Valentine Leavenduskey

VALENTINE LEAVENDUSKEY. - The great Empire of Germany has contributed its fair quota to the upbuilding up this nation and among its residents in this country are to be found successful men in every walk of life from the professions to the prosperous farmer. Valentine Leavenduskey came to America in the year 1883 and since that time has been a prominent and influential resident of Wyandotte county, Kansas. He is now engaged in farming on a finely improved estate of one hundred and eleven acres, eligibly located two miles distant from Bethel, where his attention is devoted principally to fruit and berry growing. He is a sterling American citizen, loyal and public spirited in his civic life, broad minded and honorable in business, and alert and enthusiastically in sympathy with every measure tending to further the material welfare of the entire country.

Valentine Leavenduskey was born at Posen, Germany, the date of his nativity being the 15th of January, 1850. He was reared to man's estate in his native land and there availed himself of the advantages afforded in the public schools. In 1883, at the age of thirty-three years, he immigrated to the United States, proceeding directly to Kansas and locating in Rosedale, where he secured employment in the Roller Mills. For a period of eight years he worked for the Armour Packing Company, at Kansas City, and at the expiration of that period he turned his attention to farming. He purchased his land in the year 1887 but did not begin to farm it until 1888. For a time Mr. Leavenduskey was engaged in diversified agriculture but he now devotes the major portion of his time and attention to the raising of fruit and berries, his estate being recognized as one of the finest fruit farms in Kansas. Beautiful modern buildings, in the midst of fine orchards, are splendid indications of the thrift and industry of this practical German.

Mr. Leavenduskey has been twice married, his first union having been to Miss Anna Morrechuk, a native of Germany, where her death occurred in 1882. She was survived by two children, Stanislaus, who is engaged with his father on the farm; and Lena, who resides at Kansas City, Kansas. In the year 1883, in Germany, was celebrated Mr. Leanvenduskey's marriage to Miss Katie Polzen. To the latter union have been born seven children, whose names are here entered in respective order of birth: Mary, Anna, Tony, Joe, Effie, Nettie and Mike. In their religious faith the Leavenduskey family are consistent members of the Polish Catholic church, to whose good works they are generous contributors.

In politics Mr. Leavenduskey is aligned as a stalwart supporter of the principles of the Democratic party. He is not an office seeker but gives freely of his aid and influence in support of all measures and enterprises projected for the general progress and improvement. He is affiliated with a number of representative fraternal organizations of a local nature and numbers among his friends some of the prominent business men of the county.