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Seventh Generation
1796. Judge
Abiel LEONARD was born on 16 May 1797 in Windsor, Windsor Co., VT.
Was this the Abiel Leonard who fought a duel after the admission ofMissouri
into the Union (1820?), "which at the time created greatexcitement, notably
the duel between Taylor Berry and Abiel Leonard,which was fought on an island
below New Madrid near Point Pleasant, inwhich Berry was wounded of which wounds
he finally died."
ECL: pp. 26-29: He was a lawyer, the leader of the Whig party inMissouri prior
to 1857, and justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. Hecame to Missouri in 1819
and lived in Boonville and old Franklin until1833, when he took a farm where
Fayette is now and buildt a log housethere. In 1836 he replaced it with a brick
house that still was standingas of 1929. After he built the brick house, he
sent for his father,Capt. Nathaniel Leonard, who came and lived with him until
1844 when hedied. His father was buried in Fayette.
ECL: Abiel Leonard was a small man, never weighing more than 100 pounds,but
he was a brave man. In the 1850's, a horse thief was lodged in theFayette jail,
and Emph. Taylor, from whom the horse was stolen, came totown with a big mob
to lynch the thief. Leonard, alone, opposed Tayorand the mob and declared that
the law must take its course. Taylor drewa pistol and threaned to shoot Leonard.
Leonard said: "Shoot and bedamned but you can't have that prisoner while
I am alive." As theargument progressed, the thief hanged himself in the
jail.
ECL: In 1824, Leonard was prosecutiung attorney of Howard County and itwas then
that he fought his famous duel with Tayor Berry of Franklin.Leonard was prosecuting
Berry for forging and perjury. During a recessof the Court Berry hit Leonard
with a whip. Leonard at once sent him achalleng by the hand of T. J. Boggs,
borther of Lillum boggs, afterwardGovernor of Missouri, to fight a dual. Berry
accepted but asked for timeto put his affairs in order. Leonard gave him the
time asked for and inthe meantime practiced shooting at a candle flame. The
duel was foughtnear New Madrid. At the first fire, Berry fell and died a few
dayslater. It was against the law then to isue a challenge to a dual inMissouri,
and Leonard was fined and disenfranchised, but the nextLegislature restored him
by a special act to all rights of citizenship.
Leonard was a slave owner and for many years kept a slave girl, Fanny byname,
whom he took as a fee for legal services. She became a favorite inthe family.
When she grew up and was to get married, she demanded aseparate house for herself.
In the attic of the Leonard house Dr. Culmerfound a letter Leonard had written
home from St. OLouis where he wasattending Court saying,"Let Fanny be indulged
with a separate house andlet her have a closet in it as she desires." Fanny
married but insistedon keeping the name Leonard and made her husband take that
name. All thenegroes in Fayette and vicinity named Leonard are descendants of
her.
When Abiel died in 1863, he owned 50,000 acres of the best land inHoward, Sabine,
and other counties. Judge Abiel LEONARD and Jeannette REEVES were married on
26 Jun 1828 in Fayette, Howard Co., MO. Jeannette
REEVES was born on 24 Dec 1812 in Christian, KY. She was also
known as Jeanette Reeves. Judge Abiel LEONARD and Jeannette REEVES
had the following children:
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