DESCENDANTS OF JOHN LEECH, b. 1768, SC

Last Update:   15 Nov 2003
 

The John Leech whose descendants we trace here is the son of a John Leech who died in Spartanburg County, SC in 1799.  Anna Laura Griffith has published a book, "LEACH - LEECH 1700-1985".  Three other sons of John Leech of Spartanburg, SC  moved to Livingston County, KY either before or shortly after 1799, and she has the most information on those sons.  The material Anna gathered in South Carolina also provides clues as to the relationship of this Leech family with the Leeches in neighboring York County, SC.  It seems reasonable to assume that they are all cousins, but we may never know their precise relationships.  Anna will mail you her book if you write her at 940 Poyners Chapel Rd., Mayfield, KY, and enclose a check for $25.

Anna, however, has only about a half a page of information about this John Leech, on page 75.  I follow Anna's generation numbers.
I especially wish to thank my cousin Charlotte Mazurik, who provided the nucleus of this compilation.

How did you get here?

If you reached here through the Hardin County, Iowa Genweb site, click here to see the descendants of JOSEPH LEECH, who moved from Hart County, KY to Hardin County, IA in either 1857 or 1858.

If you reached here through the Todd County, Kentucky Genweb site, click here to see the descendants of SIMEON B. LEECH, who moved from Hart County, KY to Todd County, KY about 1884.  SIMEON is a son of the above JOSEPH LEECH.

Otherwise?

If you decide to browse through this compilation, I must warn you about its organization.  This JOHN LEECH had several children.  3 of his children and their descendants have their own web pages.  (My html file got too big to work on;  my computer lacked the memory so that when I made new entries, I could type an entire line before it echoed.  I may yet subdivide those pages.)  These children are:
 

CHILD	Descendants to:	Chief Surnames
HENRY	Hart County, KY Metcalfe County, KY Macon County, IL Clark County, IN Hardin County, KY Jefferson County, KY Dallas County, TX Carroll County, AR eastern ID	LEECH or LEACH BUNNELL GUPTON RICHARDSON HUNTER DRANE
TABITHA	Hart County, KY Green County, KY Laclede County, KY St. Clair County, MO Hickory County, MO Polk County, MO Johnson County, TX	OWEN HARDY STAPLES ANDERSON WITHERS EMBRY WILLIAMS OSBORN EDWARDS FRAZIER MEREDITH RICHARDSON SEYMOUR ADAIR LOCKE  MIDDLETON
JOSEPH	Hart County, KY Barren County, KY Hardin County, IA Todd County, KY	LEECH or LEACH MYERS MARTIN JOHNSON

Descendants of JOHN LEECH by his other children, including his daughter SARAH who married JACOB LIGHT, remain on this page.  At least for now...
 

Generation No. 0

possibly, JOHN LEECH and SUSANNAH McILHENNY.  I assume that this is an immigrant couple from Ulster, of Scots descent, who arrived in Philadelphia.

Sources:  John Cooper, family oral tradition, and Larry Clayton .    Larry Clayton believes that the LEECHes emigrated from Strabane, County Tyrone.  Certainly, one of the upcounty South Carolina Leeches gave his birthplace as Strabane.

Generation No. 1

(a) DAVID LEECH.

OR

(b) WILLIAM LEECH and CHARLOTTE WOLFE.

Sources:  (a) Anna Laura Griffith, (b) John Cooper.

Generation No. 2

JOHN2 LEECH, b. about 1734, probably in Pennsylvania, and died 1799, Spartanburg County, SC.  He married SARAH COLLINS, daughter of THOMAS COLLINS.  SARAH COLLINS was born 1738, and died 1809, Livingston Co., KY.  Children of JOHN LEECH and SARAH COLLINS include:

i.  David3 LEECH, b 1764 SC d 1839 MS never married
ii. Jane3 LEECH, b1766 SC married John Vaughn,
iii. Ellender3 LEECH, b1768 SC married Samuel Underwood
iv. John3 LEECH , b1774 SC
v. William3 LEECH, b1775 SC d 6 Jun 1836 TX (died in the War of Texas Independence), married Mary Watson  John Cooper is decended from William.
vi. Joseph3 LEECH, b1776 SC d KY married Margaret Smith
vii. James S3. LEECH, b1779 SC d 1863 KY married Martha Drennon.  Anna Laura Griffith is descended from James.
viii. Susannah LEECH, b1783 SC d 1848 SC married Lemuel Loftis.

Source:  John Cooper, but his source could be Anna Laura Griffith, who has the same information.  These children are listed in the will of John LEECH, probated 1799, Spartanburg, SC.  Anna Laura Griffith's book is principally about the descendants of this JAMES S3. LEECH, but has good information on the descendants of William3 Leech as well.

(2) 1790 Census, South Carolina, Spartanburg County.
 

Captain	page	column	row	name	white males  16+	white males  under 16	white females	other free	slaves
Ephriam Reece	17	1	18	John Letch	4	2	4		1
Ephriam Reece	17	1	1	John Muckelheney	2		2		1
Ephriam Reece	17	1	12	Margeret Muckelhaney	0	1	3
Ephriam Reece	16	2	32	Thomas Collins	3		3
Ephriam Reece	16	1	7	John Vaughan	1		4		1
13	13	1	19	Thomas Underwood	4	1	4		3
Samuel Snoddy	17	1	28	John Collins	1	1	2		7

vaughan, underwood, loftis...

Generation No. 3

1.  JOHN LEECH ("Jack LEECH") (JOHN2, DAVID1, UNKNOWN0) was born September 07, 1768 in York Co. SC, and died March 09, 1844 in Rowletts, Hart Co. Ky.  He married ELEANOR McHENRY Abt. 1794. She was born December 1765 and died September 03, 1843.

Records of this JOHN LEECH:

1800 Barren County Tax List 
1800 (28 Oct)  Barren County Order Book 1 - One of 5 men ordered to view for a road from Glasgow to Boiling Springs on Green River.
1801 (25 August) Gives Power of Attorney to David Leach of Livingston Co KY to receive due him from SC
         ( Source: Barren Co Deed Book A, p. 90 )
1802 (23 Nov) witnessed lease or sale of lands on Green River in Hardin County from
         Phillip Rowlett of Halifax Co. VA to Wm. Richardson. (Barren County Deeds)
1807 (5 Aug) Jack Leech sold horses to Richard Davidson (Barren County Deed Book B, page 151) .
1807 (17 Oct) Barren County land grant, 52 acres, no watercourse
1810 Barren County Census, microfilm page 33.  John Leach is at the bottom of original page 54:
         the microfilm page 33 is a composite of pages 54 and 55.
 

ages	males	females
under 10	1 (x)	1 (ix)
10 to under 16	1 (Joseph)	2 (Sarah and Tabitha)
16 to under 26	1 (Henry)	0
26 to under 45	1  (John)	1  (Eleanor)
45 and older	0	0

1819 Hart County Tax List (Hart County created 1819 from Barren (south bank of
         Green River) and Hardin (north bank of Green River) Counties)
1819 (2 Jul) Hart County land grant, 25 acres, on Green River
1820 Hart County Census - oldest male is 45 or older
     Asel Leach (possible son) in this census only.

1 male, 16 to 18.  matches x below.
2 males, to 26.  Joseph and either Henry or William.
1 male, to 45.  Either Henry or William.
1 male over 45.  John.

2 females, 17 to 26.  SARAH, and one other not named below.  Tabitha is in the household of Peter Owen.
1 female, to 45.  Eleanor.  Doesn't agree with 1830 or 1840 census ages.

1830 Census, Kentucky, Hart County, page 217, line 15 (Leach John)
     first appearance of known son  Joseph as head of household in the census.

1 male, 50 - 59.  John.
2 females, under 5.  I assume these are grandchildren.
1 female, 5 -9.  I assume these are grandchildren.
2 females, 20-29.  Daughters or daughters-in-law?  SARAH would be in Jacob Light's household.  One could be MARY LEECH, widow of WILLIAM LEECH, and the grandchildren would be their children.  HENRY LEECH is not a head of household in the 1830 Census, but he would have had 2 sons at enumeration time.
1 female, 60-69.  Eleanor.

1840 Hart County Census.
     1 male 70-79.   1 female, 20-29, 1 female 70-79.  Last appearance in census.
1843 died, buried Leech Cemetery, Rowletts, KY.  Photo   (Thanks to Donna Probus for the photo.)

All this is consistent with one couple that settled near Rowletts, KY in the late 1790s and died in the 1840s.  The next John Leech to appear in the census (1850) of this part of Kentucky (Barren Co., KY) was John Beaucamp Leech, who is this couple's grandson.

Children of JOHN LEECH and ELEANOR McHENRY LEECH are:

i.  SIMEON LEECH, b. Abt. 1775.
ii.  JAMES LEACH, m. POLLY JOHNSTON 24 Jul 1807, Barren County, KY ;
2. iii.  HENRY LEECH , b. June 02, 1794, probably Spartanburg County, SC; d. January 29, 1849, Hart Co. Ky. 55y 7m 26 d.
3. iv.  TABITHA LEECH , b. July 27, 1795,  probably Spartanburg County, SC ; d. August 28, 1843, Hart Co., KY.
4. v.  WILLIAM LEECH.   b. either Spartanburg County, SC, or Hart County, KY, d. about 1830..  He married MARY UNKNOWN.  She was born either 04 Feb 179x, and died 04 May 18xx (after the 1850 census, it would appear).  She is buried in the Leech Cemetery, Rowletts, Hart County, KY.  I believe William may also be buried there, but his grave is not marked.  I also believe this is the same Mary Leech who appears as a head of household in the 1840 census of Hart County, and in the household of Thomas N. Markham in the 1850 census of Hart County.
5. vi.  JOSEPH LEECH , b. August 03, 1798,  probably Woodsonville, Barren (later Hart) County KY; d. March 13, 1872, Union, Hardin Co. Ia bur Shepard cem. NW of Union. 73y 7m 10da.
6. vii.  SARAH  LEECH ("Sallie")  b. 10 Dec 1799, Barren Co., KY. (probably Woodsonville, Barren (later Hart) County KY). d. (of cancer) 12 Dec 1856, Hart Co., KY.  She married JACOB LIGHT.  Death certificate lists her parents as J J and ELIZABETH LEECH (Gorin, Hart County Deaths).
7. viii.  ASEL LEECH, b. 1801?.
ix. daughter, b. between 1800 and 1810.  See 1810, 1820, possibly 1840 censuses.
x.  son, born 1803 or 1804.  See 1820 census.  It's possible that this is William (see above), and his wife Mary is several years older than him.

Other people probably not children of JOHN and ELEANOR LEECH

x. LILLY ANN LEECH, b. 1807?.  She is listed as the daughter of JAMES and CELIA LEECH.  I suspect a transcriptional error here, that this is a daughter of JOSEPH and CELIA TURPIN LEECH, and she belongs (as you will find her) in Generation No. 5.  The source for this is Gorin, Hart County Deaths.  However, see 1810 census listing.
xi. MALINDA WISEMAN, b. 1811/2.  In Union Township, Hardin County, IA, 1870 census (household 155/154).
 

Wiseman

Malinda

58

F

W

keeping house

Kentucky

MALINDA WISEMAN  is buried with JOSEPH and CELIA TURPIN LEECH .  More below.

xii.  The MARY PAGE .buried in the Leech Cemetery, Rowletts, Hart Co., KY.  is not a LEECH; as she was born in Virginia..   (b. 15 Mar 1803.  d. 15 Jan 1875.)  She married WILLIAM PAGE.  I suspect she is a sister of PETER OWEN, the husband of TABITHA LEECH.  Here is their household listing for the 1840 Census of Hart County, KY, page 208, line 9.
 

1 male, under 5	Hiram?
2 males, 10 to 14	Albert, John?
1 male, 30 to 39	William
1 female, under 5	Eleanor, one  under 3
2 females,  5 to 9	Rachel
1 female, 30 to 39	Mary

Here they are in the 1850 Census of Hart County, KY, page 223A, line 29-35.
 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
29	637	645	William Page	46	M		Farmer	600	Georgia
30			Mary      Do	46	F				Virginia
31			Albert    Do	24	M		Farmer		Kentucky
32			Hiram J Do	17	M		Farmer		"
33			Rachel  Do	15	F				"
34			Eleanor (?)  Do	13	F				"		1
35			Lilly A Do	10	F				"		1

Here she is in the 1860 Census of Hart County, KY, District No. 1, page 3, lines 29-32 (Post Office Horse Cave, microfilm p. 723).  This household follows the household of R and ANN E HARPER, where one can find MARTIN VAN BUREN OWEN.
 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
29	24	23	William Page	56	M		Farmer	1000	1000	Georgia
30			Mary Page	56	f					Virginia
31			Rachel Page	24	f					Kentucky
32			Elmine Page	21	f					Do

1870 Census of Kentucky, Hart County, The 5th Elective Precinct, page 14 (page 246B on the microfilm), household 90/90 (lines 11-15)
 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
11	90	90	Page William	66	M	W	Farmer	700	1000	Ga									1
12			____ Mary	66	F	W	Keeping House			Va
13			McCulluh Minie	32	F	W				Ky
14			___  Minnie M	8	F	W	at School			"					1
15			___ George W	6	M	W	"      "			Ohio					1

Original compilation from Charlotte Mazurik, my notes in italics.
Sources
(1)  Bible records held by Maxine Turner.  This appears to have passed through JOSEPH LEECH's family.
(2)  Barren Co. Marriage records Barren Co. Ky.  None of this information appears here.

Other Sources:
(1) ELEANOR's maiden name from Neil Owen Klockziem; I already suspected that this was her maiden name, and I further suspect that she is the daughter of a DAVID McHENRY.
(2) Census Records 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870 (Hart County, KY), also Hardin County IA (1860 and 1870).
(3) Other sources identified within.

Notes:  i. and ii. from Charlotte don't work.  If SIMEON4 LEECH (i.) is John Leech’s son, the date is wrong, if it is his brother, he is not mentioned in the will of John Leech, died 1799, Spartanburg, SC.  Same for (ii.). John Leech did have a brother James, who settled in Caldwell County, KY (then part of Livingston Co.), and married a Martha Drennan in Livingston Co., KY, March 11, 1806.   James appears to be in Spartanburg County, SC in the 1800 census.

JAMES and SIMEON are family names (watch out for them below).   ix. could be one of these people, so the date of birth for one of these men would be these men.  The names JOHN SIMEON, JOSEPH SIMEON, and JOHN S. appear more than once below, and I suspect thati x. was JOHN SIMEON LEECH, given name SIMEON, and may have died in the 1820s.  Alternatively, both of these men might be born in the early 1790s or even the late 1780s, so they might have moved west before the 1810 or 1820 census.

There is also in the IGI, a David LEACH married Roxanne TALBOTT,  15 Sep 1812, Barren Co, KY

Generation No. 4

4.  WILLIAM LEECH .  (JOHN3, JOHN2, DAVID1, UNKNOWN0)   b. 179x.  d. ~1839.  He married MARY UNKNOWN, about 1823.  She was born either sometime in the 1790s (probably the late 1790s), or in 1804/5, and died after the 1850 Census.

Children of WILLIAM LEECH and MARY UNKNOWN are:

i. GIRL LEECH, b. Abt. 1823, died in the 1830s. Last Found 1830.
ii. BOY LEECH, b. Abt. 1827. Last Found 1840.
28. iii. EMILY H LEECH, b. 1826/7.  Last Found 1870.
iv. ELIZABETH H. LEECH, b. 1828.  Also found in the 1870 Census of Hart County , and the 1880 Census of Hart County .   Last Found 1880.
v.  SARAH A. LEECH, b. 1839/40, Kentucky.  Last Found 1850.

I suspected one or two of these girls may have married BURDs and are buried in the Old Burd Burial Ground near Lonoke, Hart County, but this is evidently not so.  The MRS. BURDS are CELIA BROOKS (Mrs. OWEN BURD); LUCY ANN BROOKS (Mrs. CHARLES O. BURD) and MARY ELIZABETH BROOKS (Mrs. ARNOLD THOMAS BURD).  Source for this is Gorin, Hart County Births.

Sources:
(1) Leech Cemetery, Rowletts, Hart County, Co., as found in Gorin, Hart County Cemeteries, Volumes 1 and 5;
(2) Hart County Census 1830;
(3) Hart County Census 1840; page 200, line 9:  Mary Leech.  1 male, 10 to 14, 2 females 10 to 14, 1 female 30 to 39.  

(4) 1850 Census, Kentucky, Hart County, 104th page, lines 14-18.
Enumerated on the 10th day of Aug 1850, John W Barrett, Ass't Marshal

(4) 1880 Census, Kentucky, Hart County, ED 76, page 12, line 11

7.  ASEL LEECH (JOHN3, JOHN2, DAVID2, UNKNOWN0) was born Abt. 1802. He married LEECH b. about 1803.

Notes for ASEL LEECH:

1820 Hart Co Ky census Ansel Leech.   Next household after John Leech.  However, this means that the original enumerators encountered no heads of household whose last name began with L between those two households.  It does not necessarily suggest that they lived in the same area of Hart County.  It's possible that this is a LEACH from Adair County;  that family tends to use mostly Old Testament names.

Fry, Polly married Leach, Ashael on 27 May 1818 in Caldwell County, Kentucky.

If this is the same couple as we find below in the 1820 census of Hart County, then he would most likely be a nephew of John Leech and Elizabeth McHenry:

U-10 m 16-18 U -10 f 16 - 18

1 1 1 1

Children of ASEL LEECH and LEECH are:

i. BOY5 LEECH, b. Abt. 1819.
ii. GIRL5 LEECH, b. Abt. 1819.

Compiled by Charlotte Mazurik.
Source:  1820 Census, Hart County.
 

Generation No. 5

8. through 15. - children of HENRY LEECH and ELIZABETH WILHELM
16. through 27.   - children of TABITHA LEECH and WILLIAM PETER OWEN 

28.  EMILY H LEECH (WILLIAM4 LEECH, JOHN3, JOHN2, DAVID1, UNKNOWN0)  was born 1826/7, Kentucky (probably Hart County) and died sometime in the 1870s.  She married THOMAS N MARCUM (or MARKHAM), b. 1825/6, Virginia, d. after 1854.  Children of  THOMAS N MARCUM and EMILY H LEECH include:

i,  MARY C. MARCUM, b. ~1854, Kentucky, but not found in Hart County Births.

She then married JOHN D SMITH (16 May 1826, Barren Co., Ky - 18 Aug 1910, Canmer, Hart Co., Ky) son of ARTHUR SMITH and wife MARY WILHELM of Barren County, KY.  I believe they had two children:

ii.  CHARLES GILLUM SMITH, b. 1863/4, Hart County, KY.
iii.  JOHN L. SMITH, b. 1866/7, Hart County, KY.

Thanks to John P. Grady.

4) 1850 Census, Kentucky, Hart County, 104th page, lines 14-18.
Enumerated on the 10th day of Aug 1850, John W Barrett, Ass't Marshal

1860 Census, Kentucky, Hart County, District No 1, page 67, rows 34-35.  Post Office: Green River.  Enumerated on the 19th day of July, 1860 by Wm J Burton, Ass't Marshal.

1860 Census, Kentucky, Hart County,District No. 1, page 64,  Post Office: Green River.  Enumerated on the 17th day of July, 1860 by Wm J Burton, Ass't Marshal.

1870 Census, Kentucky, Hart County, 3rd Election Precinct, page 14, rows 37-40 and page 15, rows 1-4.  Post Office:  Green River.  
Enumerated on the 12 day of July, 1870 by E. H. Smith, Ass't Marshal.