From the 1885 History of Steuben County, Indiana page 538:
Lambert P. Persing is a native of Northumberland County, Pa., born in 1834,
one of seventeen children of William H. and Nancy (Pitman) Persing.
William H. Persing was born in 1791 and lived to the age of eighty-nine years.
He was a miller by trade, and L. P. worked with his father in his boyhood.
He followed the business in Columbia and Montour counties till 1870, when
he came to Steuben County, where he has since remained, with the exception
of two years. He is a practical miller, understanding every detail
of the business. Mr. Persing was married in 1856 to Lydia A. Kanouse,
a daughter of one of the prominent citizens of Columbia County, Pa., and
a pioneer of Branch County, Mich. They have six sons -- John, William,
Abraham, Henry, Charles and Pardoe. Mr. Persing has taken an especial
interest in the common-school system, and has served several years as School
Director.