Leopold and Sophia Leistikow

Leopold and Dorothea, with their youngest children August and Amelia

Leopold Leistikow, son of Christian and Dorothea (Henriette) Leistikow, was born March 10, 1837, in the village of Labenz, County (Kreis) Scheifelbein located in an area of the country of Pomerania that is now part of Poland.

According to family researcher Wayne L. Waggoner, Leopold, then 17, immigrated to the United States on the ship 'Aurora' from Hamburg, arriving in New York on November 23, 1854. Traveling with him were his brothers Albert and Heinrich, and cousin Carl Leistikow, son of his uncle Frederick Wilhelm Leistikow. According to family legend, one of Leopold's brothers died either during or very soon after the voyage to America. If true, this would have been Heinrich, as there is no record of his life in America. (There is some mystery as to the ship they traveled on, as this site shows the Aurora left Hamberg November 11, 1854 and sailed directly to Australia.)

According to researcher Don Leistikow, Leopold applied for had been in Carver County in 1857, which is where he lived when he applied to be a naturalized citizen. So he may first have lived with his cousin Franz or William, and had helped them get established in Carver County, or with his cousin Carl, who was already established in Hershey Township.

The next we know of Leopold, he enlisted in the Union Army on April 3, 1861 in Chicago, IL. He served in the Civil War in Battery 'G', 4th Regiment, U.S. Artillery. (There is also some mystery associated with his date of enlistment. The war officially started April 12, 1861, when Ft. Sumpter was attacked. Lincoln didn't send out his order for 75,000 volunteers until April 15th. I know that many members of the Union Army either resigned or deserted to fight for the Confederacy, which was founded in February, 1861, and I suppose the U.S. army may have been soliciting replacement recruits, as there were several references to active recruiting around this time.)

Lieutenant Bayard Wilkeson holding his battery (G, 4th United States artillery) to its work in an exposed postion (Artist - Alfred R. Waud).   During the war, Battery "G" was present, and often engaged, during 22 battles. More details of the Civil War activities of Battery G, 4th US Artillery may be found here and here. A battlefield report of the action at Gettysburg can be found here. During this battle, the officer in command, Lt. Bayard Wilkeson (only 19 years of age), was hit. "A shot mangled his right leg and killed his horse." He died soon after.

Don Leistiko did quite a bit of research on the unit in which Leopold served during the Civil War. According to Don, Battery 'G' was organized in Cincinnati, OH in the spring of 1861, and was accepted into the service there in July. Soon after, the battery was ordered to West Virgina where it joined the 3rd Artillery Brigade, Army of Occupation. It served in the mid-Atlantic (Wash. D.C., W. Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania) through mid-1863. After sustaining heavy losses at Gettysburg, later that fall the battery was relocated west where it fought at Chattanooga in October. In February, 1864, the battery's remaining 'material' (horses and cannon) were transfered to the First Ohio, and the officers and men were sent to Nashville, where they were again remounted and rearmed in April of that year. Leopold was there in Nashville when he was mustered out in April 1864, despite the fact that he had initially enlisted for a 5-year period.

Upon leaving the army, Leopold returned to Chicago and worked for the Chicago & North Western Railroad until 1867.

Sophia Maria Dorothea Tiedt, daughter of Johann Christian and Catherina Lina Marie (Zierjack) Tiedt, was born February 9, 1844, in Mankmoos, Mecklenberg, Prussia. On July 12, 1861 she came to America via New York with her parents, her brother Henry and three sisters. She went by the name Dorothea (also often spelled Dorathea).

According to a story related by one of Leopold Leistikow's grandchildren, Leopold was friends with Johann Tiedt. They were from the same geopraphic area, both of German descent, and both were serving in the Civil War. When Leopold was mustered out of the army in 1864, he had nowhere to live. Johann suggested that Leopold should stay with his family, and told Leopold he had many sisters, one of whom might interest Leopold. Whether or not this story is true, Leopold Leistikow ended up marrying Dorothea, one of Johann's sisters.

Leopold married Dorothea in 1865, while still working in Chicago. Their first child was born in Chicago. In July 1867 they moved to Franklin Township, Bremer County, Iowa. According to Don Leistiko's research, they bought an 80-acre farm for $700. According to the story by one of Leopold's grand children referenced above, Leopold acquired the homestead via the Homestead Act of 1862, in which case it would have been free and would have been 160 acres. In addition to being free and double the size, this appears to make the most sense because if it had been an existing farm, it probably would have had a house on it. However, the same story says that Leopold's family lived in their covered wagon until he built a log house. Whichever is the case, all but one of their other children were born in the log house. In 1886/87 Leopold build a new house, and their last child, Amelia, was born there. Altogether they had 13 children, two of which died in infancy. (Note: An 1875 map shows Leopold with a property of about 100 acres, further confusing the question.)

Leopold's older brother Albert (referred to by the family in later years as 'The Old Soldier') also served in the Civil War, but never married. He worked for Leopold on his farm for many years, and the 1890 census showed him still there.

Leopold died in November 1912, and Dorothea applied for, and received, a Civil War pension. She died in May 1915, four years later.

Children of Leopold and Dorothea Leistikow - Front: Bertha (Leistikow) Buhr, Fred, Henry, Lena (Leistikow) Buenzow; Back row: William, Sophia (Leistikow) Rueber, Carl, August, Emma (Leistikow) Booth, Amilia (Leistikow) Klink, Herman

(My thanks to Beth Corell, great granddaughter of Leopold's daughter Sophie, for providing a picture of much higher quality than that which I had originally.)

Farm of Leopold Leistikow, then and now, and a current view via GoogleEarth (42°40'21.69"N 92°10'49.03"W). The house was build by Leopold in 1886/87. The 1917 map below shows this 80-acre property owned by August Leistikow, consistent with the practice at the time that a farm would be inherited by the youngest son.

Historic 1894 map of Franklin Township, Bremer County, Iowa. Shows Leopold Leistikow's 320-acre farm in Sections 19 & 20. Leopold's son Fred owns an adjoining 40-acre parcel. Christian Tiedt, oldest brother of Leopold's wife Sophie, had died in 1892, and his wife Marie (Piehl) Tiedt now owns their family farm in Sections 18 & 19. Most likely it is Maria's nephew, son of her brother Henry (Hienrich) Piehl who owns the 120-acre parcel in Sections 29 & 30. Another Henry, Henry J. Tiedt owns 200 acres in Section 10, who is likely Chistian's oldest son.

Historic 1917 map of Franklin Township, Bremer County, Iowa. Shows the Leopold Leistikow property and adjacent acreage owned by most of his sons: Herman, August, Carl, Fred, Henry, and William. Christian and Maria Tiedt's home farm is now owned by their son Rudolph. Various other Tiedt relatives have acquired other acreages nearby. Henry J. Tiedt sold his 200 acres to Christopher Judas, who married Henry's sister Louise. He now owns 360 acres in Sections 15 & 16. Henry's wife's brother, Edward Buenzow (shown as Benzow) owns 380 acres to the north, is Sections 4 & 5.

First published January 15, 2016. Last revised February 28, 2019. If you have comments, corrections or additional information or pictures you would like to contribute, feel free to contact Dave Nims.