Seventh Generation

64. Capt. Joseph LEONARD¹²⁶ was born on 9 April 1705 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA.¹²⁷ He died on 27 June 1776 at the age of 71 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. The 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th generations from Elkanah Leonard are directly from the ECL-GML manuscript, as corrected. Checked and rechecked several times, since there is confusion about which Joseph was which, death dates, and the children of each marriage.

Benjamin Hodges was appointed guardian of Joseph, Simeon, and Abiah when Elkanah, their father, died. 5:63 dtd. April 20, 1724/5. ECL lists 3 more children, but indicated no further information about them. They do not appear in the guardianship records.

Joseph Leonard was a common name in Middleborough in the 1700's. There were at least 7 of them living in Middleborough. Mayflower Society genealogist complained about the difficulty of keeping them straight. See discussion under Joseph Leonard, Jr. b. 29 July 1732.

There is confusion about Joseph and Fear's children. ECL notes about Fear, Simeon, and Nathaniel: "Last 3 names given me by Mrs. Haskins but she could tell me little about them." They are not listed in Middleborough VR's as children of Joseph and Fear, so I have not included them here although they are included in the ECL-GML manuscript as nos. 241, 242, and 243.

In the Genealogical Register of Plymouth Families, under Benjamin Southworth, the following: "Nathaniel, son of first Constant, m. 1672, Desire, d. of Edward Gray, and had Constant, 1674, Mary, 1676, m. Joseph Rider; Ichabod, 1678; Elizabeth, m. James Sproat; Nathaniel, 1684, m. Jael Howland; Edward, 1688, m. Bridget Bosworth. Nathaniel, Middleboro', son of above, had Fear, 1709, married a Leonard; Gideon, Nathaniel, Samuel, and Hannah, m. a Sproat." Fear Southworth married Joseph Leonard, the father of Joseph Leonard, Jr. Joseph Leonard, Sr. did not have a son Samuel, but did have a Gideon, Nathaniel, and Hannah (who married Robert Sproat) among his children." This is an incomplete list of Joseph's children with some errors (e.g., the Hannah who married Robert Sproat was Joseph's son's daughter Hannah). Also, this may be the origin of information that Jael Bennet was a Howland (she was a Bennet).

Per John Howland of the Mayflower, Fourth Generation, p. 221. Children listed are Joseph, Timothy, Hannah, Abiah, Gideon, Fear, Simeon, and Nathaniel. Last three have no birthdates and are not listed in Middleborough VR's. Book has Joseph marrying possibly Ruth White. (Another Joseph, not this Joseph. Also, Joseph sold to his son Joseph 16 acres on 18 May 1781. But that Joseph also would have been another Joseph, since this Joseph died in 1776).

Was there another child, Rebecca, who married ? Ellis? Per Mayflower VR, CD #167. She is not included, since no further evidence could be found to support inclusion.

Joseph Leonard deeded 28 Jun 1733, recorded 22 Oct 1734, to his brother, Elkanah of Middleborough, Attorney at Law, a lot of 64 acres in the Sixteen Shilling Purchase, originally in the right of David Thomas. The deed of sale was witnessed by Josiah Richmond and Mary Southworth.

It would appear that when Joseph died, his son Ensign Joseph Leonard was his only heir. No marriage records occur for any of the children, except possibly Hannah (and that's really another Hannah), nor are there further records of their activities. Timothy is said to have had a son, "Black" Samuel Leonard, according to the Elijah Leonard biography/genealogy in the Ontario archives, but there appears to be no supporting record in Massachusetts. Abiah/Abigail was published to Ephraim Hackett on 1 February 1761, with the marriage recorded on 18 June 1761. A Hackett typescript written by Lewis Wendell Hackett (1998) says that Abiah/Abigail died 19 March 1762. Middleboro VR's (p. 245) record that an unnamed wife of Ephraim Hackett died on that date. Later records concerning a Gideon and a TImothy Leonard refer to the children of Joseph's son, Joseph.

There is confusion about the date of death of Joseph. Family History of Central NY, tracing the descent from James, Thomas, Elkanah, and Joseph, says he died in 1775. (CD157, p. 1075). Middleborough VR's say a Capt. Joseph Leonard died 27 June 1776. WW listed his death as 27 Jun 1770 in the 1920 Boston Transcript, probably a typo of "0" for "6.) He was Captain of the Third Company (Weston, p. 200), but the dates of his captaincy are given in Ebenezer Weaver Peirce in "Historic Sketches (1873) as 1762-1773.

Middleborough VR's give the date of death of a Lt. Joseph Leonard as 1 November 1783. This is the date Joseph's son Joseph is thought to have died.

On 15 April 1777, the inventory of the estate of Joseph Leonard, late of Middleborough, Gentleman, was taken. This Joseph?
He died insolvent, couldn't pay all just debts. Plymouth Co. PR #12633, 29:174-6, 253-4, 30:542-3 (Joseph Leonard). Plymouth Co. LR 61:1, 136 (Joseph Leonard).

Fear SOUTHWORTH and Capt. Joseph LEONARD were married on 18 November 1731 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA.¹²⁸

65. Fear SOUTHWORTH¹²⁹ was born on 3 February 1710 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA.¹³⁰ She died on 23 April 1784 at the age of 74 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. In case the issue ever comes up, descendancy from the Mayflower families for this line of Leonards can be documented through Fear but with a twist. Nathaniel Southworth's will, quoted in Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol. 15, James Chilton, p. 108, mentions Fear Leonard.

ECL gives Fear as daughter of Nathaniel and Gail (Howland) Southworth. This is correct, although not without controversy.

The "Catalogue of Members of the First Church of Middleborough," 1854, lists Jael Bennet as the wife of Nathaniel Southworth and mother of Fear. However, Jael is listed in Isaac Howland's will as his daughter. Fear is also a Mayflower descendant through her father, Nathaniel Southworth whose mother, Desire Gray, is the daughter of Mary Winslow, daughter of Mary Chilton (p. 108, Chilton Silver Book).

There are several versions of her death date: 25 December 1755 or 23 April 1784. ECL gives date as 23 June 1784. Her death is not recorded in Middleboro VR's.

Children were:

32	i.	Lt. Joseph LEONARD.
	ii.	Timothy LEONARD¹³¹ was born on 19 March 1734 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA.^132,133 He died before 1776 at the age of 42 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. ECL says "he never heard any more about him." Fanny Leonard Koster says the son of Timothy was Samuel, who married Sarah Williams. Elijah Leonard's (his grandson's) autobiography calls her Mary Williams. WW in Boston Transcript of 12 Jan 1920 has this Timothy dying at age one year. Note in ECL manuscript, probably added by GML, "Boston Transcript July 15, 1939: Wanted, ancestry of Gideon Leonard, born September 7, 1813, died September 17, 1867, and who married Harriet A. Waldo. They lived in East Granville, NY. I believe that he is a grandson or great-grandson of Timothy Leonard, born March 19, 1734. Gideon, brother of Timothy, had a son Gideon born November 11, 1786." A Timothy Leonard was elected a town officer at Granville, Washington Co, NY, in 1791-96. A Timothy Leonard, household of 2, one male, one female, listed in the 1790 Census of Granville. In the 1800 Census, the Timothy Leonard household included 1 male 45+, 3 males 16-26, and 8 females, 1 26-45. The Granville Timothy was a descendant of John Leonard of Springfield. Death of Timothy is not recorded in Middleboro VR's. Source of descendancy to Samuel is from Ontario Genealogical Society records (Family Chart #484). It's peculiar that Timothy would have had a son, Samuel, when he was only 16 or 17 years old. This bears checking. Fanny Koster Leonard's charts show Samuel as the only son of Timothy. Her Timothy is the son of Elkanah and Charity. Whom did Timothy marry, and when? A Timothy Leonard served in Capt. Abial Peirce's company, Col Nicholas Dike's Regiment, along with Jonathan Leonard. This is a different Timothy Leonard. So, also, is the Timothy Leonard who lived for a time in Troy, NY, and then moved to Smyrna, NY. There was a Timothy Leonard, aged 70 years, whose death at New Marlborough, Berkshire Co., Mass, was reported in the June 14, 1817 Providence Gazette. He supposedly was born at Canterbury, CT. He had been for 40 years deranged and lived off the produce of one acre of land. All meat he ate raw. He was found dead and buried by the neighbors at his place of abode. He's in the 1800 Census living alone. His ancestry is unknown.
	iii.	Hannah LEONARD 3rd¹³⁴ was born on 3 July 1736 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. She died about 1815 at the age of 79 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. Her intentions to marry Edward Winslow were published, but there's no record of a marriage. Edward Winslow shortly thereafter published intentions with Deborah Pope 19 Mar 1815. There's confusion as to which Hannah Leonard married these three men, this Hannah or her niece. ECL has both this Hannah and her niece marrying all three. According to ECL, Hannah Leonard, the niece, was about 60 when she gave intention to marry Edward Winslow. She may have died before actually marrying Edward, since he gave intention to marry Deborah Pope 19 Mar 1815. Marriage to Edward Winslow is not listed in Middleboro VR's. She was sometimes referred to as Miss Hannah Leonard 3rd, as in marriage to Robert Sprout in Taunton VR's. No death record under Hannah Leonard or Hannah Winslow.
	iv.	Abiah LEONARD^135,136 was born on 8 May 1738 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA.¹³⁷ This Abiah Leonard is sometimes confused with the Abiah who married (1) John Nelson and (2) Mark Haskell. But did this Mrs. Abiah Leonard marry Joseph Bumpus March 20, 1779?
	v.	Gideon LEONARD¹³⁸ was born on 15 October 1739 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. He died before 1776 at the age of 37 in Middleborough, Plymouth Co, MA. ECL has this Gideon marrying Harriet A. Waldo, but the Gideon who married Harriet is his grandson (?).