Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, 1903. pp. 358-360.

JOHN G. DETTINGER.

Many a man is unfortunate in having become skilled in a calling for which he never afterwards had any use. Years of time and unlimited patience have been expended to acquire a thorough knowledge of business, only to find, when it has been secured, that a machine has been invented which does the work better and many times faster than it can be done by hand. In such an emergency all that is left to the unlucky artisan is to turn his talent to something else in the hope of not being forestalled in that also. It often happens that what the poor victim of fate looked upon as real misfortune later proved to be only a blessing in disguise. It proved so with John G. Dettinger, the subject of this sketch. In early life he learned the business of a nailer, or manufacturer of nails (by hand). At the time it was a most flourishing and remunerative calling. Within a few years after he became thoroughly skilled in the business, machinery so completely superseded hand work and nails became so inordinately cheap that no one but a crank or imbecile would think of having nails made by hand. The result was that John G. Dettinger, skilled nailer, found himself out of a job. He came to America, turned farmer in the woods of Ohio and Indiana and now in his declining years finds himself one hundred fold better off than he would have been if the business of making nails by hand had not completely collapsed.

John G. Dettinger was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, July 4, 1830. His parents were Samuel and Rosa (Frank) Dettinger, natives of that country. Samuel Dettinger was well educated and a skilled mechanic, the manufacturer of nails by hand. It was good business, in which there was at that time unlimited employment. The family was not rich, but in very comfortable circumstances. They were members of the German Lutheran church and were the parents of eight children, four of whom are living, three in the fatherland and one, John G., here. Both parents are dead, their entire life having been passed in their native land.

The benefit of a fair, common school education was accorded to John G. Dettinger. He attended school until he was fourteen years of age, and then went into the shop and worked with his father until he had learned the trade. At twenty-one he was forced into the military service of the country and required to serve for a period of six years. On being discharged he hastened across the waters to America, landing in New York July 1, 1857. Ten days after he landed he went over into the state of New Jersey and was united in marriage to Miss Mary Kile—rather a brief courtship, it might be thought, but not nearly so brief as on its face it seems. Miss Kile was a passenger on the same ship coming across the Atlantic and, as the voyage in those days was of many weeks' duration, there was ample time for getting acquainted and coming to an understanding. When the first flood of connubial happiness had subsided, the first thought of the young people was to seek remunerative employment. Making nails by hand had then ceased to be a calling in New York and vicinity, so Mr. Dettinger turned his attention to something else. He had some money and so wisely determined to go west. They located in Ohio, where they remained until 1886, when they moved to French township, Adams County, Indiana. He invested in a farm of fifty acres which he cultivated for some time, when he added, by purchase, forty acres more, which gave him a very desirable farm of ninety acres. Through his experience in Ohio and Indiana, Mr. Dettinger became a very expert farmer. He was always favored by good crops, because he always saw that plowing, planting and cultivating was well done. No year was permitted to elapse without laying aside a little from the receipts of the farm. These sums, as soon as they had assumed sufficient proportions, were always judiciously invested, generally in property that afforded an income, investments which have all turned out well. In 1897 he sold his farm at a very gratifying figure and moved his family to Vera Cruz, being now retired from active labor. He has real estate and other property from which he derives a comfortable income, enough to supply his own wants and those dependent upon him.

To Mr. and Mrs. Dettinger fourteen children have been born, of whom twelve are living, viz: Maggie, Eliza, Christina, John, Jacob, Charles, Caroline, Samuel, Mary, Rosa, Wilson and Emma. Maggie is the wife of W. D. Markley and Eliza is the wife of John Lobsiger. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, regular attendants upon its services and contribute liberally to the support of religion and charity. In politics Mr. Dettinger is a Democrat, but has the wisdom to know that most of the time spent in politics is time wasted. He is a man of very wide acquaintance, genial, liberal and companionable. Among people of his own nationality especially he wields a wide influence and always for good. Any way that his life may be looked upon, financially, socially or domestically, it must be pronounced a success. He has reared a large family of bright, intelligent, moral sons and daughters who are a credit to their parentage and to the community in which they live. Had the business of making nails by hand continued to flourish, it is quite likely that Mr. Dettinger would have stayed at his forge and anvil and never have accomplished the tenth part of what he has. The total collapse of that business proved in the end indeed a blessing in disguise.