John S. and Christina Lehr by Gideon Lehr, Irvine Alberta, A New Beginning, 1989 (D. Wahl), published by the Odessa Digital Library, 6 Apr 2001, transcribed by Michael Bowen.

Taken from his obituary and family records and transcribed by Michael Bowen, MRB, #47351043. John S. Lehr was born June 7, 1865 in the Colony of Kassel, South Russia, son of Andrew and Rosina (Brandt) Lehr. Christina Weist was born March 25, 1868 in the Colony of Rohrbach, South Russia. John and Christina were married November 6, 1887 at Eureka, South Dakota. In 1890 they homesteaded in North Dakota. In 1896 the Zoo Railroad came in to start a little town. The Lehr brothers, John and Andrew, each donated 40 acres, along with the Logan county and McIntosh County each donating 40 acres. The town was built on these 160 acres, the town being named Lehr, North Dakota. In 1901, an epidemic of diphtheria spread into the area wiping out the children of many families; my older brothers and sisters are all buried on that homestead. My sister Lydia, being six months old and a nursing baby, never got diphtheria. In 1902, Sister Annie was born in North Dakota.

The family moved to a farm in Alberta, SE 11-10-3. I was born March 5 1906 while living on this place. In May 1908, our house was destroyed by fire. The family then moved to Irvine. There my father was in partnership with Mr. Schaller, having a store and Cockshutt machinery agency. They bought grain, storing the grain in sort of an elevator which was beside the stores south of the railroad. With horses and a high wagon, they'd drive under the elevator to fill the wagon and then haul it over across the tracks and onto the platform. With a chute from the high wagon they loaded the grain into the box car. About 1913, we moved to Medicine Hat where we built a new house at 767 – 8 Street S.E. My father was retired and sort of waiting for us to grow up. In 1916 he traded this house and $4000 cash to R.C. Becker, a passenger train conductor, for a ranch south of Irvine known as the A.T. Ranch. This place was badly rundown with everybody's cattle and horses running on it. We built a new house.

1918 was very dry and the Spanish Influenza was very bad. It didn't hit our family so my parents went out with team and buggy every day to help the sick while we children stayed home. The winter of 1919 was very cold with so much snow the trail was four feet of snow piled up and packed down. Hemorrhagic Septicemia infected our cattle. We lost 29 head, having only 24 left in the spring. The price of hides was quite high, so the dead ones had to be skinned. With the weather being so cold, I'd open up the bottom and the legs, and all around the neck and ears. Then the next day, I'd tie the head to a post and with a team of horses I would pull the hide off. The following years were quite good. By 1926 we had about 300 acres broken. Crops in 1926 and 1927 were heavy. In 1925 we bought land at Cardston that my brothers-in-law farmed for a time. In the spring of 1928 the A.T. Ranch was sold to Fred Bollinger and we moved to Cardston. Mother passed away in my home at Cardston, August 20, 1929 and Father passed away April 12, 1949. Both are buried in Hillside Cemetery in Medicine Hat. Lydia, born October 3, 1900, married John Heinz March 18, 1919 and was living at Hilda, Alberta. She passed away January 28, 1928. She had five children: Elroy, Bill, Harry, Edna, and Ella. Annie, born 1902, was married to John Diebert, remarried to Neil McNivan and lives in Creston B.C. Bertha married Chris Diebert and passed away April 12, 1975. Gideon, born March 15, 1906, married Katie Will of Irvine. and is now married to Emily Orman. Gideon and Katie had three boys. Katie passed away July 10, 1977. Emil, born March 11, 1908, passed away September 19, 1988. Ed. Note: Gideon Lehr passed away February 12, 1989.>>>>>>>
John S. Lehr first married Christina Weist November 6, 1887 at McPherson County, South Dakota; she died August 21, 1929 at Alberta. They had a least nine children; several children died of diphtheria in 1901 North Dakota. John S. Lehr then married Elizabeth Ohlauser on April 10, 1930 at Medicine Hat. Elizabeth was the widow of John Lehr's brother Fred Lehr. Elizabeth died September 9, 1943 at Medicine Hat. John S. Lehr then married Christina Albrecht on January 29, 1944 at Medicine Hat; Christina died at Medicine Hat on April 30, 1965. John S. Lehr's daughter, Annie (Lehr) Deibert McNiven was born 10 Sep 1902; died 6 Jul 2004; burial unknown. Sisters Annie and Bertha Lehr married brothers John and Christian Deibert.