Skeletons in the closet
Feb 22nd, 2009 | By Leonard Legends & Legacies | Category: Inlaws & OutlawsIn all the years I’ve been doing family history, I can honestly say that I’ve never come across that deranged ancestor that everyone seems to think we all have. Oh sure, there’ve been a couple of illegitimate kids, an alleged cattle-rustler, cousins marrying cousins… but nothing that would make the cover of The National Enquirer… until I met John Mitchell-Hipple, or Hipple-Mitchell, depending on which state you’re in.
From History of Butler County Pennsylvania - 1883
Hipple-Mitchell-Hipple was a grandson of Nancy (Leonard, daughter of Daniel & Lucretia) and George Hipple. His parents were John Hipple and Jemima Mitchell (another one of those cousins-marrying-cousins arrangements). He turned up in the recently-acquired Mitchell Papers.
What caught my eye was a note at the bottom of the page that said, in scribbled hand-writing, that “John Mitchell Hipple changed his name to John Hipple Mitchell – he became a US Senator – Oregon – 1890s.” Great, I thought, a famous family member! What I found, via WikiPedia and other sources, was something much closer to an infamous family member. To wit:
John Mitchel Hipple, aka John Hipple Mitchell (1835-1905), was born in Washington County, PA. and moved with his parents to Butler County at the age of 2. He attended both public and private schools and became a teacher in his youth. As such, he seduced and impregnated a 15-year-old student (Sarah Hoon), whom he married and with whom he fathered several more children.
In the four years John and Sarah lived together, Mitchell-Hipple beat and mistreated her to such an extent that he was indicted by a grand jury and brought to trial. The couple settled their differences before the jury could reach a verdict, however, and Mitchell-Hipple promptly abandoned his family, moved to California and changed his name to Hipple-Mitchell.
Once in California, the impetuous Mr. Hipple-Mitchell married one Maria J. Brinker, whom he abandoned two years later when he decided to move to Oregon. Third state, third wife, right? Mr. Hipple-Mitchell took his third wife in Oregon, without divorcing either of the first two. Did I mention that Mr. Hipple-Mitchell was also a lawyer? Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
As a newly-married bigamist lawyer, Mr. Hipple-Mitchell quickly became a major player with political and, more importantly, railroad connections. He was elected to the State Senate two years later and the US Senate six years after that.
His political opponents tried to block his swearing-in (sound familiar?), charging him with bigamy, desertion, and living under an assumed name. The Senate committee hearing the matter decided that while the charges were inescapably true, they were also irrelevant. Senator Mitchell-Hipple took his seat, and subsequent bribes, with impunity.
John Mitchell-Hipple, or Hipple-Mitchell, depending on what state you’re in… was voted in and out of office in six separate elections between 1872-1905. His shoddy legal work resulted in the famous Supreme Court decision of Pennoyer v. Neff and his blatant political favoritism won him the honor of being one of only five US Senators to be indicted and convicted of corruption while still in office. The Oregon Land Fraud Scandal won him plenty of noteriety. He appealed his conviction and died before he could be sentenced.
While it is unlikely that Mr. Mitchell-Hipple-Mitchell ever traced his family tree, if he had, he would’ve discovered that his great-great-grandfather Jotham Burt on his father’s side was also his g-g-g-grandfather Jotham Burt on his mother’s side. So the moral of the story is… well, really convoluted.
So how ’bout you? Got any black sheep stories?
I am looking for information on a Leonard family from NJ. My grandmother Hazel Bailey Henderson had a sister Ethyl Baily who married a man named …… Leonard. In 1927-28 they had a daughter Jacqueline Leonard. He died soon after from the effects of mustard gas from WWI. Ethyl died in 1970, Jacqueline died about 1963 from an accidential radiation overdose while being treated for cancer. Any help appreciated.
Craig Peterson
Staunton, VA
craigmp703@verizon.net
Hi Craig,
I did a cursory search and didn’t come up with anything on your relatives. Believe it or not, it’s harder to find more recent family members than the REALLY old ones. Privacy laws, etc. Sounds like you already have some pretty specific information, which is great! If you know where/when ANY of the ladies (or even the husband) died, my suggestion would be to look for obituaries in the local papers. They often note who the parents were. I can tell you there are TONS of Leonards in New Jersey history, so it’s a pretty big haystack.
Good luck!
Rick
My boy friend’s last name is Leonard, but the family doesn’t know where the name came in at! Their home is in Columbus Ga, Muscogee County, the family history is Chambers/Leonard/Sosby. Back on April 28 1941 a James Chambers married Katie Leonard, it says that Katie was the dauaghter of Walker Leonard and Louise Perry. Louise was one of nine children born out of the marriage of Neam Perry and Mary Lou Harral. As yet it is unclear how and when the name “Leonard” came into existence, but walker Leonard was the son of Ned Daniel and Missie Norris. As history is told, Cullen Daniel (Inez’s father) and Walker Leonard (Katie’s father) were half brothers; the sons of Ned Daniel. Now my boy friends fathers name is William Henry Leonard, Sr. born Nov 17, 1923 son of Walker Leonard & his wife Louise Perry His mother is Lillian L Moore(m-Leonard) her parents- William H. Moore & wife Lilla Fox-Moore. It seems family married family and also his mothers mother is a Perry from Seal Al. I also found out that his dad wasn’t born in Muscogee, it was Hurtsboro ga or Hasscubby! Any who it is unclear what is what! Thanks for any help you can give!!!!
My last name is Leonard and i cannot get any info on any of my family. We are a small family originaly from pennsylvania. Me and my Father (raised in Virginia) seem to be all thats left. Now it’s just me and him that hold the Leonard name. Just wondering if you ever came across any Finnegan/Leonard history.
Any help in locating Marion Lee Leonard Eyler Akins is appreciated.
What we know so far
And the questions that have been raised.
Robert Eugene Eyler and Marion Lee Leonard were married in 1954.
Marion was 15 and Robert was 29.
Even by 1954 standards a 14 year age gap is unusual. Did his first marriage end in divorce due to him messing around with Marion?
Robert Eugene Eyler was divorced when he married Marion.
When was he married and to whom? Are there any other children? Was that his first marriage? Did he marry before or after he joined the Navy (1942)?
Robert and Marion were divorced in 1960 in Alabama.
Why were two people with such close ties to the Maryland/VA/DC area in Alabama? Did the family move to Alabama? Did either Robert or Marion move to Alabama and then filed for divorce? Who moved to Alabama?
Robert remarried .
Robert and married just days past the 60 day time limit required in Robert/Marion’s divorce. She was pregnant when they married. Was the divorce due to Robert messing around with ? Was his first divorce due to him messing around with Marion?
Robert and Marion had 4 children (1954, 1956, 1958 and 1959)
2 of the 4 children were put up for adoption (Nov 1962) after Robert married (Jul 1960) and after their first child was born (Jan 1961).
Who had custody of the children after Robert and married? What prompted the adoption of the children? Why only 2? Why wasn’t Robert and ’s first child put up for adoption also? Was pressure put on Robert and Marion to put the children up for adoption? Was this pressure from ?
Robert and had 3 children.
The family is not intact.
Everyone we have contacted trying to find information state they do not have any contact with the family. What happened to cause a family to become so separated?
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My grandmother on my fathers side was lelor ruth leonard smith. She was born in brunswick county nc her father was henry allen leonard and lucy mckeithan leonard. Henry allens father was asa leonard who was captured at the 2nd battle of fort fisher and confined at camp elmyra in new york but that’s about all I can find. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
working some resources while i still have them at hand. I have reason to believe that one of you might have contacted a distant cousin who was working on our family connection a few years ago. I’m not sure why our family doesn’t have many answers on where we came. The family story was too many skeletons. Talk of extra wives and families “across the creek” my side is full of good story tellers. I suppose its more than likely the wars and opportunities and having children late in life I hope to unlock some facts and laugh about the fiction. For certain I know that my great grandfather John Joseph H P Leonard 1841-1912 Born in MS (unknown suspect Copiah, Pike County, new fact as always told it was TX). Now I don’t know how he used all those names
. He was deceased by the time my grandfather Sylvanus married and Sylvanus died shortly after my father married so I can see how history is lost. Although Sylvanus was said to by in mystery as well as my father spoke of being a young boy going “across the river” to find kin. I have a George Washington Leonard 1816-1907 (m. Susan Weeks) that lay claim to John Joseph and the dates match however he never had said to lay claim to them. (But with the disconnect in time who would know.meaning his grandchildren he never met?) Assuming that connection is true moving forward – George W and Susan I have their timeline but they don’t make sense. Looking for some help. I am working on preserving the service records through the military and thus the need to know now is more than ever. I created an ancestry page to chart but most of our research is by hand as we map out the travel timelines.
Rick, after many years, I have found my connection to Solomon Leonard starting present from Indiana to Ohio, NJ, Mass. Thanks for having this site. Its great to learn information. My tree, goes down from Solomon, to John, to Moses, George L. Leonard and Mary Amos, to Lytle Leonard, Howard Leonard, Harry Leonard, to Anthony Leonard, to Tracy Leonard. Again great site.