John Leonard Weidenhofer (abt. 1876 - abt. 1953)

Born about 23 May 1876 in Woodside, South Australia, Australia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Ann (Waters) Weidenhoffer — married about 30 May 1908 in Bow Hill, South Australia, Australia

Descendants

Died about 3 Dec 1953 at about age 77 in Strathalbyn, South Australia, Australia [uncertain]

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Biography

This is a preliminary draft and the information should only be used with caution

Strathalbyn
Strathalbyn is a town in South Australia, in the Alexandrina Council. As of 2011, the town had a population of 5654 people. Wikipedia

John, the eldest son of George and Lydia, was born at Woodside in 1876, and was named after one of Lydia’s brothers, John Leonard Jacobs.

We know nothing of his childhood, but his adult life portrayed him as a very resourceful and successful achiever in a variety of activities.

In his early twenties, it seems as though he had decided on farming as an occupation, and so he set about earning enough money to buy some land. It is known that he worked in Broken Hill for some time, but records do not indicate the nature of his work.

By 1902, aged twenty six, he had selected land near Pinnaroo, but did not immediately settle there. He worked on his father’s property at Bow Hill, on the River Murray, and he also worked in a garage at Parilla, which is situated between Lameroo and Pinnaroo.

John, or Jack as he was known, did not join his father on land which George had bought at Geranium in 1906.

In 1908, Jack married Anne Waters at her parents’ home at Bow Hill, after which, they moved to Pinnaroo.

The train line from Adelaide to Tailem Bend was extended to Pinnaroo which, as a consequence, grew in population quite considerably, with most of the settlers being farmers. These farmers gathered from time to time to share their ideas and experiences and eventually, an Agricultural Bureau was established. At the annual shows, the farmers exhibited their products.

Jack was very mechanically minded, and exhibited some of his inventions, for which he became very well known and respected. His fascination with mechanical devices led him to experiment with and improve some of the more cumbersome farm implements.

He took an active interest in the sinking of bores in search of underground water, which was essential in an area such as Pinnaroo, where the rainfall was minimal but so necessary. He invented a device, which greatly improved the action of windmills, which were used to pump water from underground, to the surface. This invention was the finely machined epicyclical gearing attached to the head of the windmill. It attracted much attention at the Pinnaroo Annual Show, especially as Jack had meticulously constructed a four foot high scale model of such a windmill.

Another of his inventions was a system of four-wheeled power steering for mechanical vehicles. A sprinkler system for watering large areas, was yet another of his successful inventions.

After twenty years of successful farming at Pinnaroo, Jack, his wife and family, moved to Strathalbyn. Jack bought a property in High Street, named “London House”, which had been built in 1867 for Mr Thomas Stephens as a general store with the residence upstairs. It has a fine blue stone frontage, with the stone having been quarried locally. The large cellar was paved with slate.

Jack’s business, as agent for Southern Cross Windmills, was conducted from these premises, and the family lived upstairs.

Jack and Anne had two sons and two daughters.

A History of the Weidenhofer Families in Australia 1846 - 2004. Written by Wyn Allen (née Weidenhofer) 2004 ©.
Reproduced with permission of Stewart Allen, Barry Malcolm and Carlien Melrose.

This is a works in progress and any assistance with information or source details would be very much appreciated.

Sources

• Information taken from the Weidenhofer Database compiled from family input and research for the book “A History of the Weidenhofer Families in Australia 1846 – 2004©.
• Reproduced with permission of Stewart Allen, Barry Malcolm and Carlien Melrose.

South Australian Genealogy Index of Birth, Death and Marriage.
Birth
Date: 1876 - Name: WIEDENHOFER John Leonard - Father: George WIEDENHOFER - Mother: Lydia JACOBS - District: Nairne - Registration No.: 167/174.
Marriage
Date: 1908 - Registration No,: 235/512 - Name: WEIDENHOPER John Leonard - Spouse: WATERS Annie - District: Wellington.
Death
Date: 1953 - Registration No.: 806/158 - Name: WEIDENHOFER John Leonard - Relative: undefined - District: Mount Barker.
South Australian Cemeteries
Resting place: Strathalbyn General - Name: WEIDENHOFER John Leonard - Age: undefined - Date: 1953.
Link to Index
South Australian Genealogy Index of Birth, Death and Marriage.
https://www.genealogysa.org.au/resources/online-databases.html

Strathalbyn Cemetery Records Surname: WEIDENHOFER John Leonard
Cemetery: Strathalbyn Cemetery
Section: Division 2 - Plot/Grave/Niche: 322
Last Residence: Strathalbyn
Date of Death: 02/01/1954 - Age at Death: 77
Date of Burial: 02/01/1954 - Minister Officiating: Rev Sutherland Jones
Burial/Order Number: 4177
Link to Website http://www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?c=29655

Further research is required to locate primary documents to satisfy Wikitree source standards.