276. James1 Leonard;194 married Mary Martin at ENG;195 born circa 1621 at Wales;194 died before 1691 at Taunton, Bristol, MA.194
He "ABOUT the middle of the seventeenth century 1645-50 there came from Pontipool, Monmouthshire County, England, three brothers, James, Henry, and Philip Leonard, the sons of one Thomas Leonard, 1577-1638, and his wife Lydia White. James Leonard brought his family with him. The maiden name of his wife was Mary Martin and he had two small sons, Thomas and James, Jr., both of whom are our ancestors by different lines. These immigrants were the founders of the first successful iron-works in America.
"It is said that the Leonards had been in the iron industry for twelve hundred years, since the days of the "forestsmiths" of Germany, where the name Leonard is found in old German records of the sixth century. The Saxon Leonards, workmen in metals, came to England very early and settled among the iron hills of Kent and Sussex. Later, as the mines in this vicinity were less productive, some of them removed to the iron mining districts of Wales--later Monmouthshire, England--from whence James and Henry Leonard came, leaving their forges in England "plastered with mortgages," not only at Pontipool but also at Belaton, Stafford County. In the nineteenth century the Leonards might have redeemed their title to this property, but it would have involved an expensive and lengthy suit in the Court of Chancery, which was not undertaken.
"Being well versed in the iron lore, the secrets of which had been long handed down from father to son, James and Henry Leonard, on their arrival in America, at first found employment with one John Winthrop at his bloomery near Lynn, established by Adam Hawkes in 1630. The following entry has been found in an old account book of Winthrop's dated 1651. "James Leonard, fifteen days' worke in ye forge oe 1.13.0."
"After a short connection with John Winthrop's iron effort at Braintres, the Leonard Brothers struck out for themselves, testing the streams and ponds for chalybeate evidence, little Thomas and James who had come holding onto "Uncle Henry's finger," probably having the time of their lives fishing with birch rods on these expeditions. Their elders found large deposits of bog iron, particularly in Quittacus Lake, Middleboro, which were extracted by means of great tongs from the lakes and swamps. They made a contract with the town of Taunton to set up a bloomery there. A stock company was formed, one of the stock holders being Elizabeth Pole, who had bought Taunton from the Indians for a peck of beans.
"The Leonards called their bloomery Raynham forge, doubtless from Raynbam in England, which is the station where one alights to visit Belhus mansion at Aveley Easex, the head quarters of the English Leonards where the beautiful portraits are of our English ancestors. The owner, Sir Thomas Barrett Leonard, is a landed proprietor of at least 10,000 acres of land inberited from the early Leonards. It may be that James and Henry Leonard lived here in their boyhoods and had childhood's associations with Raynham, for which they named their forge. The site of this old forge which was carried on by seven generations of Leonards, was pointed out to me by my father, when as a child I rode with him through Raynham to Taunton.
"This was the parent forge for many others not only in this vicinity but all over the Atlantic sezboard of the United States, substantiating the famous saying "Wherever you find iron works you will find a Leonard." The proudest accomplishment of these various forges was in 1775, when Eliphalet Leonard of the fifth generation made in Easton the first bar of American steel.
"James Leonard was a warm friend of the good Indian chief Massasoit who used frequently to visit him, sleeping under his roof and eating his bread. James gave him every assistance in the repair of his guns and making his weapons and tools. Massasoit, before his death, required a solemn oath of his son Philip that he would never harm a Leonard, and Philip in 1675 in an imposing meeting in Taunton Church at which James Leonard was present, affixed his mark to a document promising peace with the men of Taunton. Philip's tribe molested the white settlers in Middleboro and New Bedford, but the inhabitants of Taunton and Bridgewater suffered little in King Philip's war, and no harm was done to the Leonards with Philip's consent. Thus the name of Leonard represents to Taunton not only splendid enterprise, but the hospitality and friendliness which secured safety for the town at a critical period. King Philip had a summer home near the Leonards, and Lake Nipenicket between Raynham and Bridgewater was a favorite fishing ground of his. There is a tradition that Philip's head was secreted after his death under the old Leonard house in Raynham.
"James Leonard, the immigrant, died in 1691. His wife, Mary Martin, had died earlier and he had married a second wife named Margaret."
Children of James1 Leonard and Mary Martin were:
277. Capt. James2 Leonard Jr. (James1);194,61 born circa 1643 at Pontypool, Monmouthshire, Wales;194,61 married Lydia Gulliver, daughter of Anthony Gulliver and Eleanor Kingsley, 29 Oct 1675 at Taunton, Bristol, MA;61,197 died 1 Nov 1726 at Taunton, Bristol, MA.194,61
He "OUR ancestor, Captain James Leonard (2), 1643-1726, son of James Leonard (1), the immigrant, and his wife, Mary Martin, was born in the old country and came to America as a small child. He was married three times, and had eleven children. His first wife was named Hannah. We are descended from his second wife, Lydia Gulliver, 1658-1705, of Milton, whose father, Hon. Anthony Gulliver, 1620-1706, an immigrant from Ireland, settled first in Braintree and then removed to Milton, was Representative at the Massachusetts Court in 1666 and died at the age of 86. Lydia herself died a year before her father at the age of 47. Her husband outlived her for twenty-one years and his third marriage to Rebecca Williams intervened. He is buried in the Neck-o-land graveyard."196
Children of Capt. James2 Leonard Jr. and Lydia Gulliver were:
278. Abigail3 Leonard (James2, James1);155,156 married Dr. Ezra Dean Jr., son of Ezra Dean and Bethia Edson;155,156 born 30 Jan 1683 at Taunton, Bristol, MA;155,156 died before 4 Mar 1726.155,156
Children of Abigail3 Leonard and Dr. Ezra Dean Jr. were: