June (Leistikow) Lundgren and Gertrude Meyer
Phoenix - June 2002
June (Leistiko) Lundgren
Mesa, Arizona
June 2, 2015
Leopold Heinrich Leistikow born 10 March 1837 in Labenz, Schiefelbein, Prussia came to the USA in 1854 with 3 others, served in the Civil War and finally settled in Iowa. His descendant Don Leistikow related the following to me via a phone call May 26, 2001.
August Leistikow (24 March 1886 Labenz), Leopold's 12th son was given the family home when his father passed on. He inherited a black wooden box with a sliding lid from his father. Upon August's death it was given to his daughter, Gertrude Meyer of Phoenix, AZ. Don Leistikow (also descended from Leopold via his son Elmer and his son Herman) began doing family research in early 2000 and contacted Gertrude for information. She told him of the black box which contained some papers written in German that she couldn't read. Don translated them for her and the entire Leistikow family was shocked. In the box were found two documents attached to Leopold's discharge papers from the Civil War.
The "box" contained a baptismal certificate for Leopold LEISTIKOW, which was sent to him in 1904 with the postmark in Labenz. There was also a letter from a district court sent in 1908, which said this was the last time they would write to the American Leistikow brothers concerning settling the 70 crowns from their parent's estate. Christian Leistikow and Dorothea Henriette Kysow were named as Leopold's parents. This was a big surprise, as the Leistikow famamilies had all believed that Leopold was the son of Frederich and Charlotte Schimmilphenig. Instead, Leopold was descended from previously unknown parents. He had immigrated with cousins.
Thus two separate Leistikow families, of Iowa and Minnesota, became known to each other with a new history. Peggy Schroeder, of Minnesota, told me "she cried all night" when she heard about it.
I met Gertrude and visited many times in Phoenix. Her daughter had even worked for my sister, Glenda and Gale Hakes at their accounting office. So, it can be a small world in family history research after all. I have copies of the letters from Labenz, Germany.