Fifth Generation

580. Ebenezer LEONARD⁷¹⁹ was born on 3 September 1744 in Taunton, Bristol Co., MA. There is a statement in his Rev. War pension file that he was born in Taunton rather than Preston. He died in June 1776 at the age of 31 in Crown Point, NY. ECL leaves line hanging, noting that there were several Ebenezers in Preston at the time and it is very difficult to distinguish between them.

The correct Ebenezer was the son of Nicholas Leonard of Preston, according to his widow's application for a pension based on his service in the Revolutionary War. He was killed at the battle of Crown Point, NY, in June 1776. His sister, Hannah, supplied a statement to that effect, repeated by Anson Avery, who was the overseer of his widow, Abigail Avery. The file states that Ebenezer and Abigail had four children, and their names and birth dates are in the file.

He was not the Ebenezer, son of Ebenezer, bap. March 23, 1740, and Ebenezer, son of Samuel, born July 1, 1741, died August 19, 1815. Neither of these married Abigail Avery September 25, 1765. Also, he was not the Ebenezer who was a brigadier general in the Revolutionary War.

There was also an Ebenezer who married Elizabeth Marsh in 1772 and died in Worthington, MA. He was of the Solomon Leonard line.

Ebenezer LEONARD and Abigail AVERY were married on 25 September 1765 in Groton, New London Co., CT.⁴⁸⁰ Abigail AVERY, daughter of Theophilous AVERY and Elizabeth BILLING, was born on 11 October 1744 in Groton, New London Co., CT. She died after 1837 at the age of 93 in Ledyard, CT. There may have been more than one Elizabeth Avery in Preston at the time.

Was it this Ebenezer that married Abigail Avery, or was it the Ebenezer who was the son of Samuel Leonard and Lydia Stanton? Family History: Connecticut Genealogies #1 has the latter, with the birth date of 11 Oct 1748. The birth date of 11 Oct 1748 is in Ebenezer's Rev War pension file on Fold3.com, which definitely states that the Ebenezer who married Abigail Avery was the son of Nicholas Leonard.

Ebenezer LEONARD and Abigail AVERY had the following children:

1249	i.	Benjamin LEONARD^480,720 was born on 11 June 1766 in Preston, New London Co., CT.
+1250	ii.	Sarah LEONARD.
1251	iii.	William LEONARD^480,720 was born on 6 May 1770 in Preston, New London Co., CT. Preston Church records give the death 1 April 1794 of a William Leonard in the West Indies. That William Leonard was also listed as being born in Worthington, MA, in 1770. Are these two Williams one and the same?
1252	iv.	George LEONARD⁴⁸⁰ was born on 17 November 1773 in Preston, New London Co., CT.