Jim Leisering connection?

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hatch
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Jim Leisering connection?

#1

Post by hatch »

I did not want to hijack igoswoop's thread about Jim Leisenring so I started this thread. I have a Bangor Leonard rod marked "E.B. Leisenring Mauch Chunk Pa. 1878" From I the reaserch I have done there was a very well to do railroad and coal family in Pa in the 1800s named Leisenring. The senior was E.B Leisenring and he passed away in the 1880s his son E.B. Leisenring Jr. lived into the 20th century. This Leonard Bangor could have belonged to either or both of them. I was curious if the author Jim Leisenring who is also from PA. was a member of this ,obviously fishing oriented, family?
The rod can be viewed on the Antique Rod and Reel Library under leonard Rods I think it's the second Bangor Leonard listed. The last pic shows the engraving. Thanks

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flyfishermann1955
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Re: Jim Leisering connection?

#2

Post by flyfishermann1955 »

Hatch,

I posted your question over on the Flymph Forum, where "Big Jim" Leisenring has god-like status. I thought surely someone there could provide some info. Here is the reply:

I, too, was curious last year when I discovered the posting with photographs about a Leonard rod owned by E. B. Leisenring. Unfortunately I couldn't find any link between the two fishermen other than their name.

The Leisenrings came over during the Colonial era, so there were numerous branches to the family. I did some genealogical research into the branch of the family that James E. Leisenring was born into, and believe that he was only a very distant relative of the E. B. Leisenring line. E.B. Leisenring was a very prominent and wealthy man, far outside the social circles that Jim Leisenring's family would have socialized in. There is a book about the wealthy Leisenring coal magnates:
In the Kingdom of Coal: An American Family and the Rock That Changed the World
By Dan Rottenberg

And here is a link to a Google Books extract from the first pages of that book.
https://books.google.com/books?id=BZhFA ... ia&f=false

Jim Leisenring did work in the intertwined coal, rail, and steel industries, first as a blacksmith, then as a machinist, but that was through his uncle James Marsteller on his mother's side.



You can look here for the actual posting:

https://flymphforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8563

If I understand correctly, the guy who supplied the info is the son of Vernon S. "Pete" Hidy!

Thanks- Ken

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