2023 LEISZ FAMILY REUNION IN TURTLE LAKE, WISCONSIN—A BIG SUCCESS!
Family of Leisz Brother Anton
Anton Leisz and wife Sophia Donaker Leisz, circa 1927 in Turtle Lake, Wis.
Anton (1880-1942) and Sophia Leisz had 11 children. The only living child is Mary Magdalena "Marian" Leisz Hammang, b. 1928, who is in her mother's womb in this special family photo.
Marian's siblings are:
BACK ROW (from left): August , Tony Jr., Sophia "Bobbi", George Henry, Julia, and Henry George.
FRONT ROW (from left): Patriarch Anton, Helen, Gladys (blonde in foreground), Matriarch Sophia, Millie and Albert. All are deceased, with Gladys the last to pass in 2010.
Mother Sophia is expecting baby Mary, who, the only surviving child of this family and of her generation of Leisz's, celebrates her 91st birthday on February 17, 2019. She is on Facebook and lives in Temecula, California.
She married her brother-in-law's brother
Sophia Donaker (1884-1948), shown in this circa 1898 photo, married Leisz Brother Anton in 1903.
Sophia's older sister Barbara Donaker (1877-1950) had wed Leisz Brother Frank in 1900.
Then in 1905 Sophia and Barbara's brother Anton Donaker (1879-1961) ended up marrying their NIECE by marriage—Julia Minnichsoffer (1886-1960), oldest child of Leisz Sister Mary Leisz Minnichsoffer (1862-1903). So Sophia and Barbara were both sisters-in-law and aunts to Julia! Are you still tracking with us?!
Sophia, Barbara and Anton Donaker's parents are Jacob Donaker (1846-1898) and Magdalena (1852-1905). Both are laid to rest at St. Ann's Cemetery in Turtle Lake.
MANY THANKS TO SOPHIA'S GRANDSON KEVIN WICK FOR THIS VINTAGE PHOTO.
more memories of Anton and Sophia
Reserved and proper
"This story comes from my father (Albert Paul Leisz) and it's very special to me...Papa said that his parents were brought up in a time and culture of restraint, where people didn't display affection and such, as they do in modern times," writes Patricia Leisz Garcia in an email dated April 30, 2002. "He said, in fact, that he'd only seen one display of affection between his parents in his entire life, and this was what brought it on.
It seems the family—Sophia, Anton and their large number of children—were around the dinner table and were joined on that night by one of Anton's brothers. I don't know which brother, I wish I did. Anyway, all the children of my grandparents were dark-haired except for my Aunt Gladys, who was white blonde. Well, Anton's brother, during the dinner, made what he thought was a funny comment about little Gladys, that her mother, Sophia, must have been stepping out on Anton since that one child was so different from the others.
Apparently, my grandmother was a very decent person (my mom said Sophia was a saint) and also quiet and serious. She was crushed and embarrassed by the remark. And my father said his mom just sat at her seat and put her head way down and it was clear that she was crying and very hurt.
At that point, my grandfather Anton got up from his chair and went to her and put his arm around her and consoled her, telling her that his brother was only jesting and she need not take offense. It must have made quite an impression on my father, as I said since he'd never witnessed any touching or affection publicly between his parents, that story helped me to understand my father better...his people came from that reserved Germanic culture, and displays of emotion just were not part of their makeup."
Coming back for harvest time
Patty Leisz Garcia (above) has a brother, Albert Paul Leisz, Jr. Al wrote an email on Jan. 29, 2002, where he says:
"I recall my father saying something about some cousins who used to come up to visit (Turtle Lake) from Cleveland, when he was young, and still helping out during harvest season on the farm. They used to say how it was good exercise—and my father would MOAN!"
Feb 1-4, 2019: visiting Anton's only living child
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARIAN LEISZ HAMMANG ON FEBRUARY 17th!
DENISE LEISZ, GRANDDAUGHTER OF LEISZ BROTHER JOSEPH, VISITED WITH MARY MAGDALENA "MARIAN" LEISZ HAMMANG AND HER DAUGHTER KAT HAMMANG WAGNER FROM FEB. 1-4, 2019.
PERHAPS YOU REMEMBER KAT FROM OUR 2018 FAMILY REUNION; SHE ATTENDED WITH BROTHER MICHAEL HAMMANG. THEIR MOM MARIAN WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE TRIP FROM CALIFORNIA TO TURTLE LAKE.
MARIAN IS THE ONLY LIVING CHILD OF THE SIX LEISZ BROTHERS. SHE IS THE YOUNGEST CHILD OF ANTON LEISZ (1880-1942) AND SPOUSE SOPHIA DONAKER LEISZ (1884-1948). IN THAT SENSE, SHE IS THE LIVING MATRIARCH OF OUR ENTIRE LEISZ EXTENDED FAMILY—DESCENDANTS OF ALL SIX LEISZ BROTHERS, PLUS THEIR SISTER MARY LEISZ MINNICHSOFFER.
MARIAN TURNS 91 YEARS YOUNG ON FEBRUARY 17. WISH HER A HAPPY BIRTHDAY AS MARY HAMMANG ON FACEBOOK!
documents received from Marian Leisz Hammang
Below are just SOME of the Leisz family genealogy documents scanned at the Southern California home of Marian Leisz Hammang Feb. 1-4, 2019. Check them out! Shown here with Marian are Denise Leisz (left), granddaughter of Leisz Brother Joseph; and Josie Leisz (right), wife of Bob Leisz, who is a grandson of Leisz Brother Joseph.
Marian's family history of the Anton branch
If you were at the September 2018 Leisz Family Reunion in Turtle Lake, you might have heard Marian's daughter, Kat Hammang Wagner, read THIS HISTORY of the Anton branch of the Leisz family during the Friday Oral History Workshop. Marian wrote this document for her children Kat and Michael to take with them to the reunion and share with attendees.
A sad story about Anna Minnichsoffer
Growing up on her parents' farm in Turtle Lake, Marian remembers her eldest "sister" Anna, who was actually the youngest child of Mary Leisz Minnichsoffer. Mary was a sister of the six Leisz Brothers, and when she passed away in 1903, her brothers took in the younger children to raise them to adulthood. Marian's dad Anton and mom Sophia took in Anna, who was about 4 months old at the time. Read this SAD STORY and more HERE about what happened to Anna.
Leisz European roots: Newspaper story
HERE is a newspaper story "Hungary Has Ethnic Goulash In the Making" that delves into the multi-ethnic composition of the population of what today is Hungary.
Leisz Coat of Arms
Get a load of THIS 1974 document—a Coat of Arms created for the Leisz surname, and commissioned by Marian's sister Helen Leisz O'Malley.
What life was like 100 years ago
Check out THIS document prepared by Christine Mathews Long, great-granddaughter of Leisz Brother Joseph, for our 2002 Leisz Family Reunion. It contains fun facts about what life was like 100 years ago when our ancestors were farming in northern Wisconsin.
Audio stories from Marian Leisz Hammang
Surprise 11th child
First big family wedding
Surprise 11th child
Marian's arrival was a surprise to her parents, Leisz Brother Anton and his wife Sophia. The couple already had ten children - five boys and five girls. Then, four years later, along comes another baby - a little daughter they named Mary Magdalena Leisz, after her paternal and maternal grandmothers.
Milking the cows
First big family wedding
Surprise 11th child
Milking the cows was something the six girls on the Anton Leisz farm were responsible for - including sister Gladys, shown above. But Marian was afraid of the Holstein cows..."They were so much bigger than me," she recalls. So her Papa kindly assigned her to other chores, including household kitchen tasks.
First big family wedding
First big family wedding
First big family wedding
Marian recalls the wedding, circa 1935, of her eldest sibling Sophia "Bobbi" to Emmet Kelly. Marian (front left) was a flower girl, as was her brother Hank's eldest child Betty Leisz Severance. Marian's sister Helen was maid of honor, and brother Augie was best man. The wedding was a real Leisz Family Affair!
Julia Leisz at age 19
Was she a flapper?
In the 1920s, a flapper was a fashionable young woman intent on enjoying herself and flouting conventional standards of behavior. Flappers bobbed their hair, shortened their skirts, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior and social norms for young women. Julia Leisz was about 19 years old when this photo was taken. Here she emulates the flapper look. Flappers had their origins in the liberal period of the Roaring Twenties, the social, political turbulence and increased transatlantic cultural exchange that followed the end of World War I, as well as the export of American jazz culture to Europe.
How did she get that hair?
Notice Julia's stylish crimped hair style, which was all the rage in the 1920s. Made popular by Hollywood actresses such as Clara Bow, these "finger waves" have been around in different forms for centuries but are most associated with the Roaring 1920s and early 1930s. Originally women would create these finger waves in a wet set, that is wet hair.They are extremely difficult to create, by holding the hair down and combing the hair in the opposite place and holding in place with double ended clips and end papers.
CLICK HERE TO SEE JULIA'S ENGAGEMENT PHOTO AND ARTICLE IN THE NEWSPAPER.
memories from Mary Magdalena Leisz Hammang
PHOTO AT LEFT: Mary Magdalena "Marian" Leisz Hammang is the youngest of Leisz Brother Anton's children. She was born in 1928 and today resides in California. Marian is shown here at the 2002 Homeward Bound Leisz Family Reunion with sisters (from left) Helen Leisz McCoy (1919-2006), Millie Leisz O'Malley (1922-2006), and Gladys Leona Leisz Wick (1924-2010).
about these memories
After the 2002 Family Reunion in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, Marian Leisz Hammang typed these memories of growing up on the family farm in Turtle Lake. She sent them to Family Reunion co-organizer Denise Leisz, who recently found them in her reunion files and is so happy to finally bring Marian's words to life here.
"I was only on the farm 13 years when my parents decided to retire (in 1941) and sell to our brother Tony. Those were very happy years, but also very lonely...very few neighbors' children to play with...walking to and from school (one mile each way) did take up part of the day, plus lots of homework did keep us busy during the school year. Summers were more of a drag for us younger ones. Anyhow, I'm happy I do have these memories."
electricity in 1928
log cabin was first home
log cabin was first home
"Life on the farm was easier for me than my older brothers and sisters, mainly because I was born in 1928...the year electricity was installed on our farm. We also had a couple of vehicles, so that our weekly trip on Saturday nights to Borkon's Store and other errands, plus church on Sundays, were certainly more comfortable than horse and buggy."
log cabin was first home
log cabin was first home
log cabin was first home
"I am told that, after marriage our parents lived in a log cabin which they built on their property. Grandma Mary Schmidt lived with them. Soon after marriage, they adopted Anna Minnichsoffer due to the death of her mother Mary, sister to our dad. After the arrival of daughter Sophia in 1903, ten more children arrived, about one every two years."
relative-assisted
log cabin was first home
relative-assisted
"We believe the house, barn and many smaller buildings were built with the assistance of relatives nearby. Most of the major buildings on the farm, which required much strength and speed, were always relative-assisted: namely, threshing, haying, slaughtering of hogs, etc. Family ties were very strong in those days."
work, eat sleep
prosperity through hard work
relative-assisted
"When I reflect on my early years, I can't help but feel how organized people were and how self-sufficient. Nearly all of our food was grown or raised, with the exception of flour, sugar, spices, citrus fruits, salt, material for sewing, thread, shoes. overalls, etc. Our mother had a huge garden each year, and fresh produce was a daily occurrance in the summer. Excesses were always canned...a big job. On our farm, it seemed the norm was WORK, EAT, SLEEP!"
radio days
prosperity through hard work
prosperity through hard work
"We got our first radio and telephone in about 1932. Radio was a big entertainment for us in the early evening, but when dad was listening to the news, we had to be very quiet. In the evenings, our dad would smoke a pipe and work with figures involving his job as treasurer of Sunnybrook School. He also was an insurance agent for Catholic Family Life Insuance Company of Milwaukee. Our dad spoke very good English; by reading, he educated himself in the history of America, etc."
prosperity through hard work
prosperity through hard work
prosperity through hard work
"During the Depression, our dad was able to purchase another farm which was later purchased by our brother August. Dad also bought the Fisk Hotel across the street from the Train Depot. He remained a dedicated dairy farmer until his retirement in fall 1941." SHOWN ABOVE: Turtle Lake Train Depot.
catching a buzz
nickel ice cream cone
catching a buzz
"In addition to all the work of dairy cattle, our dad also raised bees, which necessitated removing the cones from the hives, placing them in a special unit to turn the handle fast and remove the honey...this was our job! Dad also had purple grape vines which produced a delicious wine he would prepare. Unfortunately, some of his sons liked it so much, he had to build a special vault in the basement to keep the supplies locked up!"
home-grown care
nickel ice cream cone
catching a buzz
"Dad also had all the supplies needed for repairing leather boots and shoes. He had a large volume on medical knowledge...for both animals and humans. We NEVER went to the doctor...immunization shots were unheard of until polio was discovered. Dentists were only used to pull decayed teeth. Our dad had excellent teeth. Our mother, on the other hand, did wear false teeth at a young age."
nickel ice cream cone
nickel ice cream cone
pushover for sales pitch
"Our dad was about 5'9" tall. He had a very loud voice and carried a tune well. We were told he sang in the church choir in his early years. He also had the loudest sneeze of anyone I've ever heard...our farm would vibrate (it seemed) when he sneezed outdoors. People called him "Tony." As a kid, I learned to manipulate him (when he was drinking beer at the hotel on Saturday nights) by talking in German and saying exactly what my sisters said to say, so that we could get nickels for ice cream cones!!"
pushover for sales pitch
pushover for sales pitch
pushover for sales pitch
"Traveling salesmen would arrive at our farm on occasion...our dad had a real weakness when it came to saying "no" to their pitch. Our mother was unhappy with the huge overstuffed office chairs (leather) that she had to fit into our rather small living room!! On another occasion, we daughters were encouraged to wear the fancy high-heeled shoes worn by women years before with long gowns, etc. Dad bought a couple dozen of those gems...none of us could, or would, wear them!"
Christmas stockings
pushover for sales pitch
Anton visits Cleveland
"On Christmas, our family would select a special tree from our pastures and bring it in the house a day or so before the holiday. We had special ornaments including real little candle clips...but we were not permitted to light the candles. I remember standing in the cold and snow with my dad (while with the rest of the children) we would be given a stocking that had an orange, peanuts in the shell, and lots of hard candy. This was a real treat for me...and I remember thinking how nice it was for my dad to take me."
Anton visits Cleveland
pushover for sales pitch
Anton visits Cleveland
"I remember when I was about 4 years old, my dad and Uncle Frank drove to see their brother Joseph in Ohio. This was a very long trip for them and certainly they were not accustomed to city driving. I don't remember details, but I do remember there was an accident involving our dad...he was injured. Our mother received the news and became very distraught, and while crying, said to us, "WHAT CAN I DO NOW/" My sister Gladys, only 8 years old, said, "Don't worry, ma-ma, I'll take care of you!" Out of the mouths of babes! At any rate, our dad did return in time and was able to resume his farm work without problem."
animal farm
pig slaughtering
pig slaughtering
"In regard to the various animals on the farm: Chickens were the main work for our mother. In the spring she would buy lots of baby chicks. As they grew, some were used for egg-laying, others for some mighty good meals. Since we also had ducks, the feathers and down were used in our pillows and feather-ticks...similar to our comforters of today. Every Saturday evening, our mother would take to Borkon's store clean eggs that she had gathered that week. With these eggs, she was able to barter for items we didn't have on the farm, such as flour, sugar, etc. Occasionally, we did have geese (meanies), sometimes we also raised a few turkeys, but they were more difficult to raise."
pig slaughtering
pig slaughtering
pig slaughtering
"Our dad was in charge of the pigs. Usually, once a year, he and relatives would slaughter a very large one. That was a very busy day...the kitchen had every inch of space in use, while the women and men were utilizing all the parts...sausage was made, lard was rendered, brains, liver, heart were all used quickly because we had no refrigeration. Many trips were made to the cellar, where the damp, cold earth did keep perishable items cold. All parts of the pig were used, including feet, skin, etc."
churning butter
pig slaughtering
churning butter
"Of course, the Holstein cattle we raised gave us an abundant supply of milk and cream. Our mother made her own cottage cheese and butter...later butter was obtained from the creamery where our milk was delivered, but dad made sure we didn't use too much!! But with all the delicious home-made bread our mother made, spreading on the butter was mighty easy." PHOTO ABOVE: Workers pose next to churns full of butter at the Barron Coop Creamery, Barron, Wisconsin, c. 1900. Image courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society. (Image ID 3238)