Thomas Leonard

 

AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT

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Thomas Leonard   see FAMILY TREE
Born: Abt. 1660  Lynn, Essex, MA

   
Married: Jul 1698 in Virginia

  "July the 28th Anno Dom 1698 the debts of the Estate of Edmund Bebbe dec'ed was Exhibited to the Court by Thomas Leonard and Esther his wife late the widow & adm't (with the will annexed) of the said Deced & ordered to bee Recorded."

Died:  1704  Northhampton, VA   Northampton County Orders & Wills, pg 273 (Winter court 1704)  see copy below
"This day John Biby prayed administration of the estate of Thomas Lenard  late of this county deceased which accordingly is granted he giving security for the same according to law and to render an account to this court when called Mr Andrew Hamilton and Mr. Thomas Savage tendering them Socinus in open court security for the said administration which the court accepted."

FATHER

Henry Leonard

MOTHER

Mary

WIFE

Hester Floyd

CHILDREN

1. Sarah Leonard

 

Thomas and his two brothers, Nathaniel and Samuel were in constant trouble in Rowley, MA  

 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bart/LEONARD3.htm 

 

o        1 May 1672:  Nathaniel Leonard & Thomas Leonard of Rowley Village, Joseph, Daniell and Benjamin Bixbee, sons of Sergeant Bixbee, and Robert & Thomas Andrews were presented for breach of the peace and some for swering , upon a common fame.  Nathaniel & Thomas Lenard and Thomas Andrews upon their presentment were fined.

 

o        Complaint being made against Nathll., Samll., and Tho. Leonard by Hanna Downing for several misdemeanors and lascivious carriages proved against them, but several of the charges having been proved several years since, court sentenced them to be whipped or pay a fine.  They were also bound to good behavior.

 

o        Warrant, dated June 16, 1674. Hannah (her mark) Downing’s complaint: that the Lenords had on many occasions annoyed her when she was in bed, kicked her and struck her several times until she thought they would kill her.  She told their father and mother and they would not believe it, and complainant was “afraid that thay would kille mee if the athoriaty dos not take some corse with them.  Said Hanna gave bond to Samuel Symonds, Dep. Govr., to prosecute.  Samuel and Thomas Leonard were also bound, with Thomas Baker as surety.

 

o        Jno. Hounkin deposed that he living at the house of Henery Linnard the last winter, never saw any miscarriage by Samuell nor Thomas Linnard toward Hannah Downinge, but that she went abroad at unseasonable times in the night and did not come home until it was almost day.  Also at sundry times she used to sit up almost all night with fellows who came to the house.  He told of her unbecoming conduct with Benjamin Bigsbee and of her lying upon the boy’s beds so that they had to get her up to go to bed.. ……..

 

o        Sarah Bates deposed that she saw the Leonards abuse said Hannah and pull off her head-cloth, etc.  Sworn, June 23, 1674, before Samuel Symonds, Dep. Govr.

 

o        John Gould deposed that he saw Samuel and Nathaniel Lenord come naked upon the dam, and when Goodwife Blake came over the dam, said Samuel spoke and acted indecently, etc.  Sworn in court.

 

o        Macam Douneing deposed that he came to Leonard’s to see his daughter when her master and dame were not at home.  At night Samuel lodged in the bed which his father occupied, and deponent sat up to smoke.  He later heard Samuel in the girl’s room and went and told him “I did not like such doing: and so I lodged in yt bed my salfe and Samuell lodged in ye Chamber.”  Sworn, June 23, 1674, before Samuel Symonds, Dep. Govr.

 

o        Elizabeth Symons …. testified that Samuell Lenord came to her house and asked her for some beer and she went into the cellar to draw some beer for him.  He followed her and tried to kiss her, and she said “there is maides a noufe for yu to kiss and not to Come to kise maried woeman,” and then he struck her a blow on the small of her back, “and when I came up I sayed surely Samuell Leonard is fuddled.”  Sworn in court.

 

o        Grace Andras, aged about sixty years, deposed that Elesibeth Boungkir being at her house in bed with deponent’s daughter Sary, Thomas Linnard came there and annoyed them all night, so that they could not sleep.  Sworn in court.

 

o        Hanah Pabody, aged about thirty years, deposed that Samuell Lennard and two others of the family came to her house as they went by to dig mine and spent much of the day there.  Samuell took her child out of her arms by force and laid it in the cradle, etc.  Then she said to her little boys, “ware is your father?” and said Samuell let her alone.  Sworn in court.

 

o        Faith Black, aged twenty-nine years, deposed that Thomas Lenord came to her house, into the room where she was, shut the door, drew out the latch string, and behaved very uncivilly until her children came to the door and interfered.  Sworn in court.

 

o        Faith Blacke deposed that Nathaniel Leonard said he went to Benj. Murries and the old devil was at home, and when deponent spoke to him for talking so vilely, he said he would not care if he were in hell a fortnight, and he did not care if the devil plucked the soul out of him, and a pox take him, he did not care.  Sworn in court.

 

o        Mary Leonard, aged about forty-nine years, deposed that they were very lying girls, etc.

 

By the summer of 1674 the Leonard sons had so managed to incur the wrath of the dominant group of shareholders that the latter announced that they would suspend operations altogether until more reliable workmen could be found.

 

In 1675 a complaint was issued that Thomas had tried to burn the coal house at the Boxford ironworks.  He was sentenced to be whipped if found within 7 miles of the works.  But Thomas had already departed Rowley

 

We next find (the father) Henry Leonard in Monmouth County, N.J., where in 1674 Henry joined James Grover at Tinton Falls on a branch of the Navesink River, about 2 ½  miles south of Shrewsbury.  Grover, a farmer and wheelwright from Gravesend, Long Island, and one of the original settlers of Monmouth County under the 1665 Monmouth Patent, had operated a corn mill there.  He discovered bog-iron on his property.  Probably the Leonards built the resulting iron works.  They certainly operated it In order to assist in financing this project, Grover mortgaged the property to Cornelius Steenwyck of New York.  On 29 Dec. 1675, when Grover ran out of capital, he sold a one-half interest of the Works to Col. Lewis Morris of Morrisiana, N.Y. and Barbados Island, West Indies.  Morris later took over Steenwyck’s mortgage and thus retained a three-quarters interest in the Works.  While it is unknown who owned the other quarter interest, it has been suggested that these associates were Henry, Samuel, Nathaniel & Thomas Leonard, James Grover, Richard Hartshorne and Richard Gardiner.

Somehow, Thomas ended up in  Northampton Co., VA by Jul 1698 where he married the widow Hester Floyd (Bibbe).  Hester and Thomas were both about 40 years old and Hester had six children, ranging in ages from 16 to infant.  Thomas stayed on in Northampton Co., VA and died there in 1704 about six years after they married.  His step-son, John Bibbe, was executor of the estate. (1) Thomas and Hester had only one child, Sarah Leonard, who must have been born about 1700.

Hester, who had just become the widow of Thomas Leonard, bought land in Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co., NJ in 1704, probably just after her husband had died.  (2) That land was 60 acres adjoining the land of her late husband. Thomas Leonard had acquired land in Shrewsbury, Monmouth, NJ by patent on Oct 4, 1695. (Deed BK G pg 88, Monmouth Co., NJ) (2)  Possibly Hester stayed on in Shrewsbury because she died about 1719 and her land is being sold in 1722 with her daughter, Sarah Leonard (White)  being described as "late of Wentipenk Neck in Shrewsbury."  This land was bounded west by Thomas Leonard's father's land and his brother Henry's east by land of his own.  Deed BK G pg 87-88 (2)

SOURCES

 

(1) Inventory of Estate of Edmund Bebbe.  "July the 28th Anno Dom 1698 the debts of the Estate of Edmund Bebbe dec'ed was Exhibited to the Court by Thomas Leonard and Esther his wife late the widow & adm't (with the will annexed) of the said Dec'ed & ordered to bee Recorded."
 
Library of Virginia
Northampton Reel 27A p. 498 Book 13

Library of Virginia
Northampton Cty Reel 27A
BK 14 p. 279

Administration of estate of Thomas Leonard by John Bebbe
 

 

(2)  
Monmouth County NJ, Deed BK G pages 84-91
 
Deed BK G. pg 84

Deed BK G pg 85

Deed BK G pg 86

Deed BK G pg 87
 
Deed BK G. pg 88

Deed BK G pg 89

Deed BK G pg 90

Deed BK G pg 91

 

 

 

(3) Documents proving Hester was his wife.
   
East Jersey Proprietors (roll21C)
Patents & Warrants
Liber II, Part 2, pg. 192-193
upper half pg 192

low half of pg192

East Jersey Proprietors (roll21C)
Patents & Warrants
Liber II, Part 2, pg. 192-193
page 193 (continuation of documents at left)

Survey for John Throckmorton of land bordering lands of Thomas Leonard "late deceased", and land formerly of Ester Leonard (Deed dated 21 Jan "last" (eg 1717/1718) Location: 76 acres Shrewsbury.
 

 

 

(4)
Documents proving Henry was his father and Samuel, Nathaniel and Henry were his brothers.
New Jersey State Archives:  East Jersey Proprietors (Roll 21B) 29 March 1690 Survey Book O   pg. 61, 62

Survey for Thomas Leonard (80 acres in Right of his father).  3 tracts.  Bordering lands of "his Father and his Brother Henry."  Mentions his brother Nathaniel.

Survey Book O
pg 61

Survey Book O
pg 62 
29 March 1690

 

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