A Klager Coat of Arms!!

     A Paul Klager of Connecticut contacted me that he found this blog on the web.  He has been very gracious in e-mail exchanges with me.  He has a Coat of Arms that has been passed down from  first born son to first born son for centuries.  He is the current first born son, and in possession of this document that he scanned for me.

   This Coat of Arms was issued to Peter Klager, who was a Prussian Major. Paul Klager wrote that the translation of the inscription on the bottom is:

Mr. Klager, Peter, Prussian Major
born on 11th February 1460
From the large coat of arms collection of the Citizen
and Royal and Imperial court Landscape and coat of arms
painter Joseph Stien in Vienne in suburg
Kingerstrassen in #1009

From page 108


Here it is!

   Paul Klager, the person who has this, says that his great-grandfather, Jacob Albert Klaeger, was born in Ruschlikon, Switzerland on March 29, 1890, and immigrated to the Canada, and eventually to the New York City area.

   Ruschlikon, Switzerland is only 20 miles from Benken, Switzerland, where I believe our Kleager ancestors are from!!  There has to be a connection, if it can just be found.  So, somehow, I believe we are related to this Peter Klager.

   Here is my poor attempt at another image with different contrast:

      My brother has bugged me about finding a "family crest" for years, and I never thought there was such a thing.  Having this blog is paying off - I am making connections with more and more Kleagers/Klaegers/Klagers, and learning more all the time.  I will keep working at trying to figure out relationships.  This is exciting stuff.  Thanks, Paul!

Letter to a Son in World War II

This is a Memorial Day post!

My grandmother was Ella Elizabeth Sophia Drewel Kleager, and in her later years called herself "Eleanor".  She became a widow at the age of 35 in 1929 at the start of the Depression, with 5 boys aged 11, 11, 9, 7 and 5.

During World War II all FIVE of her sons were in the military at one time.  In August, 1945 she wrote to one of them (we don't know which one):

Kind of makes you think.

The "Stitched" Joseph & Lesetta Kleager Family Picture

The Joseph and Lesetta (Mincemeyer) Kleager Family

Once again:  Picture taken about 1897, based on the guess that the child in the high chair is about a year old, and is known to be born in 1896.  If taken in 1897, the ages of the people in the picture are about as follows.

Left to right:    Joseph Kleager - Father (47),  Edward Louis Kleager (9),  George Jacob Kleager (3),  Joseph William Kleager (19),   Lesetta Mincemeyer Kleager - Mother (38),  Frank August Kleager (1),   Edward Mincemeyer - brother of Lesetta - (30),  Anna Caroline Kleager (16),  Josephine Caroline Kleager (13).

This is the professionally "stitched" picture of the separated two halves of the picture.  For many, many years, one half was with "Eleanor" Sophie Drewel Kleager Weise, (my grandmother), then with me, while the right half was with LaRue Kleager Bryant.

The picture was taken in front of the family farm house about 2 miles west of Japan, Franklin County, Missouri.

Clyde and Clarence Kleager

 Frank and Sophie Kleager married on Valentine's Day 1917 in Franklin County, Missouri.  

Soon after the wedding, Frank and Sophie moved to Lancaster County, Nebraska.  

Shortly after their first anniversary, Sophie delivered her first pregnancy - supposedly the doctor said "oh, there's another one!" 

Twins!  Fraternal twins, who were very different in look and personality.

Born March 3, 1918 were blue eyed blond Clarence Joseph first, and brown eyed brown haired Clyde Louis, second.

                  Clyde, with hand on the toy horse, and Clarence, who called "Joe".

                   I am guessing they are about 2 years old, so this was around 1920.  

      I am always amazed how different they looked - their whole lives!

        Clyde is my Dad and Clarence is my "Uncle Joe", who passed away in 1989.

Lesetta Mincemeyer Kleager part 2

   Lesetta was born 1859, and married Joseph Kleager in 1875, at age 16.  Joseph was 9 years older than her, he was 25.  She bore 8 children over 20 years.

   In 1916, Joseph died suddenly at age 65.  He was putting on his boots on the front porch and collapsed from an assumed heart attack, falling backwards and breaking out the window of the porch.  Their youngest child, Otto, was 16.

   Two years later, 1918, in Otto's World War I Draft Registration, it lists Otto as a farmer with his employer listed as Mrs. Joe Kleager, Sr, and they both have the same address.

   In the 1930 Census, the head of household is listed as Otto, then his wife Tillie and daughter Larue.  Then is listed Leseta as "mother" and widowed.

   I believe Lesetta stayed on the farm until her death in 1943, at age 84.  She was a widow for 27 years.

Lesetta at her farm.  Behind her is a vineyard.  On a fence to our right is a wash tub hanging up, and there is a push lawnmower leaning against a tree.

Lesetta Kleager and and unknown child.

She seems to be a happy person, most of her pictures have her smiling.  I like that!

Lesetta Mincemeyer Kleager

Lesetta Mincemeyer was the daughter of John Christian Mincemeyer and Anna Kubli.  

Lesetta was the 4th of 10 children, all of which were born in Missouri:

Caroline Mincemeyer (1855-1878)

Christine Mincemeyer (abt 1856-?)

John C. Mincemeyer (1857-1933)

Lesetta Mincemeyer (1859-1943)

Annie Mincemeyer (1860-1940)

Henry Gotfried Minemeyer (1862-1947)

Edward H. Mincemeyer (1865-1947)

Veronica (Feronia) Mincemeyer (abt 1867-?)

Matilda Mincemeyer (abt 1870-?)

Herman Mincemeyer (1877-1957)

Lesetta, date unknown.

This picture is from Ron Bryant, Otto Kleager's grandson.  He says the child with Lesetta may be a great-granddaughter, Charlene, who was her son Joseph William Kleager's grand daughter.  She must have been dressed up for some occasion, this dress is much fancier than the one above!

George and Otto Kleager

George Jacob Kleager, was the 6th child of Joseph and Lesetta Kleager, born in 1894.

Next came my grandfather Frank August Kleager, born in 1896.

The youngest and 8th child was Otto Joseph Kleager, born in 1898.

George and Otto were the two bothers that ended up staying in the Franklin County, Missouri area.

George married Lena Bertha Ruwwe and Otto married Matilda "Tillie" Theresa Ruwwe.  Lena and Tillie were first cousins.

Otto Kleager as a teenager. 

George Kleager.

                Written on side by Sophie Drewel Kleager: "Your Uncle George Kleager, 2 1/2 years younger than your dad".