Front cover, oval image inspired by stained-glass transom windows in Joe and Lizzie Lodge’s living room
Henry Lodge of Lodge Manufacturing Company published Their Works Do Follow Them: A Biography of Joe and Lizzie Lodge with Modern Memoirs in 2026. This Commissioned Joint-Biography of his great-grandparents took 18 months to complete, including interviews with Lodge and two of his cousins, Leslie Lodge Davidson and Carolyn Millhiser, as well as research, writing, and full design and production services. We asked Lodge to reflect on what the publication process was like for him, and what it has meant to share the book with others.
Henry Lodge is the former CEO and chairman of Lodge Manufacturing Company in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. In 1896 Lodge’s great-grandfather Joseph “Joe” Lodge founded the family business, known in the industry as Lodge Cast Iron. 130 years later, the company continues to thrive as a privately held business, with many of the descendants of Joe and his wife, Lizzie, working there or serving on the board of directors. The couple’s joint biography illuminates their fascinating backgrounds and tells the story of building a business, raising a family, and leaving an enduring legacy.
1. What inspired you to undertake this project when you did?
Henry Lodge: Several years prior to my retirement, I started thinking about what it meant that we had tons of data about Joe Lodge from before he ever founded the family company. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1848 and left home as a teenager in search of work, traveling in the United States before moving on to Cuba, Brazil, and Peru. He kept extensive journals and wrote many letters home, including correspondence with his former schoolteacher, Anna Elizabeth “Lizzie” Harvey, whom he eventually married. Even if he had stayed in Peru, his life would be a wonderful story. The fact that he started what is now Lodge Cast Iron, an internationally known name in cookware, deserved a full telling of Joe and Lizzie’s story.
2. There were already several books about Joe Lodge written or completed by Lodge family members. Why was it important to you to include Lizzie, his wife, in this volume?
Henry Lodge: Without Lizzie, Joe would have had less school learning and little reason to leave Peru. Without Lizzie cajoling him to “come home,” Joe’s offspring would likely have been of Peruvian descent. She was a huge part of Joe’s life and must have had a great effect on who he was and how he conducted his business. How could we tell his story without telling hers? Plus, Lizzie’s early life was as intriguing as Joe’s. Descended from Quakers, she earned an education degree at age seventeen and devoted herself to a teaching career that would last for over sixteen years, including two years at a school she helped establish. As one of my cousins points out in the book, Lizzie valued education, and her legacy made sure that the girls and women in our family had choices and opportunities.
3. In order to write the joint biography, Modern Memoirs conducted original research and was also greatly assisted by publications and interviews contributed by members of the Lodge family. Describe the “Lodge Family Council” and its role in preserving your family’s history.
Henry Lodge: I am a member of the 4th generation. I did not know Joe or Lizzie. I did know all the members of the following generation. Joe and Lizzie had two children, one who had seven children and one who had two. There are now roughly 150 family members, 70 of whom are shareholders in the company.
Today, only about a dozen descendants live within 100 miles of our company in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. We believe that it is important for the extended family to feel that they are part of the Joe and Lizzie Lodge story. The Family Council is our attempt to give all family members an opportunity to be involved in some way. Any descendant over the age of eighteen is eligible to serve. Members are elected for three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms. The Council’s charge is to communicate, educate, and involve descendants to preserve the legacy of Joe and Lizzie Lodge. We also have an all-expense paid “Homecoming” every five years. We want all descendants to feel (and have) a connection with our company. We also want those folks scattered across the U.S. and beyond to have a chance to meet their cousins.
4. The Lodge family selected the title “Their Works Do Follow Them.” How do those words encapsulate Joe and Lizzie’s story?
Henry Lodge: That title, from Revelation 14:13 in the Bible, came out of a 1947 newspaper article about the ripple effect of Joe and Lizzie’s generous spirit. They set a very high bar regarding work ethic and how people should live together in love, harmony, and kindness. This book is one way we can say thank you to Joe and Lizzie for giving us the life that we have enjoyed and that has been so meaningful. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here—not just in terms of our biological descent but also as those who have benefitted from their example. We are grateful to carry on their company and all that they passed along to us.
5. The book was published in time for this year’s family reunion and celebration of the company’s 130th anniversary. Whom did you share the book with, and what response have you received from readers?
Henry Lodge: There was a great deal of excitement when the books were distributed at our 2026 reunion. We gifted a copy to every family unit and every individual living alone. Those who were not able to attend were mailed a copy. I hope that, as the family grows, we will have some books left on the shelf to pass along to the new members. As one of my cousins noted while the book was in development, we are very pleased to have pulled together the slew of information from the family, as well as to have gathered all the information Modern Memoirs uncovered and interpreted in its genealogical and historical research. It is a big book that was extremely well received.
Joe and Lizzie Lodge, 1927
Newspaper clipping from the 1980s showing Henry Lodge standing between his cousins Bob Kellermann (L) and Bill Kellermann (R), who also held leadership positions in the Lodge Manufacturing Company
Henry Lodge at the entrance to an exhibit in the Lodge Museum of Cast Iron, South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Interested in learning more? The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about the Lodge family and their company, which readers can find here.
And if your family business would like to commission a corporate history or a biography of its founders, reach out to Modern Memoirs today. We are here to help!
Liz Sonnenberg is staff genealogist for Modern Memoirs, Inc.