Elizabeth Liebig (Kranzler): Her Story

Liebig background as told to Bill & Diane Kranzler (son and daughter-in-law)
(circa 1960)

My mother-in-law Elizabeth Liebig (Kranzler’s) father Phillip Liebig was a mechanic in Odessa, Russia.  He built internal workings for flour milling machines.  He was also a landowner.  He did not want to come to America.  His wife Elizabeth (Retzer) was a registered nurse and she did want to come to America.  They came to America in 1903, immigrating through Castle Garden, NY.  Phillip Liebig’s Naturalization papers show that he and his family arrived in N.Y. on or about Dec. 1, 1903.  They traveled on the vessel “Prinz William”.  Children Julianna, Phillip (Jr), Eva, Elizabeth, Barbara, Jacob and Christina traveled with them.  They were kept at the point of immigration for one month till their immigration papers came from Russia.  Mother was 13 years old at that time.  The immigration papers came from the Court House at Odessa, Russia.  Some of the father’s (Phillip, Sr.) sisters who did not come with them were sent to Siberia before they were eventually killed by the Bolsheviks.

Mother’s family went from NY to North Dakota.  They didn’t know how to farm.  They sold their farm and went to a mill in Jamestown, ND.  Got sick.  They moved to Victor, California and he worked as a mechanic.  None of the children cared to farm.  My mother-in-law Elizabeth and her husband Jacob Kranzler farmed only about 10 years, they were the only ones.

Julia’s husband was a store keeper.  Barbara’s husband worked out.  Eva’s husband had a saloon.  Christina’s husband was a plasterer.

A family had wanted to adopt mother (Elizabeth) when she was a child, but her folks wouldn’t give her up.  Mother’s mother’s brother had a factory in Odessa, he was later killed by the Bolsheviks.  One other there died of cancer.

Mom’s mother Elizaebth (Retzer) Liebig died in 1908.  She is buried at Lehr, ND.  (5 years after arriving in America).  Her husband Phillip (Sr) remarried, her name was Christina Reich (m. 8 Nov. 1908, died 1 April 1935).  The stepmother sent all the children out to work.  After mother’s father Phillip died, the stepmother remarried again and moved back to N.D.

My mother-in-law Elizabeth Liebig (Kranzler)- 1890-1975, was born in Kassel, south Russia July 17, 1890.  Her father Phillip Liebig was born in Kassel Aug 10, 1858.  Her mother Elizabeth Retzer was born in Gluckstal Sept. 25, 1859.  Her father Phillip Liebig died in 1924 at Victory, California.  He is buried in Harmony Grove Cemetery nearby.

My mother-in-law Elizabeth Liebig Kranzler was 19 when she and Dad were married at Fredonia, ND.  The Court House there burned down and many vital papers were destroyed.  (Some of mother’s papers were mixed up because of this.)  Mother and Dad were married March 28, 1910.  Their first child Emil was born Aug. 13, 1911 and died two weeks later, Sept. 2, 1911 at Lehr, ND.  Mother and Dad had 9 more children who survived.  There had also been one miscarriage and one premature stillbirth.

Mother and Dad both always spoke German at home, unless around people who didn’t know the language.  Both were able to speak English, though mother was much more fluent.  Neither had a day of schooling in their lives.  Mother also knew some Russian and some Swedish.  She had worked for a Swedish family at one time while growing up in America.  Mother told me she’d had about 3 weeks of formal catechism lessons when she was a girl.  When the family first moved to North Dakota they lived in a sod hut for a home.  She remembered seeing a few buffalos in the nearby wallows.  Mother had wanted to marry a doctor she was acquainted with, but her parents wouldn’t let her.  She married Dad shortly after she met him.  Mother’s own birth family (Liebig) had consisted of 8 brothers and sisters, of whom 1 sister, Magdalena, had died young in Russia before they immigrated, all the others survived.

My mother-in-law Elizabeth Liebig Kranzler died Oct. 26, 1975 in Lodi, California, age 85.  She had been a widow for six years.  She is buried in Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi.  Her husband is buried there too.

(Written by daughter-in-law Diane (Metzel) Kranzler)

Picture 1:  Phillip Liebig (Sr.) and Elizabeth (Retzer) Liebig
Phillip Liebig.  Born 10 Aug, 1858-Kassel, Russia.  Married Jan 1880.  Died 18 July, 1924.  Burried at Harmony Grove Cemetary, Lockford, CA immigrated to America abt. 1 Dec, 1903 on the Prinz William.
Elizabeth Retzer Liebig.  Born 23 Dec, 1860-Gluckstal, Russia.  Died 7 July, 1908-Lehr, ND.

Picture 2:  Phillip Liebig (Sr.) and 2nd Wife.

Picture 3:  Children and spouses of Phillip Liebig, Sr.
Top row, left to right:  Lynn Wiese, Daniel Sommerfeld, Jacob Kranzler, Jacob Liebig, John Pleinis, Phillip Liebig, John Elhard.
Bottom row, left to right:  Christina Wiese, Barbara Sommerfeld, Elizabeth Kranzler, Eva Pleinis, Eva Leibig, Julianna Elhard.