Leonard Origins
Leonard Lines and Branches
Lines and Branches
The Leonards Lines and Branches
As noted earlier, Fanny Leonard Koster based her Leonard genealogy on the assumption that all Lennards/Leonards were related through a common ancestor. In fact, there were many different Leonard lines, each with its own ancestry, in England in the 1500’s and 1600’s. The variety of unrelated ancestries is evident in the variety of y-dna in currently living Leonards in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, and elsewhere. The diversity of lines continues in the United States.
This section uses data from families where there is more extensive data on ancestors and descendants. It attempts to assign these family lines into specific clusters. Assumptions and speculative assignment to a cluster are based on a number of factors: location (near forges, near other Leonards or other iron worker families), profession (iron workers), pattern of given names (most common, specific to a family, unique to one branch) as well as the y-dna of later descendents. These are not meant to be a definite grouping but should be considered a working hypostheses that could help with further research.
The approaches to the sorting of Leonards used here are the use of Y-dna (the male to male to male descending line), the basic geography (areas in England, Wales, Germany, America), and the spelling of the last name (Leonard vs Lennard).
The Y-dna is from testing living Leonards where their ancestry has been traced back to earlier Leonards . There can be some without Leonard surname because the father’s surname line was disturbed by adoption, 2nd marriage, non-spousal progeny). The more comprehensive autosomal dna testing of more than the y chromosome is an area for research that will be a major help in the future, with more data, more powerful programs to match people with the help of a surname.
The “Iron Leonards”
Iron working played a major role in the recruitment of Leonards to England and then later to the American colonies. The dna for many current descendants of the early Leonards in the US, James and Henry tests as haplogroup J2, as tested with familytreedna and referenced in the ftdna Leonard group in familtytreedna.com.
The Leonard series consists of multiple volumes. Those Leonard lines with more complete ancestry research are in separate volumes in this series. The working assumption is that they are descendents of a single line, either as brothers or cousins back in England in the early 1600’s.
Leonard Series
Iron Leonards in America, J2 haplogroup
The following lines are described in separate volumes in this series
.Descendents of James Leonard of Taunton, Massachusetts 1620-1691. James is the son of Thomas. James is said to have come from Pontypool, yet evidence indicates he, brother Henry and cousin John had family and spent time in the area around Bilston, Kinver and Cleobury Mortimer. Note the names they gave their forges/furnaces: Brumagen, Whittington, Chartley, Rowley all named after places in England. The Leonard file includes over 8,000 descendants in 14 generations; male lines mostly complete through 9 generations; some daughter lines included through one or two generations.
.Descendants of Henry Leonard of New Jersey, 1618-ca 1674. Henry is brother to James and son of Thomas. The genealogy line has a disconnect at some point, so needs frther work. This Leonard file includes over 1,000 descendants through 14 generations, mostly male line with a few daughter lines for a generation or two.
.Descendants of John Leonard of Springfield, Massachusetts, 1615-1676. John was a cousin of James and Henry. This Leonard file includes over 4,000 descendants, mostly complete through 5 generations, with some extending to 13 generations. He and at least one son did some iron refining, but appear to have focused on farming.
(.Descendants of Philip Leonard, ca. 1630-1708. Philip was a younger brother of James and Henry and was not an iron worker. He remained in England. He had only one surviving daughter, no sons. His daughter married Samuel Hills and had many descendants surnamed Hills. )
.Descendants of Seth Leonard, of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, ca 1729. The genealogical parentage of Seth is unknown but several of his descendants test as J2. This file has over 250 descendants for 8 generations.
Other Leonards in America, other haplogroups
. Descendants of Solomon of Duxbury, ca. 1610-1671 then Bridgewater,New Jersey. Over 4,500 descendants traced through as many as 13 generations. Several branches of this family mved to easter New York in the 1730’s and their trails have been lost due to the paucity of records in New York. Some of his descendants test as I2 haplogroup, and they are not part of iron worker families.
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The data in the following section of this Leonard Origins volume covers some lines that have a significant number of descendants determined through records in Europe or America. They can be grouped and organized in multiple ways. This section shows location and then possible classification into Iron Leonards (may or may not have a descendant with a dna test, j2 means they do have such a descendant), and lastname spelling (Leonard vs Lennard), and other y-dna (R1b, I2).
The embedded map shows counties in England and allows the reader to see the proximity of places.
Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire
.John born 1660, Wiltshire, m Sarah Paine; died 1721 Great Somerford, Wiltshire, 3 generations 13 descendants, possible iron j2
.James born 1698 Cambridgeshire m Elizabeth Alefounder. 5 generations, 72 descedants, ; possible iron j2
.George born 1760 Gloustershire (Tetbury near Woton under Edge, Oldbury Gloucestershire), possible iron j2 (Can’t find in database?)
.Thomas born 1660 Thornbury and later Dursley, Gloustershire, married Sara Carew. One branch of descendants migrated to Texas. 11 generations 74 descendants. Branches of the family also lived in Oldbury on Hill and Wotton under Edge Gloucestershire. possible iron j2 (Thomas 1640 father?)
?James born 1766 Gloustershire, Dursley and Woton on Edge, married may 17, 1789 ; dies 1812 b 1766Martha Elliot (? Iron or not?).
Oxfordshire
.Jeremiah Lenard abt1678 Berkshire, Oxfordshire married Sara Leonard (?) settled in Abington, Berkshire, Oxfordshire. 4 generations, 25 descendanta. (no dna, possible iron?)
Warwickshire
…John Leonard 1730 Warwickshire (iron dna) stuart’s line, gunsmiths. Many never left England, living in the Birmingham area. Traced back to a William Leonard baptized in 1693 and possibly an 11th generation in a John Leonard. Most of the intervening generations were gunsmiths/gun barrel makers. 11 generations and 118 descendants identified.
Somersetshire
??James 1659 Somerset, Hester bu 1762, fa William, stuart’s line ??
Staffordshire
.James 1792 Staffordshire, d 1877 in Youngstown, OH. Married Mary Nichols. Iron worker, 5 generations 49 descendants. Ties to the Birmingham (gunsmith) Leonards. Also includes John Leonard, b abt 1700 m Henrietta Smith. Came to America - TX, iron, dna?, Rev Samuel Dursley
Suffolk
.Symon born before 1693 Mildenhall, Suffolk, also Isleham Cambridgeshire. 5 generations 31 descendants. May be related to Castle Camp, Cambridgeshire Leonards. son Robert. (no dna, iron?)
Surrey, Knole, Kent
.?? Lennard George 1422 Lennard, (Dacres) not iron, different line entirely
Warwick Wiltshire Worcestershire
???John born 1700, Warwick, Thomas unknown ?(iron? Dna?) many gen married Henrietta Smith (Stuart Leonard again?) Stuart’s line
??John 1660 Wiltshire, married Frances Paine. son John b 14 dec 1694, Great Sommerford, down to Thomas and Mary Nevett 1798 (iron?, dna?)
.James born 1760 in Ribbesford, Worcestershire, Lennard?) m Ann Ann Bowen. Sons Reuben and Samuel emigrated to America in 1822 and founded the first iron works in Pittsbuurgh, AP. 5 generations, 63 descendanta. (iron possible)
. Thomas born 1747 Worcestershire, died 1791 in Brierly Hill Staffordshire, married Hannah Burgess (West Midland near Dudley) iron possible. Descendants were in iron related occupations and trades. 6 generations 75 descendants.
Bristol
. Descendants of an unknown Leonard born sometime after 1600, probably in Somerset or Gloustershire. Most settled in the Bristol area, near the border of Somerset and Gloucester. Most were merchants, coal miners or gardiners. Several descendants have y-dna tested as R1b’s. Several have emigrated to America. 10 generations, 387 descendants.
Germany
. R1b George Balthas Lehner born 1717 - 1787, Family called themselves Leonards. Most settled in Virginia (Augusta or Roanoke County). settled in NJ? 5 generations 33 descendants.
. R1b Hans Michael “Martin” Leonhardt born 1683 Rheinland, Germany, emigrated to Pennsylvania, son Valentine Leonard migrated further to Rowan County, North Carolina. 7 generations, 326 descendants.
Dna? John Peter Lennard born 1708 Horn, Rheinland
Ireland
.? John 1657 Mayo, Eire , wife Hester Foster, Son John Jr born 1693, Talbot MD, 5+ generations, 50 descendants. no dna
. Joseph S before 1730 Ireland, emigrated to Pennsylvania, died 1780 North Carolina. 5 generations, 35 descendants, though more could be easily identified. R1b haplogroup.
Wales
. James 1714 Abervagenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, married Ann Bowan, iron possible. 5 generations 22 descendants
James 1714, Wales (same as above?)
America
. R1b William Leonard born abt 1685 m. Sarah Bolton, died abt 1750, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Leonards of this line are frequently confused with Leonards of the the James and Solomon lines, further confused with descendants of Seth Leonard b 1729 and Ruth Hoar. 11 generations, 562 descendants
. Samuel 1757-1822 of New Jersey,married Abigail Pierson. Possible descendant of Henry Leonard, but could be a descendant of James or Solomon. 8 generations, 91 descendants. iron possible
. George 1686 born about 1686 (swittzerland) or Pennsylvania, wife Chrisitan. 9 generations 406 descendants. no dna
. I2b Charles Carrol 1819 MA died 1869 Illinois. Current descendant’s y-dna matches others of Solomon Leonard lines, but no no documented genealogical link. 6 generations 30 descendants. John Leonard has been researching this line extensively. (possible Solomon?)
. I2b Justus 1758 -1840Stephentown, NY. Current descendants y-dna matches others of Solomon Leonard lines, but the genealogical link of Justus back to Solomon has not yet been found. 5 generations and 53 descendants. (possible Solomon?)
George 1748-1827 MA VT Rebecca Pond (iron possible, j2 possible)
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