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John Henshel, was the fifth child born to Andreas and Caroline (Soch) Henschel. John was born, raised and attended school in Russia.
Matilda Leistikow, daughter of Johan Fryderyk and Luiza (Rapsch) Leistikow, was born in 1870 in Konin, Prussia.
While living in Russia, John and Matilda married and had two sons, Wilhelm and Carl.
The John Henschel family were the very first members of the Andreas Henschel family to immigrate to North America. John, Matilda and their two sons Wilhelm, eleven months old, and baby Carl, only one month, old made the journey to North America with Matilda's third eldest brother, John August Leistikow and his wife Matilda (Daum) and Matilda's youngest brother, Fred. They travelled from Volhynia, Russia to Hamburg, Germany where they boarded the S.S. Rhaetia. They arrived at Ellis Island, New York, United States on February 29, 1892. (View the original manifest of the ship SS Rhaetia. For those who are interested in the history of Germans in Russia, and are looking for clues as to why the Leistiko's decided to immigrate, this web page contains some history, and gives references to many other relevant sources of information).
After their arrival in New York, John and Matilda then made their home in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where other members of the Leistiko family lived. (The "w" was dropped from the name Leistikow when the family emigrated to North America). While living there Matilda gave birth to a son, August, who was born in 1893.
The John Henschel family then went to Alberta, Canada and obtained a homestead in the Spruce Grove-Stony Plain area. After John's parents, Andreas and Caroline Henschel arrived in South Edmonton, Alberta, John and Matilda and their sons made their home on the Andreas Henschel farm (NE25-T51-R24-W4). They built their own house several hundred yards west of John's parent's house. A disagreement occurred regarding the ownership of the Andreas Henschel land so around the turn of the century John and Matilda left Canada and returned to the United States.
In 1900, John, Matilda and son August lived in Great Falls, Montana, where four of Matilda's brothers and their families had made their homes. John and Matilda later purchased land near Snohomish, Washington, where they operated a dairy for many years. They later retired to Orange, California, where they purchased a very little house at 131 N. Batavia.Street. John never returned to Canada. John died in 1939 at the age of seventy-four in Orange, California. He is buried in Fairhaven Cemetery, St. John's Lutheran portion, which is located near Fairhaven Road in Santa Ana, California. Matilda willed their house to her only sister, Mary (Leistiko) Daum. After Mary died it was willed to her son, James Daum. James later sold it to his eldest son, Dave Daum.
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John and Matilda only had the three sons: Wilhelm, Carl and August, whom all died in childhood. One son, possibly August, was accidentally shot by his mother, Matilda, while trying to retrieve the gun which he had in his possession.
About two years after John died, Matilda Leistiko left California and returned to Alberta, Canada. She then married her brother-in-law, Gustav Henschel, in the summer of 1941. At that time Matilda was in her early sixties. She was about five feet six inches tall, stout and had greyish hair. It has been said that she had reddish coloured hair when she was younger.
After their marriage Gustav and Matilda made their home on the Gustav Henschel family farm in South Edmonton. In 1939 Gustav had given his farm to his only living son and his wife, Reinhard and Alice Henschel. Gustav and Matilda continued living on the farm in their retirement years until 1944.
Gustav then moved their house to a farm near Leduc, Alberta, owned by Gustav's second eldest daughter and her husband, Edmund and Martha Schneider. Gustav and Matilda continued living there until Matilda had a stroke died in her middle seventies in early 1946. Matilda was buried in Rosedale Cemetery, which is owned by St. Paul's Lutheran Church, in South Edmonton, Alberta. Gustav Henschel died in February 1963 in the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Edmonton, Alberta. He was buried in Rosedale Cemetery next to his first wife Louise.
Gustav and Matilda were not very compatible. Gustav's children from his first marriage were disappointed when their father married their aunt Matilda. Reinie and Alice Henschel inherited a lovely cover for a single bed which Reinie still had in his possession in 2001.
Gustav and Matilda Henschel had no descendants.