for Grace in her later years when Emmet died. Unfortunately, about a year and a half later, Chipper became ill from a deer-tick bite and died. Grace recalled that she really grieved for him and still missed him for the rest of her life.³

She became a widow at age 79 when her husband, Emmet, died on March 16, 1987 in Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa.

Grace continued to live alone in their home until 1997 at which time, due to her declining health, she moved into a Dubuque senior care residence.¹²

Grace died at 2:05 P.M. while in the Finley Hospital on Thursday, December 9, 1999 in Dubuque. She was 92 years old. Her death was the result of congestive heart failure due to Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery disease. Her daughter Darlene was the informant.^13,1 Grace Elda Lenhart was laid to rest in the Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.¹²

Her obituary in an unidentified undated newspaper reads:

Grace E. Smith

Grace E. Smith, 92, of Heritage Manor, formerly of Zwingle, Iowa Zwingle, Iowa, died at 2:05 p.m. Thursday, December 9, 1999, at the Finley Hospital.

Services will be at 4:00 p.m. today at the Dubuque Bible Church, 3500 Pennsylvania Avenue, with burial in Linwood Cemetery. Friends may call from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. today at the church. The Eglehof, Siegert and Casper Westview Funeral Home, 2659 Kennedy Road, is in charge of arrangements.

She was born On July 30, 1907 in Zwingle, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth ( Hachmann) Lenhart. She married Emmet Smith on November 30, 1926 and Harmony Reformed Church, Zwingle; he died on March 16, 1987.

Grace was born and raised and Zwingle, moving to Dubuque in 1955. She was a member of Dubuque Bible Church and enjoyed gardening.

Surviving are a son, Galen (Anna Mae) Smith, of Dubuque; a daughter, Darlene (Richard) Julson, of Dubuque; ten grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and a daughter in law, and Janet Smith, of flagstaff, Arizona.

She also was preceded in death by a son, the Rev. Don Smith, in 1989; one great-grandson, Brance Bergeron; her sisters, and Ruby Cueno and Edna Higgins; and her brothers, Arthur, Lester and Bert Lenhart.

Memorials may be given to united Indian Mission Translation Fund at united Indian Mission International, Dubuque Bible Church and Bridge to Life Ministries.

[Note: For ease of reading, minor editing and expanded abbreviations were made in the above text].¹⁴

According to the Social Security Death Index, her social security number was 485-38-1124, issued in Iowa. Death residence localities were Asbury, Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa . (Zip code 52002).<sup>13,15
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