6. Henry LaVerne German (1881 - 1955)

Henry LaVerne German

Henry LaVerne German was the 6th child, and 4th son of Sabina & Abel German.

Henry LaVerne German

Henry LaVerne German 
Birth: 19 Apr 1881 in Glen Elder, Mitchell Co., Kansas
Death: 04 Jan 1955 in Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon. 

Henry LaVerne German, 1889

Henry LaVerne German, about 1902

In this family photo, taken about 1902, Henry is standing in the back,  2nd from right
Henry is standing in front of his diploma, enlarged below.

Henry and his college diploma.  He and his family must have been very proud.
Kansas Wesleyan Business College

Kansas Wesleyan Business College was most likely in Salina, Kansas, as part of what is now Kansas Wesleyan University, established in 1886.  

Henry used his education in business in his employment:

1910 - book seller in Oregon 

1914 - Clerk at the Portland Water Bureau

1917 - Accountant & Bookkeeper at the Portland Water Bureau, working at city hall

1920 - Clerk at the Water Bureau

1929 - Henry traveled to Sydney, Australia.  We don't know how long he stayed.  Della didn't go with him, so he probably went as part of his work.  This makes sense, because he was likely already working for Jantzen Knitting Mill.  SEE BELOW for more info about Jantzen.

1930 - Office manager at a knitting mill

1940 - Vice president at a wholesale knitting mill

1942 - Jantzen Knitting Mill

Marriage: Della Cleora Campbell.

Henry German Della Campbell married in about 1907

1910 Census, Portland, Oregon.  Henry & Della are living with her parents.
Henry & Della made their life in the Portland, Oregon area where her parents lived.

Children of Henry German and Della Campbell German:


Lois Verna German
Birth 16 June 1910 in Oregon; probably Portland.  Her parents are listed on the 1910 Portland Census
Death 13 Sep 1993 in Portland, Washington, Oregon, USA

According to census records, Lois never changed her last name.  She is not listed with anyone who might be her husband or children.  From this, we assume she was single, never married and never had children.

Vesta Grace German lived only 4 years
Birth 16 Apr 1914; probably in OregonDeath 6 Nov 1918 in Clackamas, Oregon

From this, we assume Lois was Henry and Della's only descendant.

Henry and Della German with daughter Lois

Henry German Draft Registration
12 Sept 1918 age 37yr

Henry German, 1946

Henry L German sailed from Sydney Australia 21 Feb 1929
He arrived in San Francisco 15 March 1929
It's likely he was there on business for Jantzen Knitting Mills,
which marked swimsuits in Australia (see below)

Henry became vice president of a knitting mill as worked at Jantzen Knitting Mills.  Was he vice president of Jantzen Knitting Mills?
Jantzen (from Wikipedia)

Jantzen is a brand of swimwear that was established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand name later replaced the name of the parent company that manufactured the branded products. The brand featured a logo image of a young woman, dressed in a red one-piece swimsuit and bathing hat, assuming a diving posture with outstretched arms and an arched back. Known as the Jantzen "Diving Girl", the image in various forms became famous throughout the world during the early twentieth century.

John A. Zehntbauer and Carl Jantzen founded the Portland Knitting Company, the predecessor of Jantzen Inc, in January 1910, in Portland, Oregon.^[1] It was a small knitting concern located in downtown Portland, and they produced sweaters, woolen hosiery and other knitted goods in the upstairs space, and sold them in the retail outlet downstairs.

The founders were members of the Portland Rowing Club suit for use in the chilly mornings on the Willamette River....  The one-piece garment of pure wool that Carl Jantzen designed eventually became the prototype for the rib-stitch swimsuits that were first produced in 1915.

Following World War I, a national advertising campaign was launched with advertisements illustrating Jantzen suits placed in Vogue and the old Life Magazine. Jantzen was a leader in promotion of its new product. The cover of the ads featured the "Red Diving Girl" which became adopted as the logo of the company and recognizable worldwide.

It was around this time that the company started to promote the idea of the swimsuit, as opposed to the bathing suit, and the tag-line "The Suit That Changed Bathing to Swimming":

Jantzen's iconic Diving Girl was designed by Frank and Florenz Clark. She first made her appearance in advertisements in 1920, wearing a daring red suit, stocking cap and stockings, and first appeared on Jantzen swimming suits in 1923. Over the years, the stockings and stocking cap were dropped, and in the late 1940s, the suit became strapless. The whole design was modernized again in the 1980s. The Diving Girl remains a recognized international brand and is one of the longest lived apparel icons.

During the inter-war years of the late 1920s and early 1930s the company established overseas manufacturing facilities and sales teams, notably in Europe. By 1932, Jantzen was reportedly the seventh most known trademark in the world.

In the 1940s, business perked up after Jantzen added sweaters, girdles and activewear to its basic swimwear line. The bikini was introduced in France in 1946 to set the style for brevity in swimwear and became a worldwide fashion classic.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Jantzen recognized that working women wanted attractive beachwear for weekends and vacations. In some resort areas, swim separates, cover-ups, and ankle-length beach skirts completed many swimsuit ensembles. Jantzen began to work with nylon and spandex to add stretch that holds shape. Jantzen also introduced a Trikini, combining a string bikini worn underneath a lacy, semi-transparent maillot.

In 1980, Jantzen was purchased by Blue Bell, and Blue Bell was acquired by Vanity Fair Corporation in 1986. This acquisition was a disaster for Jantzen and led to its demise. In 1995, the company dropped the production of menswear to concentrate on women's apparel, returning to its roots in swimsuits. In 2002, the Jantzen trademark was purchased by Perry Ellis International, Inc.^[1] This included the licenses of Nike and Jag Swimwear.