Person Page 1,808

Samuel Leonard was born on 20 April 1724 in Oldbury, Gloucestershire, England. He and Mary Pritchard were married on 26 June 1745 in Severn Stroke, Worcestershire, England. He and Sarah Long were married on 29 November 1759 in Stone or Cam, Gloucestershire, England. He died on 9 September 1786 at age 62 in Cam, Gloucestershire, England. Or did he die in Coaley, Gloucestershire, on 12 September? He was buried on 12 September 1786 in Coaley, Gloucestershire, England.

Isaac Leonard was born in 1725 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England. He died in 1729 at age ~4.

Hannah Leonard was born in 1728 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England. She died in 1729 at age ~1 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England.

Mary Pritchard was born in 1724. Samuel Leonard and she were married on 26 June 1745 in Severn Stroke, Worcestershire, England. She died in 1746 at age ~22.

Samuel Leonard, Jr., was born before 5 November 1746 in Severn Stoke, Worcestershire, England. Or was he born in Seven Stoke, Worcestershire? He and Mary Prichard were married about 1766. He and Mary Wetmore were married on 31 January 1782 in Rockhampton, Gloucestershire, England. He died on 28 October 1833 in Oldbury, Gloucestershire, England.

Sarah Long was born in 1734 in Stone, Gloucestershire, England. Samuel Leonard and she were married on 29 November 1759 in Stone or Cam, Gloucestershire, England. She died in 1785 at age ~51.

Samuel Leonard was born in 1761 in Cam, Gloucestershire, England.

John Leonard was born in 1770 in Cam, Gloucestershire, England. He and Anna Maria Underwood were married on 8 December 1796 in Coaley, Gloucestershire, England. He died in 1856 at age ~86.

Betty Leonard was born in 1772 in Cam, Gloucestershire, England. William Harding and she were married. She died on 26 October 1849 at age ~77 in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England.

Celia Leonard was born on 8 January 1776 in Cam, Gloucestershire, England. She died in 1816 at age ~40.

Mary Wetmore was born on 18 June 1761 in Hill, Gloucestershire, England. Samuel Leonard, Jr., and she were married on 31 January 1782 in Rockhampton, Gloucestershire, England. She died on 5 August 1839 at age 78 in Hill, Gloucestershire, England.

There were two Mary Wetmores born within a month of each other, one baptized 10 Jun 1761 in Hill, Gloucestershire, parents Thomas and Elizabeth, and another born 12 Jul 1761 in Rockhampton, Gloucestershire, parents also Thomas and Elizabeth. Samuel Leonard married one of the two 31 Jan 1782. The marriage was by license, and both were of the same ("this") parish, Hill. Sam and Mary were able to sign their own names, and the marriage was witnessed by John Wetmore and John Knight.

They could have been the same Mary, or one of the several other Mary Wetmores born about the same time in Gloucestershire.

James Leonard was born on 1 June 1766 in Dursley, Gloucestershire, England. He and Martha Elliott were married on 17 May 1789 in Dursley, Gloucestershire, England. He died after 1811 in Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire, England.

If this James born 1 Jun 1769 had died in his first year of life, that is, 23 Oct 1769 in Dursley according to church records (FamilySearch), then he would not have been the one who married Martha. A search for other Jameses baptized in Dursley found none, but there were other James born in Gloucestershire at this time.

If James and Martha died in 1795 as some would have it, then Miriam, Emma, George, and Abel were not their children.

There was another James Leonard, b. abt. 1760 in Gloucestershire, who married Ann Bowen and had several children. It is suspected that these two James were part of the same line of Leonards. See Reuben Leonard, b. 10 Apr 1767, to compare with the other branch.

There is a major disconnect here. The Samuel who is supposedly the father of James married Mary Wetmore and had another family. He may have married another Mary and had James born 1 Jun 1766, but this James died 23 Oct 1766 according to church records microfilmed by FamilySearch. See Samuel, Jr., b. 1746, d. aft 1766, having a son James b. 1 Jun 1766.

A James Leonard did die 8 Apr 1812 in Wotton under Edge. According to the church records, he was 42 years, 5 months, and 12 days old, yielding a birthdate of about 27 Nov 1769. No match was found for a James born on or about this date.

Martha Elliott was born on 3 March 1768 in Dursley, Gloucestershire, England. James Leonard and she were married on 17 May 1789 in Dursley, Gloucestershire, England. She died after 1811 in Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire, England.

Elizabeth Leonard was born on 29 May 1792 in Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire, England.

Rev. Samuel Leonard was born on 17 July 1793 in Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire, England. He and Mary E. Elrod were married in 1816 in Pendleton, Anderson County, South Carolina. He died on 15 December 1855 at age 62 in Parker, Texas.

He emigrated to South Carolina in 1816, there marrying, later moving on to Arkansas in 1835 (Big Piney, near Fort Douglas) and later to Texas. He was a Methodist lay minister. He was one of the founders of the Goshen Methodist Church (name on monument there).

Mary E. Elrod was born in 1797 in South Carolina. Rev. Samuel Leonard and she were married in 1816 in Pendleton, Anderson County, South Carolina. She died on 13 September 1867 at age ~70 in Pope Co., AR.

William Marshall Leonard was born on 18 May 1817 in South Carolina. He and Rebecca Ross were married on 21 May 1840 in Pope, Arkansas. He died on 18 October 1874 at age 57 in Navarro County, Texas.

In the 1860 Census, the family was living in Dover, Pope Co., Arkansas.

Rebecca Ross was born in 1821 in Pope, Arkansas. William Marshall Leonard and she were married on 21 May 1840 in Pope, Arkansas. She died in 1886 at age ~65.

Mary Jane Leonard was born in 1841 in Pope, Arkansas. She died in 1843 at age ~2 in Pope, Arkansas.

Samuel Robert Leonard was born in 1843 in Pope, Arkansas. He died in 1919 at age ~76.

The following is from the family history as written down by Margaret Martha Higginbotham Jones for her son, Lowell (referred to by her as Sonny):
How could we ever forget grandpa’s brother, Uncle Bob…his wife Georgia (Burnett) Leonard took both her daughters, Tiny and Nona Mae and left Uncle Bob one day when he was at work and he never saw nor heard from them again. They had been married for over 20 yrs. I remember so well being in their home in Tehuacana; their girls were nearly grown and were very beautiful, also their mother. From that day on, Uncle Bob became a “Real Live Tramp”…he walked out of Tehuacana with a little bundle of clothes on the end of a stick across his shoulder searching for his family. This search went on until his death on Jan. 12, 1920. Uncle Walter went to Jacksonville, Tex. where he’d heard that Uncle Bob had died; he found the record of his death but could never find the grave site. He wanted to take his body and bury him in the Tehuacana Cemetery with other members of the family. It was always an exciting and imaginative time for us kids when Uncle Bob would come and stay with us for awhile. He was “surrounded with mystery” to us, but to mother, she could only see how dirty he was and would suggest that he go to the tank and bathe at night before sleeping in one of her beds…he’d just sorta “grunt” and say he’d sleep out of doors like he always did, saying he couldn’t sleep in a bed. It just broke Grandpa Leonard’s heart to see Uncle Bob living this kind of life. He would come down from Aunt Annie’s to see him when mother would write and tell him that Uncle Bob was home. The last time we ever saw him was when he visited us in the big house at Tehuacana. It was cold because dad had a fire in the fireplace in the living room. Grandpa was there, and they were having a talking big time. We would never talk much about where he’d been. “Tramp or no tramp”, we all loved him.

George Bush Leonard was born on 6 November 1846 in Pope, Arkansas. He and Martha Mattie Morgan were married on 19 November 1874 in Texas. He died on 16 December 1914 at age 68 in Limestone, Texas.

In the 1880 Census, the family was living in Navarro, TX.

The following is from the family history as written down by Margaret Martha Higginbotham Jones for her son, Lowell (referred to by her as Sonny):

Then our little Grandpa Leonard will always be such a sweet memory to me. I believe he was the most gentle man I’ve ever known. (Both mother and Uncle Walter –her brother- had sweet natures like grandpa). I can never remember seeing Grandpa Leonard angry, neither saying an unkind word about anyone. (Even our dad loved and respected him.) Grandpa always laughed a lot, loved to talk and always seemed so happy with mother and to be in our home. It was always such a thrill when he’s write mother and tell her he’s be seeing us on a “certain day” as his asthma was getting so bad in Forreston with Annie (his baby daughter). He’d have to come by train to “Tehuacana Junction”, and when mother couldn’t meet him, he’s cut across pastures for home was about a mile…when he’d top a certain little hill, all us kids would run to meet him and “fight” over who would carry his little ole suitcase. It was such a joy for me to cook his breakfast as he’d sleep late many times after these asthma attacks. This will always stick in my memory –he’d slice a big ole ripe tomato and put sugar on it instead of salt, and eat it with relish.
When he was only 16 yrs. old, he fought in the Civil War, along with his brother, Uncle Bob (Robert Samuel Leonard). Oh! It would frighten and grieve us so when he’d have these asthma attacks. He’d cough and wheeze so hard to catch his breath…he’d turn blue so many times, struggling to breathe. Bless his sweet heart, he died in December 1914 at the ole farm place (the same year our home burned that summer at Tehuacana). He was buried by Grandma Leonard in the ole Tehuacana Cemetery. His death just broke our hearts.