Welcome to the Family!
Oct 2nd, 2008 | By Leonard Legends & Legacies | Category: Welcome to the Family!I’ve had every intention, since this site went up a year or so ago, to compile a page of readers, researchers, contributors, stalkers and gawkers so we can all keep track of who’s doing what. Problem is, I keep losing track of who descends from who and who’s where and what’s what. I’m like that. I can keep track of DEAD people just fine, it’s the living ones that escape me.
So here’s the proposal… leave us a comment with your first name, who you’re descended from, and what part of the country you’re in. Any particluar areas of interest at the moment? I, for one, tend to bounce from one subject to another depending on who’s called or e-mailed most recently. One thing I can tell you for sure, most of us ARE related, it’s just a question of how far back we have to go to find the link.
I realize that some of you are shyer than others and I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable, so if you’d rather, just e-mail me: Rick (at) rickleonard.net. I really enjoy being able to “hook people up” (so to speak and get your minds out of the gutter)… when they’re living near each other and/or researching the same immediate family.
So that’s it. That’s all I’ve got for now and here’s what my own comment would look like, if I, uh, didn’t own this blog…
“My name’s Rick and I’m an alco… wait. Let me start over. I’m Rick and I descend from Solomon(1) through Isaac(2), Benjamin(3), Caleb(4), Caleb, Jr.(5), Daniel(6), William(7), Daniel(8), Guy(9), and my grandparents. I live in a Seattle suburb but focus most of my research on Iowa and southwest Pennsylvania. I focus mostly on my great-great grandfather Daniel(8), but I’ve learned a LOT about him by researching his eight siblings Edmund(8), Isaac(8), Lydia Ann(8), William(8), Joseph(8), Mary Jane(8), James Herron (8) and Thomas(8). One of my goals is to collect pictures of each of them, which isn’t easy, given that they scattered to six states in the 1800s. That’s not to say I’m not interested in the rest of the family, I am… there are some real characters back there! Feel free to contact me at Rick (at) rickleonard.net.”
If you feel like including an e-mail address that’s fine but it might be better to keep it private and I’ll ask you when somebody wants contact. I have most of your addresses already anyway.
When all is said and done, I’ll collect all the info and post it on a separate page, over there in the right-hand column, so we’ll all have reminders of who’s who, and where, and when.
Cheers, y’all!
Rick
I am Jennifer and am through the line with Lucretia Jennings, who was the wife of Daniel. My great great great grandfather, Degress (Degrass, De Grasse, etc spellings)was Lucretia’s brother. I do research on ALL branches of the family as each new branch may sprout new clues to mine. I live in the Beallsville/Bentleyville/Vanceville area of PA, about 8 miles from where the Jennings’ and Leonard’s had settled. With lots of history books at my disposal (here at my house), I can do some lookups if I have the info. My email (that wont change) is jenster11174@yahoo.com. Rick has the one I pay for if for some reason I would not answer you.
Happy hunting!
Hi everyone! My name is Shannon and I am descended from Solomon(1); Isaac(2); Benjamin(3); Caleb(4); Caleb Jr.(5); Daniel(6); William(7); Isaac(8); Andrew Jackson(9); John Braden(10); James Richard Sr.(11); my Dad, and of course me. My Isaac(8) and Rick’s Daniel(8) were brothers. Isaac claims the same birth date as Daniel, but to date, no documentation of them being twins has surfaced. Wouldn’t that be a find! I live in northeastern Pennsylvania. My Dad grew up in Washington County, PA, near the areas where so many of our LEONARD descendants lived and raised their families. I have been heavily researching my family for the past three years. My great grandmother, Queene Sharp Leonard, married to John Braden(10) told my Dad many stories about her SHARP family as he grew up. A trip to Gettysburg, PA, and finding the names of my ggg grandfather Sharp and ggg uncle for myself on the Pennsylvania Memorial three years ago peaked my curiosity and got me going, and I haven’t been able to stop! I have been making regular pilgrimages to Gettysburg ever since as I unravel their stories. My primary research to-date has been on my SHARP family, who also resided in the Washington County area. What stories they have! I was so excited to come across Rick and this wonderful website. I have learned so much about our wonderful LEONARD family thanks to him and all of you. As time goes on, I hope to contribute even more regarding my LEONARD line so future generations of our family can love and appreciate our LEONARD family as we all do.
Hi everyone! My name is Pam and I am descended from Solomon (1)through (2) John, (3) Moses, (4) Andrew, (5) Amos, (6) Dorothy Stevens, (7) Samuel Brooks, (8) Charles Wesley Brooks, (9) Adelie Estelle Brooks, (10) George Alton Beers, (11) Anna Mae Beers, (12) my dad James Bush and (13) me. I am researching the Leonard-Brooks-Beers-Bush lineage.
I am not only researching my family tree but also my mom’s family who we like to say meet the our Mayflower cousins on the border of the United States. My mom’s main family hails from Johnstown, PA.
I am also a Civil War Reenactor and I am researching family members who fought in the War of Northern Aggression.
Through all my research I hope to contribute to the Leonard line all that I have found and share it with everyone.
You guys are awesome, thanks! Now the rest of you… Sean, Polly, Annie, Sharon… I know you’re out there, I can hear you breathing.
I can also see the rest of you, visiting from Montreal, London, Ottawa, Vancouver, Switzerland(?) & Australia… whuzzup? Now, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania… don’t MAKE me drag it out of you…
Hello Everyone! My name is Polly and my line of descent is Solomon(1), Isaac(2), Benjamin(3), Caleb(4), Caleb Jr.(5), Daniel(6), William(7), Isaac(8), Andrew Jackson(9), John Braden(10), John Braden Jr.(10), Cheryl(11), and me. I live in Northern Virginia (Loudoun County), a suburb of Washington, DC. I never followed or researched genealogy until I stumbled across Rick’s website while “googling” my grandfather’s name. I was hooked immediately (it helped that Rick’s website is so engaging and well organized). I began digging into my branch – as outlined above – and discovered a very close cousin – Shannon. Her dad and my mom grew up together and have reconnected since Shannon and I “met”. I am very interested in all of the generations but have a special feeling for Caleb Jr. who as near as I can tell was quite a character. In the future I plan to write a “profile” piece on him. Since finding Rick’s website nine months ago, I have made two trips back to Washington County, found the ancestors gravesites, many of their towns/villages, and even dug up some dirt on a few of them (figuratively speaking). The image I have conjured of these ancestors from reading their wills, observing who and when they married, how they earned a living, their involvement in their communities, and how long they lived – is a smart, lively, healthy, and spirited bunch. Feel free to contact me anytime – Rick has my info.
Yes Rick, I am here and still breathing. I will put something together this weekend. Working in Day Treatment sometimes makes me feel like I should be a patient.
Annie
My Leonard ancestors are Solomon(1), Isaac(2), Benjamin(3), Caleb(4), Caleb, Jr.(5), Daniel(6), William(7), Edumund(8), William Jackson(9), Eleanor(10), and my mother. (So I’m a (12).) I’ve been fortunate to find that at least two of the four grandparents’ (Emery and Leonard) lines have been well researched, as well as one of the great-grandparent’s lines. I was pleased to find that each have been here almost as long as the Leonards. (And two old books on them had already been scanned by Google.) Even so, there are still enough holes to fill in and additional information to find. Through coincidence, I currently live in the Pittsburgh area, which makes it easier to go look for myself. Having recently started, I’m still catching up on my direct Leonard line, but I’ve also recently found that there were Emerys, (though not in my direct line), that lived in southwestern PA. I’m interested to see if any of them crossed paths with Leonards. The other lineages are proving a bit more challenging to investigate. I stumbled over Rick’s website while researching some photos I found a couple of years back, but to which I hadn’t paid much attention.
I think that about covers it for now, Rick, so I’ll go back to lurking…
Hi Rick,
Annie here with the Michigan Leonards’. I descend from (1)Solomon 1610-1671 (2)Isaac 1649-1717 (3)Benjamin 1686-bef. 1749 (4) William B. 1724-1808 This William was the first person whose will was probated in Knox Co. OH. (5)Rev. Lot 1754-1847 (6) William 1784-1814 This William is to believed to have died under mysterious circumstances. (7) Rev. William 1812-1875 This William was a conductor on the Underground Railroad before moving to Michigan in 1865 (8)Archibald 1838-1910 (9) Hiram Ezekiel 1971-1956 (10) Orlin Merl 1905-1990 (11) Dorothy Louisa 1927-still living. and me (12) Anna Marie Harless 1952-still living. Now wasn’t this fun with all the William’s? I’ve been conversing with Rick and our cousin Allan for about a year now. Thanks. I have been doing our tree for about 20 years. I welcome anyone to contact me and also add additions and comments.
Hello, I’m Paulette and I am decendant from (1) Solomon 1610-1671, (2) Isaac 1650-1717, (3) Benjamin 1686-1749, (4) Caleb SR 1726-1814, (5) Silas 1755-1851, (6) Abner 1804-1879, (7) Joseph 1842-1895, (8) Abraham 1868-1932, (9) Paul SR 1897-1989, (10) Paul JR 1916-2000. Am trying to learn how to do this because have a granddaughter on the way and want to record this. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you Paulette pmswanon63@yahoo.com
Hi Paulette and welcome to the party!
Looks to me like you’ve got a really good head start already! And you just took the most important step, which is to find yourself some like-minded people… because everyone else is going to think you’re a little daft.
What would you like to know first? Do you have some way of keeping track of your family, i.e. Family Tree Maker or some similar genealogy software? I find it a great help when trying to locate someone when I know I’ve documented them, but can’t remember where. It also makes it easy to print organized reports and books. Most of the better-known programs also let you import and export GEDCOM files so you can trade information with other researchers. (I really should poll the Leonard researchers to see who’s using what.) Several software reviews listed here: http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
And speaking of researchers, looks like the closest among us to your line would be Dixie, who traces the same line all the way down to Abraham, son of Joseph. I’ll shoot her an email to see if she has time to help you out. Feel free to grab anything on earlier generations you may find in my database, all I ask is credit where credit is due… some of it mine, much of it someone else kind enough to share it with me.
Feel free to write me at rick(at)rickleonard.net for more specifics. And again, welcome to the party!
Cheers!
Rick
Hello, I am Richard and I am a descendant from (1) Solomon, (2) Isaac, (3) Benjamin, (4) Caleb Sr, (5) Silas, (6) Abner, (7) Joseph, (8) Abraham, (9) Paul Sr, (10) Mary Marguerite Leonard and Glen Foehl, (11) Richard Foehl Sr.
I reside in the Columbus, Ohio area and enjoy searching all lines direct or not.
Richard
Richard,
It’s great to have you on board and it’s nice to have a cousin so close. I will be more than glad to share any information you need. Your line seems similar to Allan’s. I’m sure he would fine it quite interesting. Wouldn’t you say, Rick.
Hi Richard and welcome to the party! Pam is correct, your closest relative in our little clique (there are only a couple dozen of us) would be our good friend Allan. He doesn’t do Internet, but he’ll supply you with anything and everything he has by phone and snail-mail. His line diverges from yours at Abner and as a result, that’s as much information as I have, too. I’d be happy to add the rest of your line if you’d care to send it to me at Rick(at)RickLeonard.net. And, if you haven’t found the Leonard family database yet, Abner is located here:
http://rickleonard.net/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I0452&tree=leonard
Cheers!
Rick
Paulette, if you’re still out there, Dixie and I need a valid e-mail address from you in order to send you the info you’re looking for. Feel free to send it to me at Rick(a)rickleonard.net
Rick
I was referred to this website by Allan Vaughan and have learned a lot of interesting facts from both. I am descended from Solomon, Isaac, Benjamin, Caleb Sr., Isaac, Abner, Hiram, Nathan Ransom, Charles Ransom, Nathan Frank, and my mother Jane Leonard (all deceased). I live in Montana. Each person listed above since Hiram ended up in Montana. Nathan R. broke the family farming tradition to become an educator. He was professor, department head, vice president and twice acting president of the University of Iowa, Iowa City (1860-1887). After owning and publishing the Fort Wayne Gazette (Indiana) newspaper for 10 years, he moved to Montana. At the age of 67, he became the first President of the Montana School of Mines (now Montana Tech) (1900-1906). I use Family Tree Maker and update it as I come across new facts. My goal is to scan in all the photos I have to preserve them for future generations.
Welcome. I think you’ll enjoy it here. Not only have we got relatives in common, we have also became communicating friends. So sit back and enjoy you may be in for a great ride.
Annie
Hi Reeve,
Welcome to our not so little family! I noticed your mention of Montana. I have a photograph from Montana of someone I thought was a Jennings brother, but who knows, maybe it is one of your relatives? Send me an email address at jenster11174@yahoo.com and I will send a copy of it so you can compare!
Thanks!
Jennifer
Welcome to the family. I agree with Annie. We’re so glad you decided to share your information with us. We’ll help you in any way we can. And we all like to stay in touch.
Hi Reeve! And welcome to the party!
I have your mother’s transcription of Nathan’s autobiography in my files, along with several photographs I picked up last year at the University of Iowa! Allan tells me the 28 pages we have isn’t the complete bio, so I’m looking forward to the rest.
Apologies for not having Nathan represented on the Web site, I’ll get to it asap. And I’ll send you the photos via email (unless you already have them?).
Cheers, and welcome aboard!
Rick
Ok I am on a history mystery! Maybe someone here can help. Our family has been passing down a grandfather clock since 1816. Inside the clock was an original deed of land given in Bridgewater to Richard Jennings by Thomas Snell dated 4/23/1713. My mother also went to the Plymouth hall of records to get a copy of it that was a little better to read. I have been researching this document and the passage of the clock. Well so far I have found out that it appears that Joseph Leonard married Hannah Jennings in Bridgewater, who was Richard Jennings daughter 11/19/1712. Now where the clock comes in is that my great great great grandmother Susanna Leonard married Ephraim Tilson 8/11/1816 and the clock first keyed 10/27/1816 (it still is running to this day). We are starting to think it was a wedding gift. The mystery is that this deed was in the clock cabinet in a frame all these years. Some how Susanna is attached to Hannah Jennings, Richards daughter that married Joseph Leonard. I am trying to find the 2 or 3 generations inbetween. Interesting also is that Ephraim and Susanna Tilson’s son Moses Leonard Tilson’s (my great great grandfather) children carry on with the Leonard as a middle name. I have tried to back search on Moses Leonard but cannot find children listings for the ones I have found. Hannah did have a son Moses. I know this sounds all crazy but the deed and clock in our family has always been a mystery and we were always told it was passed from the oldest girl in one generation to the next. So I would sure love to find it’s path and connection to the deed and my Leonard family in Massachusetts.