Terry W. Drake - The History of the Wasinger Family and the Leikam Family and the Times They Lived: A Genealogy Study of the Volga River Germans from Russia and Their Migration to America and Settlement in Kansas

THE HISTORY OF THE WASINGER FAMILY AND THE LEIKAM FAMILY AND THE TIMES THEY LIVED

A GENEALOGY STUDY OF THE VOLGA RIVER GERMANS FROM RUSSIA AND THEIR MIGRATION TO AMERICA AND SETTLEMENT IN KANSAS

Terry W. Drake

Copyright 2016 by Terry W. Drake. 749924

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-5245-4378-5

Hardcover 978-1-5245-4672-4

EBook 978-1-5245-4377-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a genealogy study which is intended to reflect the history of both the Wasinger Family and the Leikam Family. The Historical facts and references are intended to enhance the story and to be able to provide a background to the authors story line. Reference material was used in the development of this history book.

Rev. date: 09/28/2016

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

THE HISTORY

OF THE

WASINGER FAMILY

AND THE

LEIKAM FAMILY

AND THE TIMES THEY LIVED

A GENEALOGY STUDY OF THE VOLGA RIVER GERMANS FROM RUSSIA

AND THEIR MIGRATION TO AMERICA AND SETTLEMENT IN KANSAS

TERRY W. DRAKE

Contents

I would like to thank Elizabeth Betsy Bachofer of Shawnee, Kansas for the Authors picture featured on the back cover of this book. Furthermore,

I would like to thank Wilma Munch Wasinger Drake for her encouragement in the writing of this genealogy study. I would also like to thank Lavonne Wasinger Mishler for her editorial comments and research assistance in the Wasinger family history.

The author utilized Ancestry.com, Wikipedia and Google for factual information depicted in this novel. This is a genealogy study into the Wasinger and Leikam families. It covers other families that have married into the Wasinger, Leikam and Drake families.

Other Books by This Author

The author was born in Pittsburg, Kansas, on July 20, 1948. It is a small town in the south east corner of the state. He joined the United States Air Force in the middle of the Vietnam War era in August 1966. He served four years in the military, acquiring the G.I. Bill for his college education. He attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City, where he earned his Bachelor in Business Administration degree and continued on in graduate school. He obtained his Master in Business Administration in May 1975 and received his Certificate in Public Accounting in June 1976.

The author is the former General Manager for the Board of Public Utilities in Kansas City, Kansas, and a former Board Member for the American Public Power Association. He has served on the Board of Western Fuels Association and is a member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In his last eight years in public service, he lived in the United States Territory of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas. He served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Water and Power Authority and as a special financial consultant to the Government of the Virgin Islands. The author began his new career in writing after the death of his wife Deanna in 2004 and now lives in Kansas City, Kansas.

Mr. Drake is the father of three children. His elder daughter Terry Christine Drake lives in Everett, Washington, with her two sons Sean and Jacob, his younger daughter Dresden Marie Drake Goldberg lives in Frisco, Texas, with her husband Stephen Arnold Goldberg and their twin girls Hannah and Harper, and the authors son Brandon Octavian Lee Drake lives in Tampa, Florida, just after serving eight years in the United States Navy stationed in Japan.

This history represents a genealogy research project inspired by my uncle Earl Rothwell Drake. He was born May 27, 1922 in Pittsburg, Crawford County Kansas the son of Ralph Rothwell Drake (1898-1931) and Sophrona Frona Therina Talley (1898-1990). Earl Rothwell Drake joined the United States Army on September 15, 1943 in Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth County Kansas. He was involved with the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944 where he was decorated with the Silver Star. His fight with the German Army would continue to the end of the war.

It seems ironic that his military career fighting the Germans would turn to love in his marriages to German ancestry. His first marriage was to Dorothy Leona Leikam on November 25, 1940 in Ness City, Ness County Kansas. Dorothy was born March 6, 1917 in Victoria, Ellis County Kansas the daughter of John Leikam (1875-1932) and Rosa Kranawitter (1881-1967). John Leikam arrived in New York August 22, 1888 as a German farmer of the Volga River Region born in Katharinastadt, Samara Russia on June 11, 1873. Rosa Kranawitter Leikam was born in Munjor, Ellis County Kansas on September 1, 1880 the daughter of Johannes Kranawitter (1855-1924) and Helena Leiker (1856-1937). Dorothy Leona Leikams grandparents were from Obermunjou, Samara Russia and arrived in New York in 1876 as farmers with German heritage from the Volga River Region. Dorothy Leona Leikam Drake died on April 7, 1996 in Ness City, Ness County Kansas and was buried at the Sacred Heart Cemetery there.

Earl Rothwell Drake married a second time on February 2, 1997 to Wilma Munch Wasinger. She was born on August 24, 1930 in Ness City, Ness County Kansas the daughter of Jacob Munch III (1891-1970) and Lucy Schoendaller (1892-1975). Her parents were both born in Kansas but her grandparents were from Russia and migrated to America as Germans from the Volga River Region. Jacob Munch III was born in Fairview, Rush County Kansas on October 4, 1891. He was the son of Jacob Munsch (1854-1913) and Maria Bieker (1863-1953) both from Schoenchen, Samara Russia and as Volga River Region farmers immigrated to New York in 1876. Lucy Schoendaller was born March 22, 1892 in Liebenthal, Rush County Kansas the daughter of Frank Schoendaller (1862-1926) and Maria Depperschmidt (1866-1897) both of Schoenchen, Samara Russia. As Volga River Region farmers they immigrated to New York on August 3, 1876 aboard the Su evia .

Wilma Munch had been married previously to Nicholas Nick Wasinger (1921-1995) and they had seven children together. He was the son of Johannes Francis Wasinger (1897-1952) born in America and Anna Maria Haas (1899-1987) born in Wittman Soloturn Russia. Johannes parents were Nicholas Wasinger (1856-1921) of Graf Krutoyarovka, Russia and Katherine Pfannenstiel (1863-1951) of Obermunjou, Russia. Nicholas immigrated to America arriving in New York aboard the Gallert on July 29, 1876. Katherine immigrated to New York aboard the Liepzig on August 12, 1878. Nicholas Wasinger and Katherine Pfannenstiel were married January 16, 1883 in Ellis County Kansas and settled in Ness City, Ness County Kansas. Earl Rothwell Drake died April 8, 2016 in Ness City, Ness County Kansas and is buried with his first wife at the Sacred Heart Cemetery there.

The Wasinger story begins with the migration of Catholic and Mennonite families moving east from Germany to Russia to the fertile valleys along the Volga River. The Mennonite families were well organized and maintained a discipline among their colonies which protected their culture and way of life.