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".

Edward Louis Kleager

Edward Kleager was my grandfather's, Frank Kleager's older brother by about 6 years, born in 1888.  He married Jenny Phillips in 1909.  They moved to Nebraska about in about 1919.

Edward and Jenny Kleager, September 1962, with their children.

 Standing: Lawrence, Ruth, Dorothy, Fred, Jenny and Edward

Kneeling: George, Irma, Esther.

Edward Kleager with unknown baby.  I sure see a "Kleager" look there, at least the Kleagers I am familiar with!!

Kleager boys moving from Missouri to Nebraska

I have always been fascinated with the question of why did my grandparents, Frank and Sophie Kleager move from Missouri to Nebraska right after they got married in 1917.

When I have asked my father, Clyde Kleager, he says something to the effect that "Missouri was rocky and hard to farm".  He said his father, Frank, had gone to Nebraska to husk corn and had seen it.

When I recently received some newspaper clippings from the historical society in Washington, Missouri, they perhaps gave some insight into some of Joseph and Lesetta Kleager's sons moving to Nebraska.

Joseph and Lesetta Kleager had 5 sons: Joseph, Edward, George, Frank and Otto.  These old newspapers had "gossip" columns, and these are pretty interesting with regard to maybe the thoughts of the sons on moving to (perceived) "greener pastures":

1915 - “Tribune” Leslie Route 2

“Frank Kleager returned Friday from Walten, Neb., where he had been husking corn.  He says Nebraska is a progressive state.”  Two years before moving, Frank is already eyeing Nebraska.

March 1916 - “Journal”

“Ed L. Kleager of Elmont R.F.D came in Thursday and had us print sale bills announcing a sale of his personal property, the sale will be Tuesday March 28.  Mr. Kleager will leave in a short time for Nebraska.”  Ed is preparing to move to Nebraska.


1917  Frank marries Eleanor "Sophie" Drewel, and they move with her parents, Louis and Minnie Drewel, to Havelock, Nebraska.

Aug 21, 1919 

“George and Otto Kleager will start for Nebraska and Colorado next Monday to find new homes.  A very good rain came last week but an awful wind came with it.  It knocked fences out of place, broke trees down and blew peaches off.”  Frank has moved to Nebraska, now George and Otto are thinking of moving.

1919 - Elmont

“George and Otto Kleager, who went to Nebraska to rent a farm, have returned.  They say all the farms were already disposed of.”  Opps, all the good farms are gone!  George eventually got his own farm in Franklin County, and Otto farmed his father's homestead in Missouri for many years.  

Oct 1919 - “News”

“No mail Monday on account of high water.  Edward Kleager went to Nebraska about a week ago and his wife has a sale Tuesday of this week and will go there.  L. E. Strothcamp started to Nebraska last Friday to shuck corn for a while.  A few have gone to Iowa for the same purpose.”  Ed is finally going to move, 3 years after first declaring he was leaving.  L. E. Strothcamp was related to the Kleagers by marriage.

Nov 1919 -  “News”

“Mrs. Jennie Kleager and children left Tuesday for Roak, Nebr., to join her husband, Edward Kleager, who left a few weeks ago to get everything ready for their home this coming year.”  

Oct 1921 “News” Boone

“Last Monday Joe Kleager went to Nebraska to visit with Edward and Frank Kleager and to see the country.”  Now the oldest brother, Joseph, is going to visit Ed and Frank.

March 1922 - “Journal”

“We printed sale posters this week for J.W. Kleager of near Boone.  He expects to quit farming in Missouri and try Nebraska, he having worked in Nebraska several years some few years ago.  For further notice about his sale see posters.”  Now, 5 years after Frank moved, and at age 44, Joe is going to move.


Of Joseph and Lesetta Kleager's five sons, three moved to Nebraska and died there, and two stayed in the Franklin County, MIssouri area.