Jesse G. Lindeman

Oct. 12,1899 – Sept. 10, 1992

On October 12, 1899, Joseph & Elisabeth Lindeman had their first child and named him Jesse George on a farm in Cass Co., Iowa.  The oldest of 4 brothers and 2 sisters Jesse was spared working the land on the farm.  At a young age he had a natural knowledge of the farm machinery and was in-charge of keeping it in good working order.  He was to become a very prominent name in the John Deere family.

When he turned 19 he joined the Army and was in the intelligence division.  He was partly color blind and could see through the camouflage netting.  He would joke that when he wasn’t flying he was in the Mess Hall cooking.  His stay in the armed forces was short.  The war ended, and he was released from duty in July of 1919.  After returning home, he could not envision himself as a “farmer”.  He moved to Yakima and was hired as a farm implement salesman at Rovig Lumber Company. He started to work on the first working day in January of 1920.

He and his younger brother Harry who had also moved to Yakima started a small Implement manufacturing company first named it the Holt Tractor Agency, later to rename it Lindeman Power Equipment Co.  They eventually became the John Deere dealer.

They added tracks to 3 or 4 Model D’s and 29 GPO’s then came the tractor that his name would be always remembered for, the little BO that would put John Deere into the crawler business

At The American Thresherman Association in  Pinckneyville, Illinois.

From left to right — Nat Tritt – Georgia, Crawlermike – Illinois, Steven Lee Walters Jr. – New Jersey, Steven Walters – New Jersey, Mark Berkel – Illinois, Ted Adams – Washington, Mike Adams – Washington, Leigh Smith – Tennessee, Richard Smith – Tennessee, Timothy Milburn – Georgia, Howard Yoder – Ohio, Terry Wachtman – Ohio,  Mat Tornetto – Missouri not pictured.

I want to thank Michael Timmons Jr. (Crawlermike) for inviting me and The American Thresherman Association in  Pinckneyville, Illinois for allowing me to bring my Lindeman Archives Modile Museum to their great show.  I was going to retire it but with the response that it had I am having second thoughts. These Lindeman enthusiast are the greatest. My son Mike and I were on our way from Washington and had vehicle problems in Davenport, IA. I called Crawlermike and he put together a group to rescue us. They drove all the way from Pinckneyville with two rigs and a trailer to hall my truck and trailer back down to the show.  We arrived in time to set up for the show.  Then these amazing guys and the rest of the Lindeman owners spent their time brainstorming and fixing my truck.  We were back on the road.  Then another problem, that ending up being contaminated fuel.  Again thanks to Crawlermike and Karl Jansen and all the hard work that my new found friends did, we made it home.  Yes it is time to get a new rig if I am going to continue to show the Archives.  Thank all of you I am in your debt. 

“Who is Ted Adams”  I need your ideas of what you would like to see next.  I have added stories, brochures, manual and have more to go but I would like to add what you are wanting to see. Write a comment or e-mail me at

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with your ideas and I will do my best to find and add the information.

Sketch by Jim Lisk