52 Ancestors - Ancestor I Would Like to Meet

This prompt has me overthinking. I have a couple of ancestors that I have a lot of questions I want to ask.  I don't know necessarily if I would have wanted to meet them in the flesh. This was the very first prompt of 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks in 2023.  I have hesitated to pin down an ancestor I wanted to meet. It might be more of an interrogation. I choose John Lendman

John Lendman was born in Austria, Dec. 27, 1839. In 1856 he came to America, landing in New Orleans. From there he went to Chicago, where he remained two years, then went to Freeport, Ill. Four years later he came to Clayton County and has been engaged in improving and selling farms here since. He now owns a fine farm of 210 acres in Sperry Township, of cultivated land and abundantly stocked. He was married in this county Dec. 29, 1865, to Anna Kerr, who was born in Ireland in 1842. Four children have been born to them, viz.: Anna Maria, Thomas K., Mary Jane and William John. In politics Mr. Lendman is a Republican.

source: History of Clayton County, Iowa, 1882, p. 1099

http://iagenweb.org/clayton/index.html

There is very little I can verify about John Lendman before he arrived in Iowa.  He has listed his birthplace has Austria, Graslide, Germany, and one child identified it as Bohemia. Germany was not a unified place when John was born. His brother Joseph was most likely born in Baden Germany. 

I cannot verify when he exactly came to the US and what ship or what port despite the article above saying New Orleans.

Here below is some of the verifiable information I have about John Lendman.

John Lendman was born to Therese and John "Wentzel/" Lendman on December 27, 1839.  He probably had 7 siblings. It appears he immigrated here with his parents and siblings.  I think they most likely arrived in the US around 1853 as his brother Fred was born in Iowa. I can only verify 4 siblings. However, in a census Therese indicates that she had 8 children.  John married Anna Kerr in 1865.  Ann Kerr died in 1886.  They had 4 children together.

Mrs John Lendman

Yesterday Morning at about four o'clock, occurred the death of Mrs John Lendman, at her home in Sperry township, after having suffered a long time from a cancer in the Stomach. Mrs L. was a native of Ireland and was nearly 45 years of age. She was married to Mr L, in 1865, and by him has had four children, all of whom we believer, are living. They have resided in Sperry township for nearly a quarter of a century, and she was highly respected by all who knew her, and her death will be greatly mourned. The funeral occurs tomorrow, Friday, at ten o'clock and her remains will be laid away in the Volga Cemetery. - newspaper clipping.

On July 12, 1889, he married Ida Shadwell (1863-1937).  Their marriage was announced in the local paper. 

John Lendman of our prosperous farms was married last Friday, July 12th, 1889, to a young la

dy of this township. Rev Seifert performed the ceremony in the presence of over fifty invited guests. All were served with an elegant dinner. - Elkrader Weekly Register July 1889 page 8

Ida came from Germany.  I think she was most likely from the same village/town that John was originally from. I cannot verify that information. They had 6 children together including my Great Grandfather Frank Rudolph Lendman.  On his death certificate, the occupation is listed as farmer. John died of heart disease and died in Grant County Indiana in 1914. John was 74.