MR. & MRS. AUGUST LEIFESTE, SR.
AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, 1852-1952,
WRITTEN BY THEIR GRANDSON,
REV. A. A. LEIFESTE, HOUSTON, TEXAS.
Our ancestors, Mr. and Mrs. August Leifeste, Sr., came to America from Germany in 1852. Both were born in Broistedt, Grossherzogtum, Braunschweig near Hanover; he in 1812 and she in 1816. According to the record, they were married in 1838 and, at the time of their coming to America, their family consisted of five children. The youngest, Johanna, we were told, learned to walk on their trip over while on board of ship.
We have no accurate record to know whether they landed at Galveston or at Indianola, Texas. However, as many of the immigrants from Europe during that period landed at that Port. Their overland trip from Indianola to Mason County and Castell, Texas, was made by ox wagon. It consumed considerable time to make the trip. Coming to this frontier country, they faced the necessity of building their home from the ground up. They had to fell the trees for the material to build their log house, one of the first on the banks of the Llano river in this frontier country. The Llano river being a clear water stream, they at least did not have any anxiety for drinking water. However, every hardship that faced all early settlers who pushed into this frontier country faced them.
A sister and three brothers of grandfather Leifeste had come to America in 1845. The sister was Mrs. Conrad Pluenneke, wife of Rev. Conrad Pluenneke, who was one of the early pioneer Methodist ministers in this section. The brothers were Henry, Christoph and Fritz, all of whom had settled in Mason County, and lived near the Castell community. We quote the following from the Llano News of some twenty years ago:
"Charles Leifeste told about early days at Castell in the article he contributed to A. Oliver's of Llano County history, tales and legends. The following is quoted from Mr. Leifeste's notes: 'My father, August Leifeste, came to Llano in 1852 and settled on the north side of the Llano river, just across from Castell. Some of the Leifestes have made their home in Castell since that time. I had four uncles, Christoff, Henry, Sr., and Fritz Leifeste, Sr., and an aunt, Mrs. Conrad Pluenneke. These four preceded my father to Lano seven years, settling there in 1845. One of my uncles returned to Germany and brought my father and his family with him to the United States. My father built the first house in the neighborhood of Castell. Emil Von Kriewitz was the first postmaster at Castell. The post office was at the Kriewitz house on the north side of the river. The town of Castell was first located on the north side of the river but was later moved to the south side of the river in Llano County and just this side of the Mason County Line.'"
I am sure it will be of interest to the younger descendants especially if we would mention the names of the sons and daughters of our grandparents as well as the names of their children. (If someone wants the names of their children, please contact dorisjoann1@yahoo.com) We give them here: Henirette, Mrs. Carl Lehmberg (11 children); Elizabeth, Mrs. Christian Winkel (6 children); August, Jr., 7 children, Johanna, Mrs. Fritz Hoerster, 4 children; Wilhemina, Mrs. Herman Schuessler, 7 children; Sophia, Mrs. John Brandenberger, 7 children; Fritz, 8 children; Auguste, Mrs. Fritz Bode, 6 children and Charles, 9 children.
We spoke of Indianola, Texas, as the port where our grandparents landed. I am sure it will be of interest if we insert here an item from Rev. Julius Urbantke’s “Die Vorgeschichte der Suedlich-Deutschen Konferenz (M. E.)” He writes “das gerade in den Jahren von 1845 bis 1850 grosse Scharen deutscher Einwandereer an der Kueste von Texas landeten.” (In the preface to the history of the Southern German Conference (M. E.), Rev. Julius Urbantke mentions that during the years from 1845 to 1850 there was a great influx of German immigrants who landed on the shores of Texas.) In 1875 Indianola was destroyed by a hurricane in which one of our Methodist ministers, Rev. Henry Homburg, brother to Rev. Herman Homburg who buried grandfather Leifeste in 1894, lost his life.
We do not possess any accurate information about the early life of our grandparents in Germany. Dr. A. D. Schuessler, formerly professor of languages at S. M. U., and now of sacred memory, and his wife traveled in Germany in 1929. His wife sent me the following from his diary of that time: “June 13, 1929. Broistedt, mother’s birthplace. The old Leifeste homestead or Hof or Gut. The name Leifeste has died out here in Broistedt; just two daughters left of the family of Julius Leifeste-Mrs. Fritz Grauman and Mrs. Wilhelm Mandel. Mrs. Mandel lives on the old place. They are first cousins to mother. Have large homes and barns, 2 horses, cows and from 30 to 60 Morgenland. Had Album of pictures of relatives from America. Christian Leifeste’s picture; John Pluennecke’s and Mrs. Frank Randenberger and one looked like Uncle Fritz, and one of old Uncle Heinrich. The old house was built in 1804. Inscription on it: ‘ Was mein Gott will, geschehe allezeit.’ J. H. K. LeiWeste.” (Inscription translated reads: What God wills may it be done always.)
Prof. F. C. A. Lehmberg, formerly professor of languages at Southwestern University, and now of sacred memory, attended Heidelberg University in Germany a good many years ago. He too visited the old Leifeste place in Broistedt . His wife mailed me some pictures of relatives that he brought back, including one of the old Leifeste home which has on it the inscription: “Was mein Gott will, geschehe allezeit .” (Don and I have the picture of this house to which Uncle Alonzo refers; it’s from a newspaper article. If anyone wants a copy of it, e-mail me at dorisjoann1@yahoo.com, give me your address and I will send you the best copy I can make of it.)
As to the original spelling of the name, we have no way of knowing whether or how it has been changed from the original. I recall from my boyhood days that on an old steamer trunk grandfather had brought over, and which stood upstairs in our home, where grandfather spent the declining years of his life, the name was spelled “Leiveste.”
As early pioneers in this frontier country, they had many experiences with the Indians who were then roaming this section of Texas. At first these Indians were friendly and some of you recall the story of how some friendly Indians escorted grandmother Leifeste across the Llano river when she was separated from her family by a sudden rise in the river. We also recall the story of Rev. C. A. Grote who first pushed into that frontier country as a pioneer Methodist preacher. When he arrived in the community, he found himself isolated from the north side of the Llano river by treacherous muddy waters. The Indians escorted him with his horse across the swollen stream. Later, the Indians would make their raids on the white men to steal horses, including getting some from grandfather.
There is the story of the shepherd boy, Adolph Korn, who was stolen by Indians from grandfather’s flock of sheep late in the evening. I recall father telling us that as he was on the home stretch late in the afternoon, three Indians took him away from the sheep at the Bauer’s Berge (Bauer’s Mountains), almost in sight of the home. He was taken into Indian Territory and kept until he was as wild as an Indian. When Korn was finally brought back, he had to be domesticated and introduced into civilized life again. Some of you will remember with me how we gathered around Korn on Sunday afternoon at Hoersterville Church before Sunday School and listened to his stories of his life as an Indian.
We could not write the story of our grandparents’ early life in America without mentioning their religion and church life. Unfortunately, no one ever obtained definite information as to their religious background before coming to America. Our impression is that they belonged to a religious group in Europe called “Die Pietisten ”-The Pietist Society. This was a rather devout group of people without any particular church affiliation. However, from the two obituaries, we gather that they were early converts to the Methodist Church in this country. In fact, we know that soon after they located at the old home place, a Methodist service was held under the old live oak tree just west of the log house. We quote here from the 75th Anniversary booklet of the Castell Methodist Church, written by H. C. Grote: “Llano, Castell: While Rev. C. A. Grote was pastor at Fredericksburg, he made excursions northward to the German settlements up and down the Llano river. In 1852 he preached first at Castell.
At first, services were held in homes and under a large live oak tree, near the home of August Leifeste, Sr., where Larry Leifeste lives now. From the obituaries we glean that grandmother was converted under the preaching of Rev. Grote and grandfather under the preaching of Rev. Eduard Schneider, another one of the pioneer Methodist preachers. It also states that they soon became members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and that in 1870 they joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in which they remained faithful members until their death.
I recall that my father told me that grandfather was an Exhorter in the Church, and when I entered the ministry, I was proud when some of the older ministers spoke of the fine Christian influence of my grandfather Leifeste. Rev. Herman Homburg wrote in the obituary of grandmother Leifeste: “The Lord blessed her union with nine children which are still all living (1883), and the best is that all have set their feet on the way of salvation and are followers of Jesus.” Rev. George Koch, in his obituary of grandfather Leifeste, said (1894): “He is survived by eight children, who are all loyal and faithful members of the church.” Theirs must have been a Christan home, indeed!
It is also proper as well as interesting to register some of the results of their devotion to their Lord and the Church and their religious life. Eight of their descendants have answered the call to the ministry, and four have become wives of ministers. Nearly one hundred have followed the teaching profession, where their Christian rearing and character proved a most wholesome influence. Some of these are in our institutions of higher learning. Eight have entered the medical profession, and nearly a dozen have dedicated their lives to the nursing profession. Many have entered the business world and other commercial enterprises, and many are prominent ranchers and farmers. The words God spoke to Abraham might have been spoken to our grandparents: “Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, get thee out of thy county, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, (useful people), and I will bless thee, and make thy name great (make thee count for good), and thou shalt be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2)
Both grandparents lie buried in the Castell cemetery. On their respective tombstones are engraved the following lines: Grandmother’s: “Ruhe sanft in stiller Gruft, Bis dein Heiland wieder ruft.” Grandfather’s: “Guter Vater, unsere Traenen sind die Blumen auf dein Grab.”
Florence Earle Coates’ poem “Immortal” is appropriate here:
Immortal
“How living are the dead! Enshrined, but not apart, How safe within the heart, We hold them still – our dead!
Our constancy is deep, Toward those who lie asleep, Forgetful of the strain and mortal strife, That are so large a part of this our earthly life.
They are our very own: From them-from them alone, Nothing can us astrange,-Nor blight autumnal; no, nor wintry change!
The midnight moments keep, A place for them; and though we wake to weep, They are beside us: still, in joy, in pain, In every crucial hour, they come again.
Angelic from above-Bearing the gifts of blessing and of love-Until the shadowy path they lonely trod, Becomes for us a bridge that upward leads to God.”
We quote here from Dr. O. E. Kriege’s poem “Afterglow”, a few lines of which run like this: (The poem describes the sun that has gone down; but the after-glow remained).
“So life. The man is gone; this afterglow remains. The song is lost, but there is left its haunting melody. We know dear ones were here, for fragrance fills the air.”
Paul said to Timothy: “When I call to remembrance.” So we today, when we call to remembrance, our hearts are filled with gratitude because of our rich heritage and we feel like singing: “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!”
OBITUARIES OF
MRS. ELISABETH LEIFESTE AND AUGUST LEIFESTE, SR.
(Translated from the German)
Elisabeth Leifeste, nee Viedt, wife of August Leifeste, Sr., was born January 1, 1816, in Broistedt Grossherzogtum, Braunschweig, Germany . Sister Leifeste was married to her husband, who now mourns her going, on December 4, 1838. In the year 1852, they came to America and settled here on the Llano river . In the next year after their arrival, Sister Leifeste, during a revival meeting conducted by Rev. C. A. Grote, was awakened and converted, and with her husband joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. However, later they joined our Church (Methodist Episcopal) in which the deceased remained true to her Lord until her death. Sister Leifeste endured her suffering with much patience. Her faith in Christ gave her power to face death courageously. Finally, on January 11, 1883 , she was permitted to go home to see Him, who her soul loved, faced to face. The Lord blessed her union with nine children, which are still all living. And the best is that all have set their feet upon the way of salvation and are followers of Jesus. Brother Vordenbaumen, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and Brother Conrad Pluenneke took part in the funeral service.
Llano Circuit, Texas H. Homburg
August Leifeste, Sr., was born August 1, 1812, in Broistedt, Herrzogtum, Braunschweig, Germany. In 1838, he married Elisabeth Viedt, with whom he lived in happy wedlock for nearly forty-five years. In 1852, he came to America with his family and established his home at Castell, Texas . Under the faithful ministry of Rev. Eduard Schneider, he was converted. Later, during the pastorate of Rev. C. A. Grote, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, he joined the Church. In 1870 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and remained a faithful member of that Church until his death. His wife died eleven years ago, and he made his home from then on with his son, Carl, and his family, who tenderly cared for him in his declining years. Finally, on June 25, 1894, the Lord came “softly took him by the hand, led him from his journey, into his Father’s house.” (“ Der Herr kam leise und nahm ihn bei der Hand, fuehrte ihn von der Reise, heim in’s Vaterland.”) He is survived by three brothers and one sister, and eight children who are loyal and faithful members of the Church. His oldest son preceded him in death a few years prior. They all look forward to reuniting in heaven.
Hedwigs Hill, Mason County , Texas G . Koch