Sixth Generation

805. Josiah LEONARD⁹⁷⁶ was born on 20 August 1772 in Middleborough or Wareham, Plymouth Co., MA. He died in 1823 at the age of 51 in Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY. This was the Josiah Leonard who "stole" Nathaniel Leonard's horse (Court of Common Pleas, Vol 11, Nov 1796-Aug 1799, case #25). Between 1799 and 1801, Josiah was listed as a Middleboro forgeman and as Josiah Leonard II. He (as Josiah Leonard II "and wife") was paid by the Court of General Sessions for travel in April 1805. Josiah was a Westport forgeman, a Wareham bloomer, a Wareham forgeman, a Wareham laborer, a Wareham yeoman in Court of Common Pleas cases between 1807 and 1810. He is last mentioned in a Court of Common Pleas case in August 1813.

There were no Josiah Leonards in Cayuga Co. in the 1830 Census, so both Josiahs must have died by then. ECL notes that Josiah lived in Middleboro, Wareham, and Cayuga Co., NY. Why was Josiah born in Middleboro or Wareham if his parents lived in Raynham? If his father died when he was 5 years old, someone must have been appointed his guardian. Court records need to be checked -- that might have the first name of his mother or another family who raised him.

Another problem: The Black family genealogy has Josiah b. 27 May 1772 in Taunton. According to them, he was a shipwright. Also, that the family moved to Cayuga County in 1820.

An Asaph D. Leonard b. 1794 has been ascribed to this couple. No record of him is found..

GML has a note on the Josiah Leonard page: "See letter from Emily Ellen (Leonard) Yates to E.F. L. November 24, 1900, Northboro, MA, 'in regard to the date of my grandfather's birth, August 29, 1772 is correct as far as I know. It was given to me by one of his grandchlldren who I suppose took it from the family record. As to his brothers and sisters I have not been able to find out anything about them or if he had any. He removed his family from Wareham to a place near Auburn, NY, where Philander was a small boy. Then a few years later in 1823 he died. So my father knew little about his father's people; his sisters and brothers were dead, and I obtained the information from his niece.' She gave the above dates and names (e.g., family data sheet showing Josiah and his children)."

"Tradition points to a relationship with Josiah Leonard and Hannah Campbell of Raynham," according to Lois Badger, "The Leonard Dictionary." According to the information I have from ECL, Josiah and Hannah would have been his grandparents. Did they take him in when his father (or both parents?) died?

Charles Thacher in his manuscript lists Josiah, but doesn't indicate parents, only marriage to Content Anthony.

Josiah LEONARD and Content ANTHONY were married on 5 May 1793 in Wareham, MA.⁹⁷⁷ Published by Cyrus Keith: 20 Apr 1793: "Mr. Josiah Leonard of Middleborough & Miss Content Anthoney of Westport." Content ANTHONY, daughter of John ANTHONY and Mary POTTER, was born on 9 July 1775 in Westport, Bristol Co., MA. She died on 28 January 1858 at the age of 82 in Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY. She was buried in North Street Cemetery, Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY. According to the Black family genealogy, her family was a well-known Quaker family in Westport, MA.

In the 1850 Census, she was 73, born in MA, living with son George Washington Leonard and daughter Eliza in Auburn Ward 1, Cayuga Co., NY. George was a bank teller.

Josiah LEONARD and Content ANTHONY had the following children: