Second Generation

4. Barney LEONARD was born in 1757 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., MA. He died on 21 April 1821 at the age of 64 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., MA. He was buried in Pleasant Street Cemetery, Bridgewater, MA or Grave 86, Scotland Yard Cemetery.. He is variously known as Barnabus, Barna, and Barney. Bridgewater VR's calls him Barnabas in marriage to Phebe Basset. Ancestry is in "Genealogy of the Descendants of William Chesebrough, Founder of Stonington, CT," Anna Chesebrough Wildey, 1903, but this may be in error.

He served in the Revolutionary War as a corporal and a sergeant.

Per Harriotte Leonard Standish in Badger, The Leonard Dictionary: "Barney (Barna) Leonard, son of William or Seth Leonard and Sarah or Ruth Hoar." Possible parents: William Leonard and Sarah Hoar, Seth Leonard and Ruth Hoar, William Leonard and Ann Barney.

On Aug. 29, 1774, Jonathan Carver of Taunton was appointed guardian to Barney Leonard, a minor above the age of 14 yr., son of Seth Leonard, late of Taunton, deceased. He was probably born abt. 1757 in Taunton, MA, married February 5, 1780 Phebe Bassett of Bridgewater... He was called Mr. Barney Leonard of Taunton...

Bristol Co. Court Records 129:28: 29 August 1774: Jonathan Carver of Taunton was allowed to be guardian unto Barney Leonard, a minor above the age of fourteen years, son of the late Seth Leonard of Taunton (per Wardwell C. Leonard, Jr.). Jonathan married Sarah Holmes in 24 Oct 1746 in Bridgewater and died there 13 Jan 1797. No record of his children.

Barney was a Revolutionary soldier. "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution" list three entries for Barnabus or Barney Leonard: "Drummer in Capt. Joseph Keith's company, Col. Cotton's regiment, service from Sept. 25 to Oct. 30, 1777,on a secret expedition to Tiverton;" "Corporal, Lt. Zachariah Watkin's company, Col. Ezra Wood's regiment, enlisted May 14, 1788, service to Feb. 14, 1779, 9 mos., at North River, regiment raised for 8 mos. from time of arrival at Peekskill;" and "Private, Capt. Ichabod Leonard's company, Col. Abiel Mitchell's regiment, service 7 days, company marched from Taunton to Tiverton on the alarm of August 1, 1780." It is not clear that all three were the same person, but this Barney was at least one of them.

Abstracts of Rev. War Pension Files: "Leonard, Barney or Barnabas, Phebe, W24512, MA Line, sol. m Phebe Bassett 5 Feb 1780 both were of Bridgewater in Plymouth Co MA & sol d there 21 April 1821 & his wid appl there 22 Aug 1838 aged 78, wid d 30 Oct 1838, a Joseph Bassett was of Bridgewater MA in 1838 but no relationship to wid was stated"

In the 1790 Census, the Barna Leonard household consisted of 1 male over 16 and 2 females. In the 1800 Census, there were 4 members of the household, including 2 children, a boy under 10 and a girl 16-25. In the 1810 Census, there were 5 members of the family, 3 of whom were over 25, with 1 male 16-25 and 1 female 16-25.

Plymouth Court records say he was a gravestone cutter in action attaching property of Seth Cushing (Vol. 9, #6).

He and his wife are buried near her parents in Bridgewater, as is his son, Barney.

Nahum Mitchell, History of Bridgewater, p. 237, mentions only two children of Barna -- Barna, Jr. and Ruth.

Barney LEONARD and Phebe BASSETT were married on 5 February 1780 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., MA.⁴ Phebe BASSETT, daughter of Joseph BASSETT and Phebe CUSHMAN, was born on 15 August 1759 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., MA.⁵ She died on 30 October 1838 at the age of 79 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., MA. She was buried in Grave 85, Scotland Yard Cemetery, Bridgewater, MA.

Barney LEONARD and Phebe BASSETT had the following children: