Ninth Generation

5333. Benjamin Franklin LEONARD was born on 2 July 1859 in Chebance, Iroquois Co., Illinois. He died on 29 December 1922 at the age of 63 in Bassett, Rock Co., NE. Molly Leonard's story, as relayed by Eric Bowler:

"Benjamin Franklin Leonard apparently went with his mother when she
homesteaded in Nebraska, but she sent him back to Chicago to study at
Rush Medical College. I would guess he lived with his grandfather or
Uncle Raymond. While at college, he met and married Mahalia Chamberlain
(1858-1946) in 1876. In 1878 he he dropped out and took Mahalia back to
Nebraska to homestead. She never really forgave him! He tried a lot of
things--homesteading, the county clerk's office, the post office, etc,
but according to Mahalia (via my grandfather, Ralph) he didn't make a
success of anything, Ralph and his many brothers had to hunt, do
sheepherding, etc as boys to keep the family fed. We have great photos.
Their kids:
1. Maud (1879-1956) -married 6 times, amazing life.
2. Vine Franklin (1880-1945)
3. Vance Lockwood (1882-1883)
4. Joseph (1884-1950)
5. Louis (1885-1968)
6. Ralph (1889-1975) (Molly Leonard's grandfather)
7. Mable (1891- ?)
8. Benjamin Franklin (1893-1955)"

By the time of the 1900 Census, Maud, Vine Franklin, and Joseph had left home and, apparently, Nebraska. Benjamin F., Mahalia, and children Louis, Ralph, Mabel, and Benjamin were living in Bassett, where Benjamin F. was the county treasurer.

In 1880 they were living in Elm Grove, Antelope, NE. (check further).

In the 1930 Census, the family of Vine was living with Mahalia.

Benjamin Franklin LEONARD and Mahalia J. "Hallie" CHAMBERLAIN were married on 20 May 1878 in All Saints Episcopal Church, Chicago, IL. Mahalia J. "Hallie" CHAMBERLAIN was born on 13 November 1858 in IL. She died on 24 September 1946 at the age of 87 in Bassett, Rock Co., NE.

Benjamin Franklin LEONARD and Mahalia J. "Hallie" CHAMBERLAIN had the following children:

6670	i.	Maude LEONARD was born on 30 May 1879 in Bassett, Rock Co., NE. She died on 1 June 1956 at the age of 77 in Bassett, Rock Co., NE. She married 6 times to 5 different husbands. After the 1929 Stock Market crash, she returned to Bassett and ran a hotel. From Molly Leonard, via Eric Bowler, dated about 1999: "My great aunt Maude, Grampa's oldest sister, was an artist. She painted in oils and also did glazed pottery. Aunt Maude was one of our wild Leonards. She married six times-five husbands-we've got these amazing photos of her and one of her husbands in Long Beach back in 1915 when she was living on the high side-"flying" in a Wright Bros airplane on a Hollywood movie set, posing in front of their incredible pink stone Victorian house (the house is still there; I saw it when my father lived in Long Beach, but had no idea Maudie had been there. Of course, she could have been lying, she sometimes made things up!) After the stock market crash in '29 she returned to Bassett, NE, where she opened the local hotel. Grampa would never let my Aunt Erma work there, claiming it was also the local bordello. Madame Maude -- well, in Bassett there wasn't any place else for people to go to play around. One hotel, two churches, three bars?"
+6671	ii.	Vine Franklin LEONARD.
6672	iii.	Vance Lockwood LEONARD was born on 11 July 1882 in Mariville or Bassett, Rock Co., NE. He died on 25 September 1885 at the age of 3 in Mariville, NE.
+6673	iv.	Joseph Raymond LEONARD.
+6674	v.	Louis Grant LEONARD.
+6675	vi.	Ralph Vine LEONARD.
+6676	vii.	Mable LEONARD.
6677	viii.	Benjamin Franklin "BF" LEONARD was born on 1 April 1893 in Newport, NE.³¹⁰⁹ He died on 11 August 1955 at the age of 62 in Bassett, Rock Co., NE.