The article named Elsa B. Haupt of Long Beach, NY as the go-to person collecting each branch's information, Joyce ann (Leydig) Knotts of Berlin, PA as having the blank forms, and Jody Bittner, Kim (Bittner) Gillingham and JoAnn Webreck Rohrs for leading prizes and games for children and adults. The group announced plans to visit Comp's Cemetery and the homesteads of Daniel Leydig and Joseph Leydig at the following year's reunion.

 

James V. Leydig (center) at the Haupt farm in Burns, KS, with, L-R: James Haupt, George Haupt and farm owner Daniel W. Haupt. Below: Men in back, L-R: Daniel W. Haupt, George Haupt, James Valentine Leydig. Women in back, L-R: Mary Haupt, Lula Leydig, Mary Frances (Lacey) Haupt. Women in front, Della Freeman (bonnet), Grace (Guinty) Leydig, Edith Haupt. Front: Ralph Haupt, James W. Haupt, Paul Pentz, Charles Haupt, Arthur Haupt. Courtesy Elsa B. Haupt

 

~ Son James Valentine Leydig ~

James and Grace Leydig Courtesy Elsa B. Haupt

Son James Valentine "J.V." Leydig (1859-1940) was born on Oct. 24, 1859 in Adamsville, Muskingum County. Age three when his father was killed in the Civil War, James became the ward of his stepfather. 

 

He migrated in February 1872 with his mother and presumably step-father to Kansas, settling on a farm in Clifford Township, Butler County. In a lengthy profile about him, Vol. P. Mooney's 1916 book History of Butler County, Kansas said that at "about fourteen years old he began to hustle for himself, and became a cowboy in the employ of H.H. Wilcox, who was an extensive cattleman, usually keeping a herd of from 1,000 to 1,500 head of cattle on the free range of the early days. Young Leydig received $15 per month. It was the custom to drive the cattle about 100 miles south into the Indian Territory during the grazing season. Indians were plentiful in that section of the country, and trouble with them eventually forced Wilcox to withdraw his cattle from the territory. Young Wilcox shot and killed two Osage Indians whom he caught stealing beef, which was a foolish act, as it was a metter of course that it was the nature of an Indian to steal anything that he needed, and this event proved quite a loss to Wilcox, as he had to move his cattle out of the country, as above stated." 

 

These killings may be why James in 1880 was serving time in a penitentiary in Kansas. He eventually was released from prison, and "lived in the saddle as a cowboy about ten years, and has experienced all the various phases of the life of the early day cowboy on the plains," said the History. "In 1885 Mr. Leydig went to Scott county, Kansas, where he took a homestead, and after proving up on it, returned to Butler county in 1887" after the death of his step-father. James then bought the homestead from his mother and remained there farming and raising stock. 

 

When a strip of land in Oklahoma became open for settlement, he "made the race for a homestead over the old stamping ground, where he had herded cattle in the early days, and was familiar with almost every foot of it, but when he got to the claim which he had picked he found a 'sooner' who had been hiding in the brush for days, holding down the claim." He added to the Kansas farm acreage with acquisition of an adjoining parcel of land and in 1916 owned 320 acres of "well improved and valuable land," said the History. 

 

Newton's YMCA (left), with which James V. Leydig was involved

 

His farms were productive, and the El Dorado Republican noted in January 1896 that James and T.M. Ralston had "loaded seven cars of hay [at Elbing] the past few days." A similar article in a July 1898 edition of the Republican, on the eve of the nation's entry into the Spanish-American War, said that he "seems to be the champion oat grower of his township; at least he has the finest oats seen on the trip. He was hard at work in his corn field Schley-ing weeds and talking war."

On Nov. 16, 1897, when he was age 37, James married 23-year-old Grace Lenora "Linn" Guinty (Oct. 16, 1873-1945), daughter of Capt. Michael and Sophronia (Wood) Guinty, the father an Irish immigrant and a noted veteran of the Civil War. The wedding ceremony was held at the home of the bride's parents in Fairview Township, and the editors of the Republican provided them "wishes [for] a happy wedded life." 

Together, the couple produced two children, Lula Loyetta Webreck and James Franklin "Frank" Leydig. 

The federal census of 1900 shows the family in Clifford, with James' 63-year-old widowed mother and Grace's eight-year-old sister living under their roof. In politics, James was a Republican and served as township trustee for eight years and on the local school board for more than 34 years, starting in about 1882.

In August 1918, James and his brother Bruce struck oil at a property near El Dorado, KS. Reported the Peabody Gazette-Herald, "There is no man around Peabody whom the public in general would rather see strike oil than Jim Leydig. Mr. Leydig spends much of his time at the well and he is only too glad to show his neighbors and friends the well and to tell them anything he may know."

The family is known to have traveled in 1920 to visit James' half-brother Harry Spencer Leydig and family in the mountains of Fresno County, CA. Over the years, James was actively involved with the local Boy Scouts and YMCA and belonged to the Newton lodge of the Masons. The family's home was located at 330 East Third Street in Newton, and served as the location for their daughter's wedding. Over the Christmas season of December 1935, the Leydigs traveled to Pennsylvania to visit with their married daughter. Reported the Republican:

Mr. Leydig's grandfather is buried at Comp's Church in Southampton Township. His father was born and reared in that vicinity, migrated to Ohio, enlisted in the Union army in the Civil War, and was killed in the battle of Franklin, Tenn., Nov. 30, 1864. Mrs. Leydig's father served four years as a Union soldier in the same war. Mr. and Mrs. Leydig are well acquainted with Governor [Alf] Landon and former Vice President [Charles] Curtis. The latter visited their home upon several occasions. 

The family left for home on Dec. 28, 1935. Soon after arrival, they were plunged into grief when their son Frank contracted appendicitis and died after surgery. 

The Leydigs returned to Berlin in June 1936 to spend the summer with the Webrecks. During that visit, in August, James and a nephew were part of a large contingent of local citizens who boarded a special train bound for West Middlesex near Hermitage, PA. There, they walked a half mile from the station to the Tam O'Shanter Golf Course to join 100,000 others in hearing a speech by Kansas Gov. Landon, the Republican presidential candidate who was campaigning against the incumbent, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

Again in late June 1937, James and Grace traveled to Berlin to spend a vacation with their daughter. 

Sadly, James succumbed to the angel of death on Jan. 3, 1940, at the age of 80 years, two months and nine days. Funeral services were conducted in the First Methodist Church, led by Rev. S.W. Keller and Rev. G.L. Coppedge. His remains were interred in the mausoleum of Greenwood Cemetery in Newton, Harvey County, KS. In an obituary, republished in the Meyersdale (PA) Republican, he was called "a pioneer of northern Butler County." 

Grace outlived her spouse by five years. About a year before her death, she relocated east to Berlin, Somerset County, PA to live with her daughter. She was felled by old age, hardening of the arteries and a stroke, passing away at age 71 on Aug. 28, 1945. Funeral services were jointly conducted by former pastors of the Berlin Reformed Church, Rev. John N. Bethune of Pittsburgh and Rev. D.D. Stephan of Berlin. The body was transported back to Kansas for burial in Newton, and an obituary was printed in the Republican. A year later, the Meyersdale (PA) Republican referred to James as "a prominent farmer and oil operator in Kansas."

 

Lulu as "Miss Newton" and Robert as a WWI doughboy - Courtesy Elsa B. Haupt

 

Daughter Lula Loyetta "Lulu" Leydig (1898-1946) was born on Aug. 24, 1898 in Butler County, KS. At the age of 29, circa January 1928, she entered into marriage with a cousin, 30-year-old World War I Army veteran Robert Dennis Webreck (Dec. 1898-1979). He was the son of Fannon and Anna Statia "Annie" (Leydig) Webreck of Berlin, Somerset County, PA, and maternal grandson of Dennis and Leah (Troutman) Leydig. Their nuptials were held in Newton, far from the groom's Pennsylvania home, and were performed by Rev. W.J. Shull, an old family friend. A wedding shower held beforehand was attended by Mrs. J.V. Leydig, Mrs. Edith Louis, Mrs. Arthur Haupt, Mrs. E.L. Davis, Mrs. Fred Rose, Mrs. H.P. Comp, Vesta Lewis, Ann Harrison, Alta Hershberger, Bernice Anderson, Lena Shroyer, Fannie Kitts, Hazel McAllister and Elizabeth Krider. In reporting on the wedding, the Meyersdale (PA) Republican stated that "The bride came with her parents to Newton to resided several years ago, and by her sweet, genial disposition has endeared herself to a large circle of friends in the younger and older set with whom she has been associated in both church and social affairs. It will be remembered that at the time of the 1926 Harvey County Fall Festival, she was chosen from a group of popular young women to be 'Miss Newton,' and that she performed the duties as the city's hostess to the festival queen with becoming grace and dignity." The couple went on to bear a brood of three sons -- James Robert Webreck, Richard Milton Werbreck and William F. Werbreck. Robert's wartime service included a posting at Camp Hancock in Augusta, GA as a member of the 110th Infantry, Company C. The unit was considered "Somerset County's famous Company C" and saw action at the Battle of the Marne. Newspaper reports in August 1918 indicate that he had gone missing in action, with his name published in lists coast to coast. By June 1919, it was disclosed that he had been wounded by German poison gas and captured. He spent five months as a prisoner of war, primarily in Hammelburg, Bavaria. His captors were hard on those Americans of German descent, often saying "Aren't you ashamed of coming over here to shoot at your cousins?" In a letter to home, printed in the Republican, he said that "We are treated good here, so don't worry about me. I will be home some day. You can send me some chocolate candy and a few toilet articles, if it isn't too much trouble. You dare not send more than five pounds at a time." Upon his discharge and arrival home, circa 1920, Robert was employed as a fireman with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He also served as a constable, making his residence in Glencoe.

Robert became embroiled in a controversy in late 1924 when serving as constable for Northampton Township. He tried to apprehend immigrant Steve Krimcrai, a hunter who was trespassing and operating without a permit out of season. Shots were fired, and Krimcrai was wounded. The injured party hired a lawyer and filed a legal claim. Reported the Republican, in which he was pictured, Robert "is a veteran of the World War, having served at home and abroad as a corporal..., and from all that can be learned from his comrades he was one of the bravest as well as one of the best liked members of that outfit of gallant soldiers. Those who soldiered with Webreck in France and at Camp Hancock before sailing for the other side, seem to accept his version of the unfortunate affair..." Ultimately he was charged with pointing and discharging firearms and felonious assault. Circa 1928, upon their marriage, the Werbrecks put down roots in Robert's hometown of Berlin. By that time, Robert had turned to farming as his source of income, as shown in the 1930 federal census enumeration. Lula is known to have inherited the old Leydig family Bible. In August 1941, she and her mother arranged to meet in Kansas with her uncle Harry Spencer Leydig and cousin Corinna Leydig so the latter two could examine the handwritten family records in the Bible. Corinna wrote about this meeting many years later, in February 1983, in a letter to cousin Elsa B. Haupt. Lula opened her Berlin home to her dying mother circa 1945. Sadness enveloed the family when, suffering from heart and kidney disease and bronchitis, the 47-year-old Lula passed away on June 22, 1946. Interment of the remains was in the sacred soil of the Berlin Cemetery. Robert outlived his bride by 33 years. In the mid-1950s, said the Somerset Daily American, he was "operating a large dairy farm in Brothersvalley township in partnership with his two eldest sons, James and Richard Webreck, but plans to retire within the near future." Then in January 1956, he married a second time to Elsie (Rock) Beggs (1902-1987) of Somerset. Elsie was employed at the time as a claims interviewer for the Bureau of Employment Security in Somerset and had been a civil servant for the previous 14 years. The spectre of death carried him away at the age of 81 on July 28, 1979.

• Grandson James Robert Webreck (1929-2002) was born in about 1929 in or near Berlin, Somerset County. He was a member of the 1946 graduating class of Berlin-Brothersvalley High School. For two years, he served in the U.S. Navy and upon return home worked on his father's farm. On Dec. 15, 1949, in nuptials held in Cumberland, MD, he wedded Barby Lou Coughenour ( ? - ? ), daughter of Jay Coughenour of Jerome, Somerset County. In announcing the wedding, the Somerset Daily American said that "The bride was attired in a navy blue dress with grey accessories and wore a pink carnation corsage." Barby Lou was a 1949 graduate of Conemaugh Township High School and at the time of marriage was employed at the factory of Hoffman and Dorfman Lingerie in nearby Boswell. Offspring borne by this couple were Sandy Webreck, James Webreck, Margie Webreck, Tawyna Webreck and Tina Webreck. James died at the age of 73 on Aug. 26, 2002. Burial was in the IOOF Cemetery in Berlin. 

• Grandson James Robert Webreck (1929-2002) was born in about 1929 in or near Berlin, Somerset County. He was a member of the 1946 graduating class of Berlin-Brothersvalley High School. For two years, he served in the U.S. Navy and upon return home worked on his father's farm. On Dec. 15, 1949, in nuptials held in Cumberland, MD, he wedded Barby Lou Coughenour ( ? - ? ), daughter of Jay Coughenour of Jerome, Somerset County. In announcing the wedding, the Somerset Daily American said that "The bride was attired in a navy blue dress with grey accessories and wore a pink carnation corsage." Barby Lou was a 1949 graduate of Conemaugh Township High School and at the time of marriage was employed at the factory of Hoffman and Dorfman Lingerie in nearby Boswell. Offspring borne by this couple were Sandy Webreck, James Webreck, Margie Webreck, Tawyna Webreck and Tina Webreck. James died at the age of 73 on Aug. 26, 2002. Burial was in the IOOF Cemetery in Berlin.

• Grandson Richard Milton Werbreck ( ? - ? ) was born on (?) near Berlin, Somerset County, PA. He grew up as a dairy farmer. In January 1950, in nuptials held at St. John's Roman Catholic Church of New Baltimore, Somerset County, he was joined in the bonds of wedlock with Rose Ann Will ( ? - ? ), a twin with her sister Mary Theresa Keller and the daughter of Lawrence and Virginia Will. The couple had met in high school and were 1949 graduates of Berlin Brothersvalley Joint High School. They went on to bear six children -- Cindy Werbreck, Richard Douglas Werbreck, Dennis Werbreck, Brian Werbreck, Jeanne Lowry and Keith Werbreck. For decades, starting in about 1970, the couple made their home in the same farmhouse where Richard had been born at 592 Pike School Road, Berlin. They made a living as dairy farmers. She added to their income as a cafeteria worker in Berlin, starting in the mid-1980s. Richard served on his alma mater's school board from 1957 to 1985. He was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Berlin, while she held a membership in St. Gregory's Roman Catholic Church of McDonaldton. In his free time, Richard enjoyed horses and reading about animals and the Western United States, while she played cards in the 500 Club and liked to quilt, refinish wood and watch figure skating. Richard was mentioned in a February 1983 letter from Elsa B. Haupt of Long Beach, NY to Corinna (Leydit) Talbot of Fresno, CA, which said that "Richard Werbreck, the middle son of Lula & Bob is very interested in family history but he is a busy dairy farmer so he doesn't have too much extra time. He has a lot of old pictures.." Richard and Rose Ann celebrated their golden anniversary in January 2000 with a reception at St. Gregory's Church and were pictured in a related article in the Somerset Daily American.

• Grandson William F. Werbreck (1932-2005) was born on May 8, 1932 in Berlin, Somerset County. He graduated in 1950 from Berlin Brothersvalley High School and went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Circa 1953, he was united in holy matrimony with Bernadine Blough ( ? - ? ). Their union survived for a remarkable 52 years until cleaved apart by death. They established their longtime home in Berlin. Their only child was Tracy Wohl. William earned a bachelor of science degree in education in 1960 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He spent his career teaching mathematics at his alma mater high school. He held memberships in the Berlin post of the American Legion and Berlin Lions Club as well as the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The family grieved at William's death at the age of 73, on Sept. 30, 2005, in Meadow View Nursing Center. The remains were lowered under the sod of the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Berlin, with Rev. Ralph G. Landis leading the service. An obituary appeared in the Somerset Daily American, in which the family requested that any memorial donations be made to the American Cancer Society or Berlin American Legion

Son James Franklin "Frank" Leydig (1914-1936) was born in 1914. Little is known of his life. When he broke his arm in August 1919, the news was printed in the gossip columns of the Peabody (KS) Gazette-Herald. In December 1935, he and his parents spent a month visiting Frank's married sister in Berlin, Somerset County, PA, departing for home Dec. 28, 1935. Within a short time of their return home, Frank contracted appendicitis. He underwent surgery in a Kansas City Hospital, but it proved fatal. He died from complications at the age of 21 on Jan. 9, 1936. A short death notice appeared in the Kansas City (MO) Star, and a longer one in the Meyersdale (PA) Republican. His remains sleep for all time in the mausoleum of Greenwood Cemetery in Newton.

Son Robert "Bruce" Leydig Sr. (1861-1942) was born on July 25, 1861 in Adamsville, Muskingum County. 

He migrated to Kansas in February 1872 with his mother and stepfather. 

Then at the age of 16, in 1877, he returned to his old home to attend Spencer's Normal School in Adamsville to prepare for a career as a teacher. Upon graduation in 1881, he returned to Kansas where spent three years in the classroom. 

In 1880, at the age of 18, was marked by a Butler County, KS census-taker as "going to school." Attracted by the prospects of work as a lawyer, he clerked for Judge A.L.L. Hamilton and was admitted to practice in Kansas on May 20, 1885. 

But when his step-father died the following year, in 1886, Bruce gave up his legal practice to return to the farm and help his brother manage it. 

At the age of 27, in 1888, Bruce was joined in holy matrimony with Elizabeth "Lizzie" Spier ( ? - ? ), daughter of local pioneer Robert Spier. 

They went on to produce three children -- Marie Leydig, Robert Bruce Leydig Jr. and Raymond Albert Leydig. 

Four years later, in 1890, he returned to the legal field, forming a private partnership with Judge Hamilton, an association which lasted for more tha a quarter of a century. In about 1894, he was named city attorney in El Dorado, KS, and served for two years, until a conflict of interest forced him to resign the position.

He was elected to the Kansas legislature in 1907, serving on the judiciary committee. He also was an El Dorado school board member, city council member and city attorney. On March 1, 1916, he formed a new firm with Karl M. Geddes known as Laydig & Geddes, with offices on West Central Avenue in El Dorado, across the street from the Butler County Courthouse. 

He is profiled in Vol. P. Mooney's 1916 book History of Butler County, Kansas and authored an essay in the book entitled A Pioneer about the life of early settler A.I. Shriver. Bruce and his brother James were investors in oil properties and in August 1918 struck a gusher in the El Dorado area.

In 1922, Bruce and Elizabeth and their married daughter Marie are known to have traveled to the mountains of Fresno County, CA to visit his half-brother Harry Spencer Leydig and family.  They also vacationed with their married daughter Marie Lathrop and husband in September 1923 in Itasca Park, MN. Bruce wrote a letter to the El Dorado Republican while in Minnesota, saying "The Mississippi is not much of a brook. I have caught some fish. The largest weighed 9 1-2 pounds."

When Bruce helped his son Robert secure a U.S. passport in 1925, his law office was located at 121 North Emporia Street, El Dorado.

When the federal census enumeration was made in 1940, the couple were retired and dwelled in El Dorado, and provided a home for widowed sister-in-law Mary Speir/Spire.

Bruce passed away on Dec. 4, 1942. Burial of the remains was in Sunset Lawns Gardens in El Dorado.

Daughter Marie Leydig (1890-1978) was born in 1890. Circa 1916, she was a teacher in the El Dorado (KS) schools. On Dec. 12, 1916, she was joined in matrimony in El Dorado, KS with William Y. "Will" Lathrop (1886-1969), son of Howard Lathrop. The nuptials were held in the home of Marie's parents, by the hand of Rev. O.A. Ebright of the Methodist Church. The marriage was announced in the Burns Citizen and the Peabody Gazette-Herald, which said that Will "is a likable young man with a promising outlook. He and his charming bride have the hearty good wishes of a host of friends. They will make their home on the Lathrop farm. Both these young people have a lot of friends in Peabody who unite in all good wishes for their happiness." Among those traveling to attend the wedding were M. Guinty and wife, Elmer Lambert and wife and her uncle James V. Leydig and family. They were the parents of Elizabeth Lathrop. Will and his brother Frank are known to have attended the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. In September 1919, reported the El Dorado (KS) Daily Republican, "For the first time since before the war," the Lathrops as part of "the family of Mr. and Mrs. Brude R. Leydig sat at the same dinner table." The couple in 1917-1923 were in Burns, KS, and spent the winter of 1922-1923 in California, staying with friends and relatives in Selma, Los Angeles and San Francisco. As part of that trip, they went with Marie's parents to the mountains of Fresno County, CA to visit Marie's uncle Harry Spencer Leydig and family. Their residence in 1930 was Los Angeles, with Marie traveling back to Kansas to visit her family in October 1930. Will surrendered to the angel of death in 1969. Marie survived for another nine years. She passed away in 1978. Her remains rest in the sacred soil of Prairie Lawn Cemeteery in Peabody. When named in a February 1983 letter from Elsa B. Haupt of Long Beach, NY to Corinna (Leydit) Talbot of Fresno, CA, the couple was said to be "long dead."

• Granddaughter Elizabeth Lathrop (1917- ? ) was born on Dec. 8, 1917 in or near Peabody, KS

Son Robert Bruce Leydig (1893-1980) was born on Aug. 4, 1893 in El Dorado, KS. He is known to have been a student in 1916 at the State Agricultural College in Manhattan, KS. Robert stood 5 feet, 9¾ inches tall, with blue eyes and brown hair. At some point parts of the thumb and index finger on his left hand were amputated. He worked in Bartlesville, OK in 1919, providing design and estimation services for the Empire company. He remained in Bartlesville for several years, and then was in Tulsa in December 1924, at which time he traveled to Rangoon, India, "to direct the installation of a Cross cracking refinery for the British Burma Oil company," reported the Tulsa World. Circa 1925, working as an engineer in Kansas City, MO, for Gasoline Products Company, he applied for a passport for purposes of a business trip to India. When he was 32 years of age, in about 1926, he entered into marriage with 26-year-old Bessie Edith Kannarr (June 17, 1899-1987), a native of Bennington, KS. Whether or not the couple reproduced is not known. The federal census of 1930 shows the pair in Meadville, Crawford County, PA, where Robert was working as a construction engineer on a project and boarding in the home of Eugene and Helen Clyde. Sadly, he died in June 1980. Bessie survived her spouse by seven years and appears to have dwelled in Tulsa, OK. She passed away on July 13, 1987. Their remains sleep in eternal repose in Sunset Lawns Cemetery, El Dorado.

Son Raymond Albert Leydig (1902-1972) was born on July 5, 1902 in El Dorado, KS. In 1916, he was a student in El Dorado, KS. He appears to have been married at least thrice. The identity of his first bride is not yet known. Their only son was Robert Leydig. Raymond made a home in 1935 in Harrisburg, Saline County, IL, and then in 1940, marked as "married," as a lodger in Elvira, Johnson County, IL, earning income as a farmer. In 1942, Raymond lived in Buncombe, Johnson County, IL, where he continued to operate his own farm. He registered for the military draft in 1942 and stated that his friend Calvin Mathis would always know his whereabouts. Circa 1945, Raymond relocated to Winslow, AZ, where he was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad. By 1950, he had wed Helen (1918- ? ). The U.S. Census of 1950 shows the pair in Kansas City, KS, with Raymond earning a living as a railroad brakeman and Helen as a waitress in a cafe. Circa 1959, Raymond was joined in wedlock with Madeleine M. Frantz ( ? - ? ), a resident of White Haven, PA. News of their marriage license was printed in the Hazleton (PA) Standard-Speaker. Madeleine was active with the Rebekah lodge of Winslow and held the position of noble grand. In the 1970s, she served as district deputy secretary for the Rebekahs. As his health failed, Raymond was admitted to Winslow Memorial Hospital. There, he surrendered to the angel of death at age 70, on July 30, 1972. An obituary was published in the Arizona Republic of Phoenix. Interment of the remains was in Desert View Cemetery following a funeral conducted in the Conservative Baptist Church. Madeleine's fate is not yet known.

• Grandson Robert Leydig ( ? - ? ) was in Kent, WA in 1972. 

Son Harry Spencer Leydig (1877-1955) was born on April 5, 1877 in or near Clifford Township, Butler County, KS. Dr. J.V. Davis attended in the birth. 

 

At the age of 22, on June 22, 1899, he was joined in marriage with 19-year-old Cora Amelia Linn (Dec. 1, 1879-1959), a native of Cantril, Van Buren County, IA and the daughter of John Marion and Emma Hannah (Morris) Linn. The ceremony was held in her parents' home in the Wesleyan Addition of Salina, KS, with Rev. William Foulkes officiating. The Salina Daily Republican Journal reported that "A few relatives and most intimate friends were present. All wish these worthy young people success, joy and happiness in this life and when the span of human progress has closed with them here that they 'may enter port at some well havened isle where spices bloom and brighter seasons smile'." 

 

Cora taught music at the time of marriage and enjoyed singing as well as playing the guitar, mandolin and org. In 1902, Harry was a teacher at school No. 47 in Clifford Township, and held a box supper which raised $20 to support the installation of a school library. Then in the mid-1900s, the family moved to western Kansas, some 20 miles from Goodland, where he planted a crop of wheat which was destroyed in a drought.

 

Cora taught music at the time of marriage and enjoyed singing as well as playing the guitar, mandolin and org. In 1902, Harry was a teacher at school No. 47 in Clifford Township, and held a box supper which raised $20 to support the installation of a school library. Then in the mid-1900s, the family moved to western Kansas, some 20 miles from Goodland, where he planted a crop of wheat which was destroyed in a drought.

 

At the age of 22, on June 22, 1899, he was joined in marriage with 19-year-old Cora Amelia Linn (Dec. 1, 1879-1959), a native of Cantril, Van Buren County, IA and the daughter of John Marion and Emma Hannah (Morris) Linn. The ceremony was held in her parents' home in the Wesleyan Addition of Salina, KS, with Rev. William Foulkes officiating. The Salina Daily Republican Journal reported that "A few relatives and most intimate friends were present. All wish these worthy young people success, joy and happiness in this life and when the span of human progress has closed with them here that they 'may enter port at some well havened isle where spices bloom and brighter seasons smile'." 

 

The couple went on to produce four known children -- Marion Horace Leydig, Corinna Talbot, Lawrence Allen Leydig and Donald Eben Leydig, all born in Kansas -- and Kathryn "Marie" Sherfey, Clyde Owen Leydig and Vernon Linn Leydig, born in California. 

 

Cora taught music at the time of marriage and enjoyed singing as well as playing the guitar, mandolin and org. In 1902, Harry was a teacher at school No. 47 in Clifford Township, and held a box supper which raised $20 to support the installation of a school library. Then in the mid-1900s, the family moved to western Kansas, some 20 miles from Goodland, where he planted a crop of wheat which was destroyed in a drought.

 

Goodland, KS, 20 miles east of where the Leydigs lived in a sod house, 1908

 

To pursue more lucrative wage-earning prospects for their growing family, the Leydigs relocated circa 1909 to northern Arizona, settling in Ashfork. There, Harry clerked for the Santa Fe Railroad. After about a year, they again pulled up stakes and in 1910 moved to California, where they settled on a farm in Fresno. Their daughter Kathryn was the first to be born in California. The federal census of 1910 shows them near Fresno, with Harry working as a laborer at odd jobs. A 1983 letter by their daughter Corinna Talbot said that:

Dad was never happy in town. He wanted to be out on a farm. So we moved around to various country places, and finally settled in the mountains about 50 miles north of Fresno. A little spot about 8 or 9 miles from us, called Auberry, had a store and postoffice. We were at an elevation of 4000 ft. Dad cleared 40 acres and planted apple orchard and other fruits. We lived in the mountains about 10 years.

Cora made rugs and quilts using any fabric she could obtain, such as fabric and old clothes. She taught her daughters how to crochet, knit and sew. Circa 1916, Harry was mentioned in Vol. P. Mooney's book History of Butler County, Kansas. 

By 1920, their home was on a farm in Pine Ridge, Fresno County. That year, they received a visit from Harry's half-brother James V. Leydig and family. Then in the 1920s they relocated again to Visalia, Tulare County, CA. 

The 1930 census shows Harry employed as a milk salesman, with all but two of the children no longer in the household. Federal census records of 1940 show the family in Shasta County, CA, with Harry and son Marion continuing to be farmers, and grandchildren Alice M. Leydig (born 1929) and Leonard Leydig (1936) in the household. 

In order to draw an "old age pension," and needing to prove his birthdate, Harry contacted his niece Lula who had possession of the old family Bible. Harry and daughter Corinna met up with Lula and her sister Grace in Kansas in August 1941 and secured the key information. The family were members of Jehovah's Witnesses and brought up their children in the faith. 

At the age of 78, Harry died in Fresno County General Hospital on Aug. 6, 1955. 

Cora survived her husband by nearly four years. Her address during that era was 364 North Fruit Street. In Auberry, as a resident of Wish-I-Ah Convalescent Hospital, she was burdened with hardening of the arteries and senility. She entered the realm of death on April 10, 1959, at the age of 78.

Son Marion Horace Leydig (1901- ? ) was born on April 21, 1900 in Butler County, KS. He never married. Having moved to California as a boy, he lived in Visalia, Tulare County in 1930 and, a bachelor at age 30, lived at home and earned income as a laborer performing odd jobs. He is known to have been in Redding, CA in 1949. Marion died in Tulare County on Sept. 10, 1993. 

Corinna Talbot and her son are known to have attended this 1958 Jehovah's Witnesses International Assembly in Yankee Stadium, New York

 

Daughter Corinna Ruth Leydig (1902-2001) was born on Jan. 27, 1902 in Burns, Butler County, KS. She wedded Charles Bruno Talbot (June 1, 1877-1953), an immigrant from Leeds, England. They were the parents of a son, Charles Harry Talbot. Charles had come to the United States via Canada. He joined the U.S. Army in 1916 and remained in service through World War I, with discharge on June 4, 1920. As with his father, Charles earned income as a coal miner. From the bite of an infected mosquito, Charles contracted a brain illness called "encephalitis" and suffered for 11 years. Death cut him away in Fresno on May 5 in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 1953. (Records differ.) Corinna supported herself by working as a secretary in a collection agency. She was a devoted member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. She traveled to New York in 1953 to attend a Jehovah's Witnesses convention held at Yankee Stadium. She returned in 1958 for another convention, in company with her son, held concurrently at Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds. In January 1983, in response to a telephone call to her nephew, the 81-year-old Corinna wrote a series of family history letters to cousin Elsa B. Haupt of Long Beach, NY. At the time, Corinna's address was 364 North Fruit Avenue in Fresno. She wrote a second letter to Elsa in February 1983, saying "The Leydig in California are completely out of touch with the Leydigs in Kansas, and elsewhere... If possible I would like a complete history of the Leydigs back there and maybe I can furnish you with the history of the Leydigs out here." Later in the February 1983 letter, she asked "Where were Dad's parents born? Somewhere back along the line they came from Germany." She liked to do tatting, crocheting, knitting, rug braiding and quilting. Then in a long letter dated May 24, 1983, in addition to spelling out more family details, she wrote: "I have a large apricot tree in my yard loaded with apricots this year. I want to can them when ripe." Copies of these letters today are preserved in the Somerset (PA) Historical Center and the Minerd.com Archives. She also authored a typed manuscript, "Personal History of the Leydigs in California" along with lists of her family's details. Sadly, she passed away just a few weeks before her 99th birthday on Jan. 2, 2001, in Fresno.

• Grandson Charles Harry Talbot (1931- ? ) was born on Jan. 22, 1931 in Fresno, CA. He was joined in wedlock with Billie Hemmerling Watson ( ? - ? ), with the ceremony occurring in 1952 in Reno, NV. Their only known son was Christopher Douglas Talbot. The couple made a home in Fresno but eventually separated. Son Christopher served in the U.S. Air Force from 1970 to 1972 and married Kathleen Anderson in Grand Forks, ND. 

Lawrence Leydig - ACME Photo

Son Lawrence Allen Leydig (1905-1949) was born on June 17, 1905 in Butler County, KS. He was a boy when he and his parents migrated to Arizona and thence to Fresno, CA. As an adult he operated a tractor and heavy equipment to earn a living. On Nov. 20, 1926, in nuptials held in Fresno, he wedded Mabel Triplett ( ? - ? ). The Leydig and Triplett families were close, and Lawrence's brother Donald wedded Mabel's sister Mary. Lawrence and Mabel bore two children -- Alice May Langford and Leonard LeRoy Leydig. Lawrence was institutionalized for a time in the Stockton State Hospital, and had a "petty crime record, including that of a 'Peeping Tom'," reported the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. In March 1947, after eluding authorities for a week, the 41-year-old Lawrence was arrested in Fresno for the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl, Esther Lee Lewis, of Minkler, CA. An ACME story reported that a lie detector was sent to Fresno, where he was being held, and that he admitted having been in the vicinity at the time of the killing but "steadfastly denied" being the perpetrator. The San Bernardino County Sun reported that he voluntarily underwent not one but two lie detector tests and that he was "freed today of any connection with the slaying." A 17-year-old man from Los Angeles confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. Lawrence's occupation in the late 1940s was as a construction worker and heavy equipment operator, and he made a home at that time with his parents. Tragically, on the fateful evening of May 26, 1949, he went to drink in the bar of the Roland Hotel at 1816 Mariposa Street in Fresno. He apparently fell from a stairway on the outside of the building, suffering a fractured skull, and dying shortly thereafter. His body was found the next day at 6:15 a.m. by an employee of the nearby Pioneer Hotel on H Street. Reported the Fresno Bee, "His identity was established by means of a laundry mark on his underwear. [Detective Sergeant S.G.] Vind said he visited seven local laundries before Kay Yamamoto, the operator of the Sunrise Laundry at 913 G Street, recognized the mark and supplied Leydig's name... Police said there were no signs of a struggle to indicate the victim had been fatally injured in a robbery attack." The Bee published an obituary. Burial of the remains was in Mountain View Cemetery. Mabel's fate is not yet known.

• Granddaughter Alice May Leydig (1927- ? ) was born on Oct. 27, 1927. At the age of 16, on March 25, 1944, she married Texas native Melvin Ocie Langford ( ? - ? ). Their only known daughter Dawna Marie Douglas was born in 1946 in Modesto, CA. They also adopted a son, Robert Dale Neil (born 1970), whose parents had been killed in an automobile accident. The Langfords' home in 1949 was in Riverbank, CA. They divorced, with Alice moving to Milton-Freewater, OR and working in an attorney's office.

  Great-granddaughter Dawna Langford married Raymond Hill Douglas in 1970 in Cambria, CA. They settled in or near Walla Walla, WA and Milton-Freewater, OR and are the parents of Katherine Marie Douglas and Craig Lee Douglas

• Grandson Leonard LeRoy Leydig ( ? - ? ) was born on (?). He lived in Fresno in 1949 at the death of his father. On July 8, 1954, he wedded Barbara McMillan at Carmel, CA. They adopted a daughter, Jennifer Ann. Leonard was self-employed in the field of brush and stump shredding in Exeter. He also was president of Leydig & Condon, Inc., a partnership with Lewis Condon, whom he had met in the Army. The company owned 75 acres of plum and orange farms on two ranches near Exeter. He also owned mountain tracts to be developed into residential home communities. Leonard and Condon invested the "Stump Shredder 3" -- or SS-3 for short -- also nicknamed a "tree eater." The equipment was featured and pictured in the April 19, 1981 edition of the Fresno Bee, at which time they had a contract to clear 1,800 acres of olive trees at the McCarthy Farms, 24 miles south of Corcoran, CA along Interstate 5.

  Great-granddaughter Jennifer Ann Leydig ( ? - ? )

Son Donald Eben Leydig (1908-1957) was born on March 15, 1908 in Butler County, KS. In infancy, he moved with his parents to Ashfork, AZ. On May 10, 1927, in Fresno, he was united in the bonds of matrimony with Mary Triplett ( ? - ? ). The two families were close, and Donald's brother Lawrence married Mary's sister Mabel. The Leydigs produced two children, a daughter who died in infancy, and a son. Donald's home in the late 1940s was in Dos Palos, CA. Having undergone appendectomy surgery, he was stricken with a blod clot and succumbed to death at age 49 on Oct. 21, 1957 in Merced County, CA. 

• Grandson Donald Leydig ( ? - ? ) is believed to have died from esophageal cancer in May 1983.

Daughter Kathryn "Marie" Leydig (1910- ? ) was born on June 22, 1910 in Fresno County, CA, the first of the family to be born in California. When she was 23 years of age, on Sept. 24, 1933, she entered into marriage with Earl Sherfey ( ? - ? ). Their wedding ceremony was held in Fresno. In the 1930s and 1940s, the family dwelled in Fresno, where Earl was employed as a postal mail carrier, and Marie was an office worker. One daughter was born to this union.

Son Clyde Owen Leydig (1912- ? ) was born on June 22, 1912 near Merced, Merced County, CA. On June 11, 1937, he and Marvel Hensley ( ? - ? ) were united in wedlock. Their nuptials took place at Esham, Tulare County, CA. Their union resulted in two sons and a daughter, one of whom was Steven Leydig. They lived in Fresno, CA in 1949 and later in Exeter, CA, where Clyde owned and operated an orchard topping business. Circa 1958, said the Redlands (CA) Daily Facts, he invented a "mechanized tree topper" with seven circular saws that was "the only one of its kind in existence" to help prune large groves of citrus trees. His invention also was mentioned in the Oakland (CA) Tribune (Nov. 17, 1960) and San Bernardino County Sun (April 25, 1975). Clyde was an official with the Jehovah's Witnesses and is known to have conducted funerals over the years in the Fresno area. Upon retirement, Clyde was succeeded in the tree topping business by his son Steven.

• Grandson Steven Leydig operated the family tree topping business with his father. 

Son Vernon Linn Leydig (1917-1997) was born on June 15/20, 1917 in the mountains about nine miles from Auberry, Fresno County, CA. Unmarried at age 22, he lived on a farm in 1940 in Shasta County, CA as a next door neighbor to his parents. He married Edith ( ? - ? ) who was divorced from her first spouse and brought two stepdaughters into the second marriage. In time the second marriage ended in divorce. He made his residence in 1949 in Sacramento. On Feb. 5, 1958, working for his brother Clyde, he was pictured in the Redlands (CA) Daily Facts preparing to "swign the large, flexible boom of the mechanized tree topper into position." The following year, he was pictured in the April 26, 1959 edition of the San Bernardino County Sun, operating tree trimming equipment while at work in an orange grove, a pruning process in response to poor crops the previous two years. He lived by himself in the early 1980s in Exeter, CA. He was swept away by the Grim Reaper in Tulare County on Sept. 29, 1997.