Leek Family

First, I will begin with Major EM Woodward's genealogy of the Leek family from his 1883 History of Burlington County.

Capt. John Leak, an Englishman by birth, came to America at an early day and settled in Bass River, during which time he followed the occupation of surveyor. He married Martha, daughter of Samuel Rose, and took up his abiding place at Bridgeport. [This is disputed by a fellow researcher, Eugene Wills, who has visited this site. He claims that John Leek was actually born in 1736, in Little Egg Harbor, and that his father, also John, was born in Easthampton, Long Island in 1715. John's father was in turn Stephen Leek, born 1680 in Easthampton, who brought little John to Little Egg Harbor as an infant. See below for a summary]
His wife is said to have been a very beautiful woman, and attracted much attention by her beauty during her reign. John Leak became one of the leading men of the township of his adoption, and it is said he "fared sumptuously every day." Captain Leak's children were:

1. Samuel Leak, who married Sarah, daughter of Micajah Mathis, Sr. and had:
   • John Leak married Rosanna Allen and had:
     • Sarah Leak
     • Kesiah Leak
     • Mary Eliza Leak
     • Martha Leak
     • John Leak
     • Amy Leak
     • Phebe Leak
   • Stacy B. Leak, who married Hannah Adams, daughter of Hezekiah Adams and had:
     • William Leak
     • John Leak
     • Mary Ann Leak
     • Esther Leak
     • Achsah Leak
     • Hezekiah Leak
     • Abigail Leak
     • George Leak
   • other whose names we have no knowlege of
2. William Leak, who married Catherine Loveland. They had:
   • George Leak
   • William Leak
   • Catherine Leak
   • Elizabth Leak
   • Mary Leak
3. George Leak, who married Hannah Mathis
4. John Leak (see below for more on him)
5. Mary Leak, who married Joseph Allen of Bass River.
6. Achsah Leak who married Chalkey Cranmer, and after his decease she married Joseph Sears.
7. Phebe Leak, who married John Towers and had one child, Phoebe Towers.
8. Martha Leak, who married Reuben Clark.

From Eugene Wills, here is a slightly different genealogy of the Capt. John Leek Woodward described above. :
Phillip Leeke was born in England about 1611. By 1640, he was living in New Haven, CT., where his son, Ebeneezer, was born in 1645. Ebeneezer was the father in turn of Stephen Leeke, born 1680 in Easthampton, Long Island, who in turn was the father of John Leek, and grandfather of Capt. John Leek. The book "Blackman Revisited" explains how the genealogy in Woodward's book was incorrect and offers the above as a more accurate version.


Regarding John Leek, mentioned above, son of Capt. John Leek
I received this information regarding John from Eugene, a direct descendant:
John was born in the 1760s sometime, and married a Hepsibah Grant, born 1774. She was the daughter of William Grant (1730- ), and Esther Cramer (1740 - ). Esther was in turn the daughter of Stephen Cramer and Sarah Andrews (1702- ). Sarah Andrews was the daughter of Edward Andrews and Sarah Ong. Edward has the distinction of being the first white man in Little Egg Harbor township. When his father, Samuel Andrews, died in 1693, he left Edward 300 acres in Mansfield Township, and in 1698 his mother (Mary Wright) died and Edward got 300 more acres. He sold those 600 acres and purchased, in 1699, 500 acress in Little Egg from the Governor of NJ. _______________________

• Isa Leek (nee Peterson) left a wonderful diary from her childhood in Pleasant Mills in the early 20th century; she mentions a George Leek in that diary and states that his mother lived at Batsto.
• According to a placard in the Batsto visitor center, Phebe Leek was the daughter of John Chester Leek. She married Andrew Etheridge on 31 Jan 1882 at Hammonton, and moved to Atsion about 1892. There she died on 24 Jan 1913.
• George and Isa Leek were later the parents of Carl, Laura, and George Leek
• The following bit of Leek genealogy was printed in the Batsto Citizen's Gazzette, vol. XXIII #1: Philip Leek was born in England and immmigrated to Connecticut; he was the father of Ebenezer Leek, who moved to Long Island and fathered Stephen Leek, who moved to Little Egg Harbor and fathered John Leek (born ca. 1714 in Easthampton NY). John married Phebe Devinney. (This is in agreement with "Blackman Revisited" and the information from Eugene Wills mentioned above).
• A visitor to this site, Rob, has provided this bit of info regarding the Leek family of Wading River:

   
  Maja Leek was born about March 1818 in Wading River; he married Sarah Cavileer, born in Wading River about July 1817. Maja died on May 1, 1865 in Wading River; his wife died there in February of 1899. Their children were:
  Charles W. Leek (1842-1862) 
  Josephine Leek (25 March 1846-14 March 1855) 
  George W. Leek (1842-1862) 
  All three children were born and died in Wading River.
  The above information was taken from headstones in the Wading River Cemetery.
  

This page was last updated on Feb 19th, 2006.