Samuel Leonard (abt. 1643 - aft. 1720)

Born about 1643 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Abigail (Wood) Leonard — married about 1675 (to about 1697) in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony

Husband of Deborah (Unknown) Leonard — married about 1699 in Preston, New London, Connecticut Colony [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after 30 Nov 1720 after about age 77 in Preston, New London, Connecticut Colony

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Biography

Samuel Leonard was born about 1643 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony. His parents were Solomon and Sarah (Chandler) Leonard. His birth is estimated based on his being the earliest surviving child of parents married about 1640. Sarah's grandfather was James Chilton, Mayflower passenger, who died on the ship in 1620. Samuel qualifies as a fourth generation Mayflower passenger descendant.

Solomon's parents moved from Duxbury to the area that would become Bridgewater, Plymouth Colony in 1656. Samuel's father died by May 1671, when Samuel confirmed a deed from his deceased father to his brother John (book 3 p. 199). Samuel, as the oldest son, acted often in the settlement of his father's estate (book 4 p. 5; book 5 p. 179). Samuel became the administrator of Solomon's estate in 1675.^[1]

Samuel married Abigail Wood, daughter of John and Sarah (Masterson) Wood alias Atwood, by about 1675, in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony.^[2] On 7 March 1675/6 Abigail Leonard was mentioned as a daughter of John Wood, deceased, in the division of his estate.^[3]

Samuel and Abigail had children, all born in Bridgewater:

1. Elizabeth (ca 1676), married Thomas Clark in 1703
2. Mary (ca 1680), married Edward Newton, then David Brigham
3. Samuel (ca 1683), married Lydia Cooke
4. Mercy (1684), married Richard Adams

Samuel moved his family to Quinsigamond (later named Worcester), Massachusetts Bay Colony by about 1690. His brother Jacob had settled there earlier, but Jacob returned to Bridgewater in about 1693 due to Indian attacks. Samuel's 12-year-old son Samuel was taken captive during an Indian attack in 1695, and he did not return to his family until after his mother's death. Abigail died in Worcester about 1697. Continued Indian attacks drove most white settlers out of the area.^[1]

Samuel removed with his daughters to Preston, New London, Connecticut Colony, where in 1698 he was among the twelve founders of the 1st Congregational Church of Preston.^[4]

Samuel married, second, Deborah (Unknown), in about 1699.^[5] Deborah was apparently a much younger woman. Samuel and Deborah had children together:

1. Abigail (ca 1700), married Isaac Read in 1722^[6]
2. Phebe (bp. 17 October 1703), "child of Goodman Leonardson", married Isaac Canada^[7]

The Leonard book provisionally attributes Abigail to Samual and Deborah. No Preston church records exist for the birth or baptism of an Abigail Leonard. However, in 2018 the Mayflower Society began approving applications claiming descent through her (she and Isaac had a number of known children). Abigail would have been named for Samuel's deceased first wife, a common practice for that time. She is linked as a daughter of Samuel on WikiTree. See the Mayflower Descendant v. 57 pp. 71-75 for a detailed analysis.^[8]

The Leonard book also speculates that Deborah was a daughter of John Leonard of Springfield, Massachusetts Colony, born there in 1663.^[9] This Deborah is otherwise unaccounted for, and she would have still been barely within her childbearing years around 1700.

On 4 November 1716 the wife of Samuel Leonardson, presumably Deborah, was admitted to the Preston church.^[4]

Samuel's only son Samuel died on 11 May 1718, in Preston.^[10] Shortly after that Samuel sold all of his own Preston properties to his son-in-law Thomas Clark of Norwich.^[1]

In 1719 Samuel conveyed land in Worcester that was likely his house lot to John Beman of Deerfield. The deed was witnessed by a Rachel Leonard.^[1]

On 30 November 1720 Samuel appears on the list of founding members of the North Church of Preston (later the First Congregational Church of Griswold). His daughter Mercy and her husband Richard Adams, and Lydia, widow of his son Samuel, are also on the list. His wife is not on the list, which makes it likely that she had died by that date.^[11]

Samuel probably died shortly after this, as no other records have been found for him. His church admittance date is typically used as his death date on General Society of Mayflower Descendants applications.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Leonard, Manning, Memorial: Genealogical, Historical, and Biographical, of Solomon Leonard, 1637, of Duxbury and Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and some of His Descendants. (1896) pp.34-36 InternetArchive
2. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. Torrey, v.2 p. 941 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. NEHGS member site
   • Text: "LEONARD, Samuel (1643-1720) & 1/wf Abigail [WOOD?/ ATWOOD?] (-1698±); by 1676; Plymouth/Norwich, CT {Warner-Harrington 126, 407, 795; Plymouth (Davis) 7?; Jennings 568; ?Worcester (1914) 122?; Benton 84; Leonard (,2) 33, 34; Newton (,4) 41, 169; Drown (ms) 84; Preston Rec. (ms) 1:L.M}"
3. ↑ Mayflower Families 15:20, citing Plymouth County probate records 1:338-339
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Preston, CT: First Congregational Church Records, 1698-1898. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: First Congregational Church of Preston, Connecticut, 1698-1898 : together with statistics of the church taken from church records. Preston, Conn.: The Society, 1900. page 14 page 4 NEHGS member site
5. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. Torrey, v.2 p.941 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. NEHGS member site
   • Text: "LEONARD, Samuel (1643-1720) & 2/wf Deborah ____; by 1703, by 1701?; Preston, CT {Leonard (,2) 34, 36; Newton (,4) 41, 169; Warner-Harrington 407}"
6. ↑ Norwich CT: Vital Records of Norwich, 1659-1848. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.) Originally published as: Vital Records of Norwich, 1659-1848. Hartford, Society of colonial wars in the state of Connecticut, 1913. NEHGS member site
7. ↑ Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870 Windham p.50 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. NEHGS member site
8. ↑ Mayflower Descendant: A Journal of Pilgrim Genealogy and History. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1899- . v.57 pp.71-75 (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010) NEHGS member site
9. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). NEHGS member site
10. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSC-NF12 : 15 April 2022), Samuell Leonardson, ; citing Death, Preston, New London, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 007833262.
11. ↑ First Congregational Church, Griswold, Connecticut; FHL 1008714, DGS 8138514, image 11 FamilySearch

• Mayflower Families Vol. 15 p. 8, 20