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Fourth Generation
276. Hannah
KING117 was born
on 28 Feb 1704/5 in Raynham, Bristol, MA.116
She was born on 28 Jul 1705. She died on 23 Apr 1766 in Taunton,
Bristol Co., MA. She was buried in Plains Cemetery, Taunton, Ma.
From Sanford's "Genealogy of the Families of Kings," 1865, about Hannah:"...She
married Zephaniah Leonard of Taunton. As they were happy inlife, in death they
were not divided, but were both buried in the samegrave. He was judge of the
Court of Common Pleas from 1761 till hisdeath. By this marriage she was the
mother of Captain Joshua Leonard, adistinguised man in church and state, who
lived on a large plantationnear Raynham Forge; of Colonel Zephaniah Leonard,
who was High Sheriff ofthe County thirty years, and his son Horatio thirty five
years; ofApollos Leonard of Hopewell, a graduate of Yale, 1765, who wasdistinguised
for this talents and usefulness; of Samuel Leonard, Esq. ofHopewell, Taunton,
the first who set up iron manufactures in Taunton andwas the first man in commercial
business, and was the father of GeorgeLeonard, M.D. and Ezekiel Leonard, the
merchant. Thus she was the motherof four of the most eminent that this part
of the country has produced.A renowned woman was Hannah King, and as Spurzheim
says, everyrespectable man must have had a likely mother. As John Quincy Adams
whenGovernor Briggs informed him he had just finished reading the letters ofMr.
Adams' mother and admired them, said, that whatever excellences hepossessed he
derived from his mother, it must follow that the superiorexcellences of these
four Leonards show their mother to have been noordinary woman..." Hannah
KING and Judge, Major Zephaniah LEONARD were married on 24 Apr 1724 in Taunton,
Bristol, MA.180 Judge,
Major Zephaniah LEONARD244
(son of Stephen LEONARD and MARY) was born on 18 Mar 1703/4 in Taunton, Bristol
Co., MA. He was born on 18 Mar 1703/4. He died on 23
Apr 1766 in Taunton, Bristol Co., MA. He was buried in Plains Cemetery,
Taunton, Ma. Zephaniah was appointed Judge of the Court of Common
Pleas in 1761 andserved there until he died.
Zephaniah and his wife lived in Raynham, and most of the records aboutthe family
are in the Raynham VR's.
Zephaniah is the Leonard who asked his great-aunt, Hannah Leonard Dean torecount
the ancestry of the Leonards as she knew it.
Zephaniah, Capt. James Leonard, and the Leonard Lawsuits. Following is apiece
in the Leonard genealogy written by ECL and GML, pages 112-115 oftheir manuscript.
"When Stephen Leonard went to New Jersey, he left his eldest son,Zephaniah,
at Taunton to live with his grandfather, Capt. James Leonard.Stephen probably
thought that there would be small chance for his boys ifhe remained in Taunton.
Deacon Samuel Leonard was clerk and agent of theold works at Raynham and had
boys of his own to advance in life. TheWhittinton Works had been bought by his
brother who had moved there andbuilt a house. The saw mill Capt. James Leonard
had already bought andhad placed Seth Leonard there as owner and manager. He
still had theright to the West Hearth in the forge (Raynham Forge) in which Stephenhad
worked, which could afford an opening for Zephaniah who commencedworking life
at 17 years. No doubt he acquired the bloomers art, for hewas a smart, intelligent
fellow. His father went to New Jersey and soonafter moved his family there.
Zephaniah soon became efficient about hisgrandfather's premises, his property,
and his business. When he was 21years old, Zephaniah found a helpmate in a girl
whom he had known a longtime. He married the girl, Hannah King, April 24, 1724
when she was just19.
On March 4, 1725/6, Capt. James Leonard made his will and gave half thehouse,
farm, and lot and orchard on the opposite of the road and next toForge Pond,
about 7 acres, excepting the blacksmith's shop, to his wife,which was all to
go to Zephaniah upon her death, together with theblacksmith's shop and all the
tools. Zephaniah was to pay to each of hisaunts, Sarah Hodges and Elizabeth
Hall 75 pounds. He gave to his sonStephen (Zephaniah's father), the other part
of his homestead togetherwith other lots. Capt. James Leonard, Zephaniah's grandfather,
died twoyears after the date of his will, leaving Zephaniah practically incontrol
of the homestead. Zephaniah's grandmother kept the homestead asa tavern, in
the management of which Zephaniah had control. She died in1738, and Zephaniah
came into possession of it. He had already in 1727bought his father Stephen's
share of the homestead, all that was given tohim in his father's will.
All these years he had worked the west hearth of Raynham Forge. Theproduction
seems to have fallen off for in 1695/6 each hearth made 14tons of iron. In 1721
each hearth made about 11 tons, and up to 1721 theiron made in the west hearth
was credited to Capt. James Leonard. In1733 Zephaniah is credited with 9 tons,
9 cwt, 3 qu. 6 lbs. In 1735 heis credited with 8 tons, 16 cwt., when all credits
to him cease. DeaconLeonard is afterward credited with making from 20 to 25
tons at bothhearths.
Trouble had evident been brewing between Deacon Samuel Leonard andZephaniah and
probably arose from the occupancy of the west hearth. Atany rate a quarrel arose
and the Deacon obtained a vote of theProprietors authorizing him to employ such
a person at the west hearth ashe should deem best. It seems that Zephaniah had
dug ore in the mineswamp and dingle on land which belonged to him and sold it,
whereas thecompany claimed exclusive right to all the mining there. Ostensibly
forwithholding the receipts of this ore from the company, the Deacon oustedZephaniah,
and a long controversy arose that continued in court andchurch until Zephaniah's
death in 1766.
Zephaniah made several efforts to be reinstated at the Forge, but withoutavail.
A friendly law suit was commenced to test the ownership of theore, but in the
meantime lengthy communications passed between the Deaconand Zephaniah. These
letters are long and tedious to read.
In the meantime the friendly suit was progressing, but there was anotherdeal
going on of more importance to the old Raynham ironworks. Zephaniahwas a young
man with plenty of push in him, and whilst negotiations withthe Deacon were going
on, he was laying an anchor to windward. In 1735he purchased part of the old
saw mill on Mill River in Taunton belongingto Jonathan and Joseph Barney, together
with its privileges. He madesubsequent purchases there and in 1739/40 erected
a forge which he calledHopewell. From certain memoranda illusions Zephaniah
managed to get holdof the mine or ore about there and in Raynham, which compelled
the oldcompany to go to Littleworth some eight miles away for stock. During
thecontroversy with Zephaniah, Deacon Samuel Leonard with his son Samuel,also
a Deacon, were buying up the shares of the old company until theyhad obtained
a majority of the stock and controlled the company. TheDeacon died in 1745,
and his son Deacon Sam died in 1749. The managementthen when into the hands
of Deacon Elijah Leonard, who seems to have beena good old soul, but had no business
capacity. The result was that theRaynham works fell into debt and finally in
1770 was sold and turned intoanother forge.
The Hopewell Forge under the management of Zephaniah flourished, and hebecame
a prosperous man. He was a major in the Militia and in 1761 wasappointed a Judge
of the Court of Common Pleas. The muster roll of hiscompany is in existence.
The law suit between Samuel Leonard andJonathan Dean, agents for the Raynham
Forge, and Zephaniah Leonard,wherein Zephaniah Leonard sued them for pulling
down fences, enteringupon land, and digging 12 tons of ore, it seems that Zephaniah
got thecase and 10 shillings damage and the costs. The case was appealed, andthe
the next Court the judgment was reversed, whereupon Zephaniah broughta writ of
error and at the next Court the judgment was rendered forZephaniah. Then Deacon
Sam and Jonathan Dean petitioned the Governor,alleging that Zephaniah was always
interfering with the honest intentionsof the grant to Raynham Forge and would
dig ore in his lands within thelimits of said grant. Zephaniah answered the
petition to the Governor.There were several affidavits attached to the case.
The following statement from one Anne Smith, who was the daughter ofThomas Crossman
and Johanna Leonard, daughter of Thomas Leonard. Theysay that Josiah Smith was
in the French War in 1754-5; that the regimentwas disbanded; and when Mr. Smith
reached Boston, he was taken sick,brought home on a litter Thursday, and died
the following Sunday. Hiswife caught the disease -- spotted fever --and died
two days short ofthree weeks within her husband's death. "Some months before
their death,I had come up to take the oversight of Major Zephaniah Leonard's
tavern." It seems that Zephaniah Leonard continued the tavern some years
afterhis grandmother's death. He was a man of thrift and most respectablecharacter.
His boys turned out well, and his youngest son, SquireSamuel, as he was called,
was the father of the manufacturing interestsin Taunton. Thus, Zephaniah and
his wife trod the path of life togetheruntil the summons came to both of them
on the same day, April 23, 1766,when they both died. They are buried in the
Plains Cemetery in Tauntonunder an elaborate monument. Raised some two or three
feet from theground the slab rests upon four pillars and upon the great stone
there iscut the emblem of a coffin and the epitaph which was proposed by the
Dr.Rev. Fobes. Tradition says that he was presented with a beaver hat forthe
epitaph, which reads as follows:
Parentibus optimus bene meretibus
Zephaniah Leonard Esquire who died April the 23rd A.D. 1766
To dust and silence so much worth consigned
Sheds a sad gloom o'er vanities behind
Such our pursuits Proud mortals vainly soar
See here the wise, the virtuous are no more
How mean ambition, how contemptuous hate
How dim the tinsel, the glories of the great
Even Leonard's undistinguished fall and
Death and hovering darkness hide us all. Hannah KING and Judge, Major Zephaniah
LEONARD had the following children:
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