Fourth Generation

128. Jesse LEONARD was born on 20 November 1826 in Rowan Co., NC. He died on 26 November 1912 at the age of 86 in Davidson Co., NC.
Some trees give the parents of Robert L Leonard (1852-1889) as Jesse Leonard and Elizabeth Greene. There is a marriage record for Jesse and Elizabeth for 15 Nov 1859. This is 7 years after Robert was born. Also, Elizabeth and Jesse had a son in 1863 that they named Robert. It seems unlikely that Robert L was their son.
Who were his parents?
The only censuses found for a Robert Leonard born in 1853 in Davidson County were for the son of George and Susannah Waggoner Leonard. There is an 1860 census with George, Susannah and children Joseph 16, Lucetta, 12, Jurod, 10, Robert, 7, and John, 6. George died in 1864 and Susannah married Richmond D Thomason in 1868. In 1870 there is a census for Rich and Susan Thomas with Robert, 16, and John, 13, in the household.
There is an 1870 Lexington, Davidson census for Robert Leonard, 11, in the household of David Leonard, 25, Eliza, 25 and Isabella Everheart, 14. Living next to David was Jacob Leonard, 68. This Robert would have been born around 1859.
There is an 1880 Yadkin College, Davidson, census for Rob't Leonard, clearly written 22, wife Mary A Leonard, 25, son, not named Leonard, born in May, step-son Rob't L Leonard, 3, mother-in-law Susan Temple, 70, and servant Valentine Leonard, 19, who was a farm laborer. This is obviously the family of Robert Leonard and Mary Ann Temple. Mary Ann had previously been married to David Koontz and had a son Curtis John Koontz born in 1877. The age of Robert appears to be incorrect. There is a marriage record for Robert and Mary Ann which gives his birth year as 1852 and hers as 1856.
Interestingly, the next entry in 1880 is David Leonard, 45, and wife Eliza, 45. On the 1870 census for Lexington, David, 25, and Eliza, 25, Leonard had in their household, Robert 11. Robert would have been born in 1859, younger than Robert L Leonard was, per his marriage record. Since the ages for David and Eliza differ by 10 years, these may not be the same David and Eliza, unless there was an enumeration error. If there was an error in 1870 and David and Eliza were both 45 in 1880, it's possible that they were Robert's parents. That being the case, Robert's age was incorrect on his marriage record by several years. However, on the 1880 census his age is given as 22, which corresponds to the Robert of the 1870 census living with David and Eliza.
Robert L Leonard was buried at Good Hope Methodist Church Cemetery in Reedy Creek, Davidson, North Carolina. His stone seems to say that died 10 Apr 1890. It's very weathered, however. His birth date is clear, though - 15 May 1852. His age is also on the stone, 45 years 10 months, 25 days. Adding the age to his birth date makes his death date 10 Apr 1898, not 1890. On the death certificates of Mary Ann Temple Leonard's two youngest daughters, Estella, born in 1892, and Fannie Sue, born in 1893, their father is given and William Leonard. No other documentation on William has been found. An 1898 death date for Robert means that Robert was their father. The informants for the deaths of Estella and Fannie Sue must have had incorrect information.
With conflicting data and little documentation, it's difficult to conclude who Robert Leonard's parents were. The indirect evidence is that they were David and Eliza Leonard. Unfortunately not much is known about them.

Jesse LEONARD and Eliza GREEN were married on 15 November 1859 in Davidson Co., NC. Eliza GREEN, daughter of Benjamin GREEN and Sarah KENNEDY, was born on 11 July 1833 in Davidson Co., NC. She died on 3 August 1887 at the age of 54 in Davidson Co., NC.

Jesse LEONARD and Eliza GREEN had the following children: