JOHN LAMKA, general farmer and respected citizen of Elizabeth Township, Miami County, resides on his valuable property, which consists of fifty-five acres of land, situated in Section 20 and lying along the lower Troy and Springfield Turnpike Road. He was born in Germany, June 20, 1843, and is a son of William and Sophia (Huptner) Lamka. The parents of Mr. Lamka never came to America, and only two of their family of fourteen children have made their homes in the United States. The father of Mr. Lamka died in Germany in 1881.

When John Lamka came to this country, in 1882, he was accompanied by his wife and children. He settled first near Pleasant Hill, Miami County, Ohio, and worked by the day at farm labor, and then rented a farm in Newton Township from Dr. Keister. He rented his second farm from Levi Barnett, in Elizabeth Township, and after living there for eight years purchased the farm he now owns, on which he has lived since 1899. He bought forty acres of it from Mrs. Brier and fifteen acres from the Harter estate. The purchase of this farm was the result of years of industry and good management. He devotes all of his land to grain, except six acres, on which he grows tobacco. The only farm building he had to put up was his tobacco shed. He is a hard worker and takes a great deal of pride in keeping-up the appearance of his farm and in making every part of it a paying proposition.

In Germany Mr. Lamka was married to Marie Prolo, a daughter of Joseph and Louisa (Holtz) Prolo and they have four children, all of whom have domestic ties of their own. William married Anna Lamka, a daughter of Henry Lamka, and they have four children, Edward, Carl, Herman and Charles. John married Marie Knoll, a daughter of Lawrence Knoll, and they have one child, Marie. Fred married Mary Smith, a daughter of Joseph Smith, and when she died she left two children, Leo and Grace. Charles married Maude Drury, a daughter of James Drury. Mr. Lamka and family are members of the German Lutheran Church at Troy. With his sons, Mr. Lamka votes with the Democratic party.