BIO: John LINDNER, Cumberland County, PA
    
    Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Joe Patterson
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    >From Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania,
    Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905, pages 156-159
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    JOHN LINDNER. Some of the most prominent and enterprising citizens of this
  country come from German ancestry. Conspicuous among these, in Carlisle,
  Cumberland county, is John Lindner, the famous shoe manufacturer, of whom we
  here give a brief history.
    Three generations ago there dwelt in Reidenhausen, Franken, Germany, Henry
  Lindner and Elizabeth, his wife. Both were natives and lifelong residents of
  that town, Mr. Lindner being employed in the government postal service all
  his active years, having charge of the postal service of the Province. To
  Henry and Elizabeth Lindner there was born, in 1820, a son, John,
    
    CUMBERLAND COUNTY.  157
    
  who grew to manhood in Reidenhausen. He was educated in the private schools
  of his native town, and upon completing his studies entered the employ of his
  father in the capacity of clerk. After considerable experience in business he
  rose to be treasurer in the firm of Henry Lindner of Beikeburg, a position he
  filled until 1848, when he married Sophia M., daughter of Adolph Darmhurst,
  of Beikeburg, and came to America. Mr. and Mrs. Lindner located in Newark, N.
  J., where he engaged in the manufacture of clothing, at which he was very
  successful. To John and Sophia M. Lindner were born the following children;
  Frederick William, of Louisville, Ky.; Elizabeth B., wife of Frederick
  Heilman, of Waltham, Mass.; and John, the subject of these lines.
    John Lindner was born in 1859, in Newark, N. J., in the house which has
  been the home of his parents ever since they settled in America. He was
  educated in the public schools of Newark and in the New Jersey Business
  College, and on laying aside his books he entered the employ of Banister &
  Tichner, shoe manufacturers of Newark, with whom he acquired knowledge of
  shoe manufacturing, and thoroughly equipped himself for a successful business
  career. In 1882 he went into the employ of Reynolds Brothers, shoe
  manufacturers of Utica, N. Y., and applied himself so diligently and
  efficiently that he soon rose to the position of manager. Six years later he
  became superintendent of the G. W. Neidich & Co., of Carlisle, Pa., where he
  demonstrated his superior capability by, in three years' time, increasing the
  output of the factory seven-fold and making it one of the largest and best
  paying shoe plants in the country. His pronounced success encouraged him to
  try larger and more difficult undertakings, and in 1891 he organized and had
  incorporated the Lindner Shoe Co., of Carlisle, Pa.  capitalized at $35,000.
  A suitable building was erected a little to the north of and in easy sight of
  the Cumberland Valley railroad, at the western end of Carlisle. It was first
  constructed to accommodate 100 hands, but from the very start business grew
  rapidly, and in a surprisingly short time the force having to be increased
  fivefold, it was correspondingly enlarged. It now consists of a structure 430
  feet long, 225 feet wide, and three stories high, and is a veritable hive of
  industry. In January, 1893, the capital stock of the company was increased to
  S50,000, and in 1901 it was raised to $125,000, and in August, 1904, it was
  increased to $200,000, at which figure it rests at present. The officers of
  the company are: John Lindner, president; I. E. Greenwood, vice-president; M.
  L. Dunkleberger, secretary and treasurer. The factory is a model of its kind;
  two large additions just completed make it America's largest factory making
  women's fine shoes, constructed and arranged to facilitate the output and at
  the same time conserve the health and comfort of its employes. It is equipped
  with the best machinery known, complete in every department and detail, and
  has a capacity to produce every year more than three million dollars worth of
  ladies' fine shoes, which are marketed to all parts of the country. It is by
  far the largest manufacturing enterprise in Carlisle, employs the most labor,
  and brings from a distance and distributes among its citizens more money than
  any other agency.
    But this great shoe factory is only one of Mr. Lindner's laudable
  enterprises. He has others to his credit. In 1902 he embarked in the
  cultivation of flowers on a scale characteristic of the man. He purchased a
  plot of ground in the western end of town, and upon it erected the largest and
    
    158  CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
    
  finest greenhouses ever built in this part of Pennsylvania. They are
  thoroughly modern in every part of their construction, and of magnificent
  size, requiring more than 70,000 square feet of glass to cover them. Fronting
  these greenhouses, and bordering on West Louther street, he has laid out a
  beautiful public park of artistic design. Macadamized roadways surround and
  cross it, granolithic pavements border its edges; through its well-kept lawns
  in graceful curves wind gravelled walks and shrubbery and plants and flower
  beds of variegated hue ornament and beautify it. In it is planted every
  species of tree known to the Cumberland Valley, and with a few years of
  growth it will be a most delightful spot for rest and recreation. Every two
  weeks during the past summer, Saturday evening band concerts, provided by the
  same liberal hand that donated the park, were here given for the benefit of
  the public. The creation of this pleasure reflects the tastes of the man, and
  the fact that he throws both park and greenhouses wide open to the children of
  the public schools speaks eloquently of his generosity. Not only do the public
  school children have free access, but the students of Dickinson College and
  the Indian Training School are also welcome, and such of them as delight in
  the mysteries of plant life are given the use of apparatus and standard works
  on botany to assist them in their study and analysis.
    Probably no employer of labor in the State of Pennsylvania entered more
  cordially into association and sympathy with his employes than does Mr.
  Lindner. He takes a personal interest in all that concerns them, and both
  contributes to and shares in their pleasures. For a number of years he
  annually gave his entire force of hands a day's outing, providing for them
  means of enjoyment, refreshments and music.
    Recognizing the importance and necessity of higher education, Mr. Lindner
  frequently makes contributions to the local institutions of learning, and
  quietly does much to encourage science and the arts. He takes a deep interest
  in the prosperity of the town and the general welfare of its citizens, always
  aiding and often leading in efforts to promote the public good. He was one of
  the organizers of the Board of Trade, and has been its president ever since it
  was organized. He is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers; of
  the Shoe Manufacturers Association of Pennsylvania; of the National Trade
  Exchange; of the National Association of Civics; of the State Forestry
  Association; of the Manufacturers Club of Philadelphia; of the Hamilton
  Library Association of Carlisle; and long a valued member of the Philadelphia
  Museum. He is a Republican in politics but not an aspirant for political
  honors or preferment. As a public-spirited citizen he is much in favor with
  the people, and a few years ago was elected a member of the borough council
  of Carlisle, was elected president of that body, and at the expiration of his
  term was re-elected without opposition, and again without opposition in 1903.
  In religious belief he is a Lutheran and contributes liberally to that church
  and to Christian charities generally.
    In 1884 Mr. Lindner was married to Matilda B., daughter of C. W. and
  Matilda B. Metz, of Utica, N. Y., and to them one child has been born, a son,
  J. Austin Lindner. Their home is at the corner of Louther and College streets,
  in a most desirable part of town. On the outside it is conspicuous by reason
  of its shrubbery and flowers and
    
    CUMBERLAND COUNTY.  159
    
  generally attractive surroundings, and inside it is a model of comfort,
  culture and refinement. Here, among books and papers and rare paintings and
  bric-a-brac, the busy man finds rest and solace from the care and trials of
  his intensely active life.
    LINDNER PARK. - A public park located in the western end of Carlisle,
  containing about five acres. The residence section surrounding it is known as
  the Lindner Park East and West. A beautiful residence section, land has been
  set aside for that purpose under restrictions, so as to give the entire
  neighborhood a larger scope of park effect.