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John Nenzel is a native of Saxony, Germany, born in 1835, and a farmer
of Rock Township, Jefferson Co., Mo.  His father, John Nenzel, came to
the United States about 1839, settled for some time in Maryland, but
went from there to Ohio and from there to Franklin County, Mo., where
the mother died about 1841.  Soon after this the family moved to St.
Louis, where they remained until about 1851, when they came to Jefferson 

County, and settled on the approach of winter, in a cabin made of brush, 

etc., on the farm now owned by John, which was then a dense wilderness.  

Here the father died April 22, 1863.  He was a soldier in the Mexican 

War, serving fourteen months, and the farm upon which our subject now 

resides is the land he selected as his war claim.  He was a sturdy, 

honest farmer. The subject of this sketch was reared principally in St. 

Louis County, where he was married, March 1, 1854, to Miss Louisa Hoebel, 

a native of Germany, but who came with her mother to Jefferson County a 

short time previous to her marriage.  Twelve children were born to this 

union, nine now living, one son and three daughters residing in St. Louis.  

Three sons and two daughters make their home in Jefferson County. Since 

his marriage Mr. Nenzel has lived on the old home place which consists of 

240 acres, three miles northwest of Antonia, forty acres in Meramec Township 

and eighty acres in Rock Creek, all the result of hard labor. August 14, 1861 

he enlisted in Company B, Fourth Missouri Cavalry, and for three years operated 

near the Missouri and Kansas line.  In 1861 he was made captive at Harrisonville, 

but was immediately paroled and returned home.  He was afterward in Company C, 

of the Enrolled Missouri Militia, in Col. Rankin's regiment.  He is a Republican 

in politics, has always been an industrious farmer, and is respected by all.