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Third Generation
26. Lt. James
LEONARD77,78 was born on 11 May 1677 in Taunton, Bristol Co., MA.15 He died on 16 Jan 1764 in Taunton,
Bristol Co., MA. He was buried in Neck 'o Land Cemetery, Taunton,
MA. He was chosen a representative to Boston in 1719, 1726, 1733,
1739, and1740. He was a Selectman in 1717, 1720, 1736, and 1743.
ECL: The eldest son that lived was the first child of his second wife,Lydia
Gulliver. He was brought up to learn the bloomer's art. At 21 hemarried Hannah
Walley Stone. Within about six weeks of his marriage hebought out his uncle
Uriah's share in the Whittenton Forge and mine andthe homestead of 30 acres and
two dwelling houses and barn with 40 acresthat Uriah had bought of John Austin,
together with a 14 acre lot on thewest side of Mr. Farwell's lot and 20 acres
at Rumford near John Hodges,Jr., saving on-half acres that had been sold to Benjamin
Leonard and theSmith shop, all for 300 pounds current money. This gave him one-half
ofthe Old Hearth and one-third of the New Hearth at which his uncleBenjamin worked.
Evenidence of thrift behan to exhibit itself. In 1712he bought on this homestead
26 acres with house and ore chard of JosephGray, and he is called Ensign James
Leonard in the deed. In 1722 he buys50 acres of land of Samuel Smith in Norton,
in which deed he is styled asLieutenant James Leonard. In 1733 he bought of
Isaac and Ralph Chapmanof Yarmouth (they were his first cousins, sons of his
aunt Rebecca),their right in 61 and 64 divisions in Taunton and is styled as
Captain inthe deeds. About 1720 or 1721 he made a purchase in the east precinct
ofNorton, now Easton, of a forge and land and placed his son Eliphalet incharge.
This was the beginning of the ironworks there, and it developedinto the great
Ames works. In 1733 James bought of Thomas Danforth,braiser, of Taunton the
property that his cousin Edward Leonard hadmortgaged to the trustees, which Lothrop
says he bought of Joseph Leonardin October 1733. In 1737 he leased to his son-in-law
Thomas Cobb for tenyears one-half of the ironworks at Wittenton, the East Hearth,
withliberty of building a hearth of his own, and one-third part of a thirdhearth
in case he should see caause and build an additional coal house.In 1736 he bought
the Barney lot and in October 1739 he sold it to ThomasCobb.
(Some later dealings with Thomas Cobb triggered a lawsuit, toocomplicated to
explain here (see ECL's manuscript, pp. 73-78).)
ECL: In February 1749 he gave his eldest son James one-half of hishomestead
at Whittenton, the sourtherly half comprising about 200 acres.He had already
given Elizabeth 3/4 of the Easton forge dwelling house andlands. On April 12,
1750, he gave his son Jonathan the northerly part ofhis homestead, about 200
acres embracing what was later called the MoreyFarm. In 1728 he had given to
his daughter Methitable Willis 44 acres ofland in Easton as part of her portion.
The other half he sold to herhusband John (or Joseph) Willis. In the meantime
her husband died, andshe married again a Perry of Easton (Nathaniel), to whom
in 1763 he gaveto her and her son Nathaniel 50 acres of land partlcy in Norton
andpartly in Easton. And to Mehitable and her son James who was thendwelling
with her, a tract in Taunton near Watson's Pond called Ginney ofabout 85 acres.
In May 1757 for 62 pounds and love and affection he soldthe westernmost hearth
of Whittenton Forge to his grandson, JamesLeonard. On April 17 1760, he gave
the other half to his eldest sonJames, so that the old forge had gone in regular
line. In 1763 he gaveCapt. Eliphalet another 100 acres in Norton. Finally,
on January 16,1764, for 200 pounds he sold to his son Jonathan two tracts of
land inTaunton, one lot he bought of Charles West adjoining the land of Lt.William
Leonard, with the dwelling house thereon and a piece of landadjointing that was
granted to him on Isaac Chapman's right and about 40acres at Cedar Swamp next
near Samuel Smith's, reserving two leases hehgave to Samuel Smith and Samuel
Smith, Jr. This 200 pound was to pay orbe divided equally between his sister
Mary Thayer, Jerusa Hodges, andElizabeth Harvey. In all his conveyances he does
not mention hisdaughter Hannah, wife of Samuel Pratt, or Sarah, wife of ThomasDanforth.
And now at the ripe old age of 87, he finished his march andlay down to sleep...
He made a purchase in the east precinct of Norton, now Easton, of a forgeand
ironworks there and placed his son Eliphalet in charge. This was thebeginning
of the great Ames works there. He also had an interest in thewestern hearth
of Whittenton Forge.
Land transaction in Suffolk Co. mentions James Leonard and Mercy, hiswife.
"On 14 January 1736 several of the men of Taunton met in the red schoolhouse
on Neck o' Land and organized for the establishment of a town onthe west bank
of the Connecticut River. It was first called Township No.1, then New Taunton.
In 1752 it became Westminster, VT." The EddyFamily in America, 1930, p.
887. Among the organizers: Thos. Clap,Josiah Lincoln, Thos. Lincoln 3rd, David
Cobb, Joseph Eddy, NathanielCaswell, Capt. James Leonard, William Leonard. Did
Lt. James becomeCapt. James, like his father? Which William Leonard was this? Lt.
James LEONARD and Hannah WALLEY were married on 28 Feb 1698/99 in Taunton, Bristol,
MA.79 Hannah
WALLEY80 (daughter of
Rev. Thomas WALLEY and Hannah BACON) was born in 1665 in Barnstable, Barnstable
Co., MA. She was born in 1666 in Barnstable, Barnstable Co., MA.
She died on 2 Aug 1725 in Taunton, Bristol Co., MA. She was the
widow of William Stone. In John Walley's will dtd. 20 Feb1711, he mentions niece
Hannah Leonard, daughter of his brother Thomas,and 2 children by husband William
Stone. Lt. James LEONARD and Hannah WALLEY had the following children:
160 | i. | Joshua LEONARD81 died before 1710 in Taunton, MA. He was
born in Taunton, MA. ECL says he assumes he and his brother died
in infancy, in that he couldfind no records of them. | 161 | ii. | Stephen LEONARD80 died before 1710 in Taunton, MA. He was
born in Taunton, MA. Was he a judge? Was he the son of James and
Lydia? (Boston Transcript).Confusion with Stephen Leonard, son of James and Lydia,
who went to NewJersey (see #29).
ECL: probably died in infancy. | +162 | iii. | Lt. James LEONARD. | +163 | iv. | Capt. Eliphalet LEONARD. | +164 | v. | Hannah
LEONARD. | +165 | vi. | Mehitable LEONARD. | +166 | vii. | Sarah LEONARD. | +167 | viii. | Lydia
LEONARD. |
Lt. James LEONARD and Lydia GULLIVER were
married on 14 Dec 1726 in Milton, MA. Lydia
GULLIVER (daughter of Jonathan GULLIVER and Mary ROBINSON) was born on 14
Jun 1698 in MIlton, Norfolk Co., MA. She died on 24 Apr 1734 in Taunton,
Bristol Co., MA. According to the Thacher-Thatcher Genealogy, she
was the daughter ofJonathan Gulliver and wife of John Gulliver. Lt. James LEONARD
and Lydia GULLIVER had the following children:
Lt.
James LEONARD and Sarah Butterworth PADDOCK were married on 11 Jun 1739 in Swansea,
MA. Sarah Butterworth PADDOCK died in
1743. Lt. James LEONARD and Mercy Crossman LINCOLN were married
on 1 Jun 1743. |