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Handtke Dairy

  • County: La Porte County
  • Location: La Porte
  • Years Active in the Business:

This is a very tough one to find information on.

The only source we have located so far is the Annual Report of the Indiana State Dairy Association (1923), which lists Herman Handtke of LaPorte.

We are unsure whether this embossed bottle was associated only with Herman Handtke or with other members of the Handtke family, but since he is listed in the 1923 dairy report, we can reasonably assume the embossed name refers to him.

According to U.S. census records and his death certificate, Herman August Handtke was born on July 26, 1895, in Michigan Township, LaPorte County, Indiana. The 1930 U.S. Census lists his occupation as a farmer, and the 1940 U.S. Census records him as a farmer and dairyman. His World War II draft card shows his residence as Rural Route 4, LaPorte, and his employment as self farming. He married Sadie Marie Hacker (1907–1991) in 1934. He died on March 2, 1953, at age 57. His death certificate lists his occupation as a janitor at Riley School.

Because LaPorte County city directories generally do not include rural dairies, we are not yet sure which years this operation was in business. We also have not located any available newspaper articles about this dairy. Additional research and deeper digging will be needed to learn more.

Bottle Photos

#1

Rubbing courtesy of the Indiana Embossed Milk Bottle Collectors Guide, 2024 edition, by John Parsons. Shared with John Parsons approval until a photograph is available. This rubbing will be removed once a photo is provided. Thank you, John, for your support.

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