Watercolors by Orra Lundgren

My Family Journey

by Billie June Leistiko Lundgren - January 2016

Where to begin? Who am I? And why this journey?

I am Billie June Leistiko Lundgren and was born in Great Falls, Montana in 1930. This date in history means that I was the first child of young parents beginning their life during hard times. It was called the depression. My father, William Paul Leistiko (Bill) was the son of John August Leistikow, an 1892 immigrant from Labenz, Pommerania. Hedwig Rajtar, his wife, came from Poland to Winnipeg, Canada at the age of 16. Both lived lives of hardship as they adapted to their new country.

This writing will explore my journey to know my German relatives. Who were they? How have they shaped my life, even though unknown? My husband Orra Lundgren and I, moved from Montana to Arizona in Dec of 1955 and have lived here ever since. We both graduated from ASU nd taught school in Phoenix. Our five children were raised and living near by when I became part of the biggest hobby in the world. It's known as Genealogy, also called Family History. It can consume a person in intense ways.

What I didn't know is that my research journey would be filled with surprises that became miracles to me. I came to recognize the beauty of God's hand in bringing family members together. I felt laughter and joy, yes, rejoicing, as we found each other.

I grew up knowing my Dad's (Bill) parents and his siblings. But what of my Dad's Aunts? Uncles? His Grandparents" I knew nothing about them. My grandpa, John August, died of a heart attack in 1943 when I was 13. As a child I didn't wonder about the previous generations but I knew I was loved by my Uncle Gene Leistiko, my Dad's brother. He was fun and a big tease. Aunt Leona Leistiko Bergmann, my Dad's sister, was my favorite aunt. She never had children but always sent birthday cards and told us she prayed for us.

Grandpa's 7 brothers and sisters all immigrated to the United States from Russia in the late 1890's. They were born in Labenz, Germany, then moved to Volyhnia, Russia by invitation when Russia wanted land to be cleared and settled. Later, they were told they had to either buy the land or leave. With no money to purchase the land they began the immigration to "the new land". My grandfather married his first wife, Matilde August Daum 20 Oct 1885 in Volhynia, Russia at age 21. They immigrated in 1892 with his wife, their four children, plus 4 siblings and families. They joined the thousands who arrived at Ellis Island to start a new life.

I was amazed to find that 1900 Census records showed that all 8 Leistiko families lived in Great Falls, MT. They lived together in what was then called Leistiko Square, all sharing a common well. (Located at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 2nd Street.) Later census records gave clues of their journeys from Great Falls. My grandfather was the only one who remained in Great Falls. Others settled in Anaconda, Livingston and Glasgow, MT. Two ended up in WA. The families became separated by distance and hard times.

In 2000, I was forwarded a general letter written by Mark Leistickow of Green Bay, WI that explained he was "looking for Leistikow's". It was sent to my cousin Fred Leistiko of Kalispell, MT. Mark had been vacationing in Montana. While driving near the beautiful, mountain town of Condon, MT he noticed a mail box, It was on the end of a long pole which swung high above a log gateway, with the name of Leistiko on it. Remember my Uncle Gene, the tease? The mail box was out of reach, with the words "Air Mail" on it. Imagine Mark's surprise to find his family name high in the sky on a Montana mail box. Mark's letter of inquiry began my family search.

Corresponding with Mark led me to other Leistikow researchers, in particular Don Leistiko of Fairbanks, Alaska whose line comes from Iowa through Christian Leistikow. Don carried out rigorous research, including learning to read German. He was exacting and accurate in his research scholarship and encouraged me to check my facts. He was the one who translated original German family documents as described in the Black Box story. We found that all Leistiko's in the Midwest did not come from the same progenitor.

In the year 2000 I took a course in genealogy at Scottsdale community college. We had an assignment to make an Internet inquiry. I posted the now familiar "looking for Leistikows" and Pat Weber of MN, answered it two hours after I posted it. Pat then directed me to Wayne Waggoner who lived in London, Ohio and he shared a large file with me. Then came Peggy Schroeder of Coons Rapid, MN who comes through the Frederick Wilhelm and Charlotte line. Peggy's expertise was documenting with family photos.

I had never realized the huge number of Leistikow's living in the Midwest. Namely, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. My big question was, "Are they related to me?"

My Dad had previously recorded the names and dates of his Aunts and Uncles and given a copy to each of his six girls. I determined to find more about them in 2001. Leistiko is such an unusual name, I concluded that all Leistikos would be related to me. I went to Switchboard.com and posted "looking for Leistikos" in Montana. What a surprise! The replies came from Montana, Washington, and California and soon I had a partial list of family information. I sent a letter to them expressing a desire to research our common Leistiko family and was inundated with phone calls, e-mails and letters expressing interest in my project. Everyone was excited to meet and share information. I began plans to travel from Arizona to meet the family in Montana.

The earliest Leistikow to gather records was Clara Charlotte Buhr Matthias b 5 Jul 1903-16 Nov 1997 (Clara, Bertha, Leopold, Christian). She was amazing in her research, always willing to share with family members. We all owe her a debt of gratitude for her many years of research. She began in 1952 using LDS record forms. She spent years filling in the blanks with the help of a German researcher and other family members. There were no computers or e-mails in her era but research was accomplished by hand written letters or with beginning typing skills. Not all of her work was accurate but she found connections to all the U.S. families and to Karl in Germany.

In 1958 Clara was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Also, known as LDS or Mormon faith. She donated records and pictures of both sides of her family that were large enough to create 3 microfilms of her work. They can be found in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1971 she made contact with my father and eventually they found our relationships to the Midwest Leistiko, Leistico, Leistikow relatives were accurate. One paragraph from a letter sent to my Dad in 1971 made me a believer:

"Well last fall I got a letter from Mrs. Mary Paist of Spokane, Washington; she got my address; she said she was to see some older of her Familys & they looked over pictures & when the kids were young; so she told me that where she was, he told her they were cousins from Carver Co MN & one was Harry Leistiko who is there still, when they said & he said they were cousins to each other; so it turns out that your Andreas born 1801 is related; this is correct I know now."

My original thought was, Who is Mary Paiste? I've never heard of her! What a surprise! I discovered Mary Paiste was already on my emerging file. Mary was a daughter of Otto, my Dad's Uncle, who lived in Livingston, MT.

Clara received a pedigree chart from Alma Lemke of Holstein Schlweig, Germany, in the 70's. Alma b 17 Apr 1905 was a great grand daughter and a descendent of Karl, the oldest brother of my Andreas line b 19 Feb 1801. This gave Clara another connection in Germany. Visits have been made between family members from both countries.

By May 2001 my knowledge of Midwest relatives had expanded enough to write the following letter to all Leistikow's. I could include the following, except for Anna Marie who wasn't known to me until March 2013.

• KARL FRIEDRICH b 5 May 1796 b Labenz, died 2 Jul 1875. Info from Mark Leistickow of Green By, WI. The family went to Chicago, IL first. Mark confirmed his relationship with Clara Mathias through family visits and sharing information.
  
  
• CHRISTIAN b 1797 Labenz m Dorothee Christine Kysow, d Labenz. His son Leopold and 3 cousins immigrated to Iowa in 1854. Research by Clara Mathias, Don and Ron Leistikow is well documented. A MT relative (Mary Paist) visited Clara and noted common family photos in the 70's.
  
  
• ANDREAS GOTTLIEB b 19 Feb 1801-8 Nov 1882 Labenz, m Hannah Charolotte Friederika Detmann in 1821. Research by many MT relatives, June Lundgren, Wm Paul Leistiko, David Nims, Sheryl Grosopitch, Jacob Daum, Peggy Goodwillie. Jan Frederic Leistikow, son of Andreas 1801, immigrated to MT with his 8 children who are shown in the 1900 MT Census.
  
  
• FREDRICK WILHELM b 23 Feb 1805-6 Mar 1881 b Labenz, m Charolotte Schimmelpfennig, d in MN. Extensive research by Peggy Schroeder and Wayne Waggoner. (Peggy shared records and photo's.) Wayne went to the Salt Lake Library for ten years and included many source documents.
  
  
• ANNA MARIE b 1808, Labenz, d in Germany. m Carl August Greffin. Anna Marie was unknown to me until Andreas Leistikow from Nottuln, Germany contacted Dave in March 2013. Andreas 1938 found our USA family on Dave Nims web site. I was excited to find a living relative who was born in the town of Labenz. He and I have the same 3rd- great grandfather, Andreas Gottlieb. Andreas contributed current and past documents that are posted on the Nims website.

In May of 2001 it was time for me to get acquainted with my MT relatives and I wrote to tell them about our summer trip with plans to meet any who were interested. Their replies touched my heart and preparations began. I include here excerpts of a trip report written 12 Aug 2001.

First stop LIVINGSTON: We met with Anna Rose Adams (Otto's youngest daughter) and Sharon Nicholson, John Emil's daughter-Otto's line). Brenda Bentley drove over from Billings (John Adolph's line). Anna had the Citizenship papers of her father which Otto signed in Great Falls in Sept 1900. He swore allegiance to the USA and renounced allegiance to The Czar of Russia. John Henschel, Mathilda's husband, signed as a witness.

Next to GREAT FALLS; Our first visit was with the Howard and Joan Gurnsey family at Vaughn, where we surprised to see a big group of relatives there, including Howard's sister, Marie Galvin and Lenore with their husbands. Also, Wanda and Wendi, daughters of Howard and Joan. These folks are my cousins but our connection was a mystery at that time. Their mother, Emma, is a daughter of Alexander Leistikow and Hanna Roe. Hanna is a sister to Albert's wife Elizabeth Roe, both from Norway.

Marie took us to the Great Falls Highland cemetery and the Montana Historical Death index. The 1910 Census in Great Falls lists August Leistikow 1841, wife Henritte Munch and daughter Wanda age 22. I later discovered that this August 1841 is another son of Andreas 1801 and Uncle to my Dad. There was a reason why my childhood memories were correct of these families being related. Alexander 1879, son of August 1841 was dragged to death by a horse in 1908 on the land Alexander and Hanna homesteaded Dec of 1902 at Kevin, near Shelby, MT. Hanna then married Ed Krause, whom he met at my Grandmother Hedwig's boarding house in Great Falls. The Krause's lived at Power next to Grandpa's farm and I remember them from my childhood in the 1930's. The families intermingled frequently. Another mystery resolved.

To CONDON; we found my cousin Fred, of Kalispell, at the ranch of his Dad, my Uncle Gene. Some of you remember passing the Air Mail sign on the highway. Fred was on the city council in Kalispell. The original piano of my Grandpa's home in Power, MT is still part of the ranch home.

On to KALISPELL: for a visit to Lorraine Silsbee (Krist's dau from Otto's line). It was a great visit She has wonderful pictures of Otto and his first wife Maria when they were newly married. Lorraine is deaf, so, this visit was done with pen and notebook but we got along very well and picked up many details. She spent her youth near Albert and Elizabeth in Glasgow.

Then ANACONDA: for our most important visit. We met the creator of the Leistikow family website, David Nims, his wife Carol Leistiko Nims and her sister Janet Leistiko Hadnagy. This is the first time I met Dave. He brought pictures from an Internet site he had started for Leistikos. Best of all was a picture of Jan F and Louisa, the parents of the 8 siblings. How exciting to have that. We went to the Anaconda court house with them for other records. I graduated from Anaconda High in 1948 without knowing I had relatives living there.

Before we met David in Anaconda he had received a copy of a biography of Jacob Daum, age 102, a Leistiko relative living in McPherson, Kansas. Dave was excited to share his new found history treasure with me. I smiled and was happy to inform him that I was the author. We connected with history that very day. This was the beginning of our mutual history adventure.

In the summer of 2003, we traveled to see Jacob Daum in Kansas. We talked about "that good Leistikow blood" as he called it. Next we picked up my sister Arlene in Nauvoo, Illinois and left for a visit to Readlyn, Iowa to get acquainted with new cousins. Don of Alaska helped arrange our visit. We stayed over night with Ron Leistikow and his wife Judy. We appreciated their Iowa hospitality and enjoyed a big family reunion. We were able to see Leopold's original farm home which was near by.

Our final direct Leistikow contact happened when Dave received an e-mail from Andreas Leistikow b 1938 of Nottuln, Germany in 2014. He found the Leistikow name on Dave's site on the Internet. Andreas has the same great-great-great grandfather as I do. That really impressed me. Andreas and his wife Siegrun's life stories give great insight about the World War II years and their trials as young children during the war. In Jan 2016, Dave began recording the families of the Midwest to update our family record. Who knows where this story will end?

I would like to express appreciation and respect to Dave, our family recorder and friend. He has spent hours, weeks, months and years creating our family website and continues to this day. (Jan 2016)

Dave had pictures and records of my Dad's aunt's and uncles, my once unknown relatives which opened up a new world to me. He helped connect me with my great grandfather and his family. They are Jan Frederick Leistiko b 1834 and his wife Luiza Rapsch. The children are John Adolph 1858, William Alexander 1860, John August 1864, Albert 1868, Mathilda (Henschel)1860, Fred 1871, Otto 1873 and Mary Natalia (Daum) 1875.

I am impressed with the power of families. Families are extremely important and are the building blocks of a successful life. Families provide the strength needed for a sound nation. I believe my determination to never quit and do hard work without complaining began because of heritage from my past. I am thankful for being brought up on a farm where I learned the value of work and gained confidence to solve problems on my own. A strong family life is the answer to many of life's challenges.

This 15 year family history experience has increased my faith. So many people and circumstances happened that were more than just plain luck. I felt help from above many times. I am thankful for the many people who shared their lives with me.