William Leetch of Mecklenburg Co. married Naomi Knox, aunt of President Polk, and moved to Lawrence County, Ala. He and his family appear to have been considerably more prominent than the Leitch/Leeches of 6S-9W Sec 1 in Lawrence Co. William and his brother, James apparently came to America from Ireland near the end of the 18th Century, much later than the York Co. Leech family. His brother James married Sophia Kennedy.

The 1830 Lawrence Co. census shows 2 John Leitch's. One of the them was the John Leech of western Lawrence Co., discussed below, and other was probably the son of the wealthy William Leetch in the paragraph above.

[Over a period of several years the writer has gradually pieced together the identity of John Leitch, my ggg grandfather. Although no documentary evidence has been found proving his York Co. SC origin, the indirect evidence appears to be conclusive]:

The SC Militia was active in the War of 1812. John Leach/Leech is listed as a private in Youngblood's Regiment 1. Many of Andrew Jackson's army returning from the Battle of New Orleans were said to have settled in the Mt. Hope area of Lawrence Co. John Leech of York Co. SC may have been one of these. There were three Youngblood families in the 1820 (state) Lawrence Co. census.

Capt. David Leech had large holdings on Turkey Creek in sw York Co. He divided the property among his children. By 1816 his son, James Leech had died and mentioned his deceased parents. He also mentioned John and Eleanor Leech.

In 1818 John Leech sold his 223 acres on Turkey Cr. to Thomas Gwyn. It was bounded on the south by property of James Leech. The same year 531 acres on Turkey Creek from the estate of James Leech was conveyed to John Blair (perhaps the John Dickey Blair who in 1820 married John Leech's daughter Clarissa Finetta Leech). The same year James Dickey, acting as executor of John Dickey conveyed 300a on Bullocks Creek to John Blair. (These two deeds may have been to John Dickey Blair, or they may have been to another John Blair, a man who had lots of property in the area.)

William Ash and William Ash, Jr. lived nearby. William Ash, private, and William B. Ash, corporal, are list in McWillie's 2nd Regiment SC Militia for the War of 1812. (A William Ash in the 1820 Lawrence Co. (State) census was married to Sarah Leech, Clarissa's sister.)

In Lawrence Co. AL about 1820 John Leach acquired 320a from the state in the se quarter of Sec. 1 and the ne quarter of Sec. 12 of Twp 6S R9W from the Huntsville Meridian. This is in western Lawrence Co. a few miles north of the Mt Hope community. This was the John Leitch who appeared in the 1820 census, and his son was David Leech who appeared next door to him. This John Leitch/Leach/Leech appears to be the son either of Capt. David Leech of York or of his brother William Leech of York.) His sons were David and William Clarke Leech.(In 1810 there was a William Clarke in York Co., which suggests the possibility that he may have been William Clarke Leech's grandfather.)

The 1830 Lawrence Co. census shows a number of families congregated around John Leitch/Leech in what became the Hatton area:
John Leitch (Leech)
William Ash (his son-in-law)
William Davis (he appraised Leech's estate in 1835)
John Moore (there were Leech-Moore connections in SC, and before that in PA.)
James Moore
William Dickey
Samuel T. King (father of Rev. Robert King)

All of these surnames are found earlier in York Co. SC in close proximity to the Leech family there. Of particular interest is the proximity of Samuel T. King to the Leech extended family. Samuel T. King and David Leech were close neighbors in York, SC, perhaps Franklin, TN, Lawrence AL and Lafayette MS. Two of Samuel's sons married daughters of David Leech. Some of their children moved together to Izaard Co. AR.

William Davis and his brother, Josiah, were sons of Capt. William Davis and his wife, Martha Spence, who were married in York Co. SC in 1783. The other surnames show up at various places in this file.

In 1836 William Clarke Leech acquired 40 acres immediately west of his father's farm. John Leech had died perhaps a few months before. The estate papers of John Leech in Lawrence Co. give us a good picture of the size and shape of his family at his death. Administrators were William Clarke Leech and William Ash.

1835 July term of Orphans court: Re the estate of John Leech Wm C. Leitch and William Ash appointed admins on bond of Abel Johnson and Samuel Henderson. (There was a Samuel Henderson, son of Nathaniel Henderson and his first wife Esther in York Co. Nathan died in 1794 ad Esther in 1789 and both had wills.)

1835 Appraisors were appointed for John Leech's estate: David Martin William Johnson William Moore William Davis Josiah Davis

The final settlement in 1838 names John Leech's wife and children: Following heirs to share an equal part of his estate: David Leetch William Ash, in right of his wife Sarah, formerly Leetch. Abel Johnston, in right of his wife Jane, formerly Leetch. John D. Blair, in right of his wife Clarissa F., formerly Leetch. William C. Leetch (In another document the C appears as Clarke) Eleanor Leetch, widow of the deceased.

The Ash, Johnston/Johnson, and Blair families were all neighbors of John Leech in sw York Co. SC, although Abel Johnston was said to have been born in KY (A number of upstate SC Scotch-Irish settlers went to western KY about 1800 to claim bounty lands there.)

Some of the descendants of William and Sarah Leetch Ash live in Lawrence Co. today, and perhaps on the very land owned by their ancestors in the early 19th century. A descendant who lives at or very near the original Leech and/or Ash property reported that Sarah Leech Ash (1795-1877) was buried at Fergason, Lawrence Co. AL (From the listing above one might assume that David was born ante 1795, and the various census reports place him roughly in the decade of the nineties.

in 1818 Andrew Blair entered 80a in Sec. 15 of 6S9W. That's immediately south of John Leech's farm. Andrew was the father of John Dickey Blair, who in 1820 married Clarissa F. Leech. John Dickey Blair's mother was Jane Dickey Blair, daughter of John Dickey of York Co.SC and Logan Co. KY. Jane, although a native of York Co. SC, married Andrew Blair in Logan Co. KY. He was from Guilford County NC. Surprisingly another John Blair had land dealings in York Co. with Dickey and Leech.

Before 1830 John D. and Clarissa Leetch Blair moved to Gibson Co. TN and had the following children:

1. Andrew Burney Blair, born October 11, 1825 in Huntsville, Alabama, who married Harriett Amanda Dullap on October 10, 1850. 2. Martha J. Blair, born November 12, 1821 in Alabama, who married a Mr. Harley. 3. Albert G. Blair, born August 31, 1823 in Alabama, who married Sarah J. Cupp. 4. Sarah Eleanor Blair, born May 8, 1828 in Gibson County, Tennessee, who married John Rankin Billingsley on May 10, 1854. 5. John L. BLair, born April 14, 1830 in Gibson County, Tennessee. 6. Mary Caroline Blair, born November 4, 1832 in Gibson, COunty, Tennessee, who married a Mr. Baker. 7. Amanda E. Blair, born February 6, 1835 in Gibson County, Tennessee who married Simeon Smith. 8. Lucy A. Blair, born December 6, 1837 in Gibson County, Tennessee. 9. James Hester Blair, born February 18, 1843 in Gibson County, Tennessee, who married Lenora Adeline Ham on December 26, 1878. 10. Syrena A. Blair, born October 28, 1839 in Gibson County, Tennessee.

John D. Blair's grandfather was John Dickey, a name that appears as a close neighbor of Leech in York Co. SC.

Abel Johnston's origin is unclear (There was an earlier man of that name in upstate SC.). KY is given as the birthplace of our Abel. In 1830 there were three William Johnson's in the Lawrence Co. census, and one of them, who had property adjacent to or near the Leech farm, may well have been the father of Abel Johnston. (Thanks for the help of Bill Hodges, Tony Collier, and other Johnston researchers.)

Abel Johnston married Jane Leetch in Lawrence Co. in 1824. Abel Johnston's wife, Jane Leetch, died in 1844 in Marion Co. Al and was buried at the Free Will Baptist Church cemetery in Detroit, Lamar Co. AL, a few miles from Mississippi. Abel moved on to Lafayette Co. MS where in 1850 he married Ruth Frazer. He acquired property a few miles from the farm of John A Leech, the son of David Leech. Abel and Ruth are both buried in the cemetery at the old (extinct) town of Dallas in SE Lafayette Co.

The children of Abel and Jane Leech Johnston were:

1. Elizabeth, born 1825 md James M Jones.
2. Robert born 1826 md Margaret M.Y.Frazier in 1853.
3. Mary C Johnston b 1828
4. Wm Charles b 1834 md 17 year old Jane Emeline King in 1856, dau of James Harvey and Jane Madison Hope King. They had 2 children: Roxie and Charles William Johnston.(8 children) Charles William and family lived and died in Toccapola in Pontotoc, just across the Lafayette line. (Wm Charles died in the Civil War and was buried at Shiloh.)
5. John I. Johnstone was listed in the 1850 census, age 13, birthplace Alabama. John Johnston md Margaret Dunlap in Lafayette County on 30 October 1855. (another correspondent, Jerry Johnston stated that John Lewis Johnston, b 1837 md Amanda Bowles in 1860.)
6. Samuel M. Johnston was listed in the 1850 census, age 11, born Alabama.
7. Albert Monroe Johnston was listed in the 1850 census, age 9, birthplace Alabama. Albert M.Johnston md Eliza K. Bowles in Lafayette County on 17 January 1867. (They were the ancestors of Jerry Johnston .)
8. David F. Johnston was listed in the 1850 census at the age of 6, birthplace Alabama.

A William C Leech is found in the 1850 census for Lowndes Co. MS. He may likely be the son of John Leech of Lawrence Co., but he seems to have lived with the Leech family who had come from western KY after moving from Spartanburg SC at the turn of the century.

William Clarke Leech mentioned by Annie Laura as one of the Ky clan who came down to MS: p. 12: "There was another Leech that was in Columbus MS and buried in the Tabernacle cemetery in Pickens Co. AL.....near Columbus, that I could not place, but feel sure he should be added to this family.

"William Clark Leech, born 1808 in S.C. and died 1864 in Lowndes Co., MS, buried in the Tabernacle cemetery, Carrollton, aL. He married Jane McReynolds, born 1820 and died 1864 in MS. Two known children. 1. Lavonia Annie Leech, md 1881 in Alcorn Co. MS to Thomas Andrew Lofton. 2. William Peden Leech, b. 29 Feb. 1852; died 1 Mar 1853 in MS, buried in the Tabernacle cemetery.

If this (Lowndes Co.) Wm Clark Leech is the son of our John Leech of Lawrence Co. AL, it demonstrates that there was a continuing relation between the York Co. and Spartanburg Co. Leech cousins who had gone to western Ky, some of whom came back south to eastern MS. More infomation on this man's identity would be very welcome.

Joseph Leech, brother of John Leitch

Recall that Hart's list of the children of David Leech, Esq included a Joseph as well as a John. He had no information about either of these two men (We've described John Leech, whom we suppose to be his son John. There was also a Joseph Leech in and around Lawrence Co. AL in the 19th century. We may suppose that he was John's brother.

David Leech Esq, of course, also had a brother named Joseph Leech (1748-1826). He was buried in the Leech Family Cemetery in sw York Co. The younger Joseph Leech, David's son, appears to have gone by the name of Joseph A. Leech.

In 1810 Joseph Leech (the son?) was living in York Co. quite near his father, David Leech.

Joseph Leech appears on the roster of Capt. Robert Caldwell's York Co. SC militia company for the War of 1812.

Two deeds appear in York Co. records 1811 Leech Joseph, SC York , deed: 500a to Jas Leech 500a on Turkey Creek. (Perhaps he conveyed the property to his brother, preparatory to leaving the area.)

Or alternately: 1826 Leech Joseph A SC York 168a Turkey Creek to Eleanor Leech. Eleanor was sister to James, David and Joseph, mentioned in the 1816 will of James Leech, other siblings in New York.

Joseph A Leech in Alabama

1818 Leech Joseph A Ala Lawr Land grant 7s-7w (3 of them: cert # 1735; 1736; 2040)

In 1827 Josiah and Rachel Norwood conveyed to Joseph A. Leech lots 77 and 81 in Moulton for 133, which had been conveyed by Abraham Rayles to Norwood and Leech probably the year before.

1831 Leach Joseph A. Ala Land entry 9S - 7W 80 acres, in Walker Co., south of Lawrence.

In 1838 the final report of the administrators of the estate of John Leech in Lawrence Co. included a note dated 1831 to Joseph A. Leech with interest - $16.87. A man named William Reneau had received $166.

Joseph A. Leech, his son, acted as administrator of the estate of Joseph A Leech. Robert R. Reneau was the highest bidder at the sale of the Walker Co. proerty.

The final settlement of the estate of Joseph A. Leech came in 1847:
1847 (Orphans Court I 1846-49 p. 201) Joseph A. Leech administrator of Joseph A. Leech final settlement:
sale of negro Tom $615
sale of real estate 87
balance against adm 519.53
Sarah Leech, widow 84.50
Mary Leech 84
David 84
John McCracken 84 guardian ad litem of: James Leech John Leech Sarah Leech, all minors of said Joseph A Leech.

In May 2002 I received a message from Cousin Louine Leech giving much additional information about Joseph A. Leech of York Co. SC . It came in the form of abstracts of Bible records of his family:

It records the marriage of Joseph Alexander Leech and Sarah Fullerton Leech on May 29, 1817 in York District, SC. They moved to Wilkinson Co. MS and had the following children:

1. Joseph A. Leech, born March 16, 1817 in Wilkinson Co., MS. (This aparently should be York Co. SC.) He died Feb. 22, 1882, in MS.

On Nov. 7, 1820 a daughter was born dead.

2. David Leech was born Sept. 5, 1821, in Wilkinson Co. MS. He married Mary Ann Wilson June 19, 1846 in Union Co. IN, died Jan. 6, 1850, in California.

They soon moved to Lawrence Co. AL where the majority of their children were born:

3. Mary Margaret Leech was born Aug. 15, 1823 in Lawrence Co. AL;
married Rev. S. W. McCracken June 28, 1851 in Union Co., IN
died March 1, Huntsville, Ala.

4. John McDowell Leech was born May 17, 1825 in Lawrence Co. AL;
married Elizabeth Ann McGreer in Xenia, Ohio;
died Feb. 12, 1883. in Union Co., IN

5. James Leech was born Nov. 24, 1826 in Lawrence Co. AL
married Mary Ellen HughesOct. 23, 1851 by Rev. McCracken in Union Co. IN (no death date).

6. Sarah Leech was born August 1, 1828 in Lawrence Co. AL;
married Robert M. Wilson May 23, 1855, in Union Co. IN by Rev. L. D. Potter;
died April 16, 1866 at Morning Sun, Ohio.

7. Eleanor Jane Leech was born March, 1830 in Lawrence Co. IN [AL?];
died Feb. 17, 1839 at Oxford, Ohio.

From these records we may conclude that Joseph A. Leech, with part or all of his family must have moved to Ohio some time between 1828 and 1832. Later children were born there:

8. Naomi Prudence Leech was born Sept. 4, 1832 in Oxford, Ohio,
married John F. Steward Sept. 29, 1857 Union Co. IN by E.M. McKinney
died January 13, 1867.
(Prudence of course was the name of her paternal grandmother.)

9. William Henry Leech was born Aug. 10, 1934 in Union Co, IN
married Lucinda M. Hill Oct. 6, 1858, by E.M. McKinney in Union Co. IN.
died April 29, 1865 in Union Co. IN

10. Matthew Fullerton Leech was born July 2, 1835 or 36 in Union Co., IN
married Martha L. Ide July 5, 1859 in Union Co. IN
died in Union Co. IN.

11. Samuel Riley Leech was born Dec. 23, 1838 in Oxford Ohio
died March 23,1863 at Columbia, TN.

12. Saphronia Jane Leech was born Aug. 16, 1841 in Union Co. IN.
She married an Abott and died Dec. l, 1879 at Albert Sea, Miss.

I found these data re Fullerton:
1843 Leech Sarah of Union Co. Indiana SC Chester for $220 conveys to John F. Collins of Chester 108 3/4 a on Beaverdam waters of Rocky Ck granted to Robert Fullerton 27 Oct 1788, part sold to David Weir
wit Wm D. Fullerton signed Sarah Leech
Joseph A. Leech

Lawrence Co.AL 1850 census: Fullerton Mathew M. 47M SC Jennet 42F SC Henderson Mary A. 6F Ms.

Joseph A. Leech in Mississippi

In the 1850 census for Itawamba Co. MS a Dr. Joseph H Leach, 31, is listed on page 323 in the home of Wm L. McGaha 66, farmer b. in TN. McGaha had 10 children in his home and also Nehemiah Harris, 66, b. TN. We may speculate that he was the brother of Mrs. McGaha (McGaughey). One of the children was Nehemiah R. Harris, aged 16.

(This from a McGaughey correspondent: William McGaughey lived in Washington Co. VA, then Green Co. TN, then Maury Co. TN. He had three sons who moved to Lawrence Co. AL in 1818: Samuel, George Washington, and James Harvey. GW's son, Wm L.M., b. 1804, md Mary Harris, moved to Itawamba. [I haven't found a marriage record.] where the family appears in the 1850 census. His age however was given as 66. The presence of Dr. Joseph Leach in the home of this McGaughey-Harris family is another instance of the frequent association between LEECH and HARRIS in several other places.)

In 1860 we find Dr. Joseph Leach, 41 phsycian in Richmond P.O. with Cynthia, 22. Two doors away is Dr. Nehemiah McGaughey, 26.

In 1882 in Lee County J.A.Leech was buried at Unity Presbyterian Church, 1/2 mile north of the Plantersville and Richmod Rd., a few miles east of Plantersville. The old Presby church still active. organized before the Civil War. Two years later Cynthie Leech was buried adjacent to her husband.

This Dr. Joseph Leach/Leech seems most likely to be the man who served as administrator of his father's estate in 1848 in Lawrence Co. However there was some question as to whether he was the son of Joseph Leech or of David Leech, also of Lawrence. The 1840 census shows David Leech in Lawrence Co. in the neighborhood of several McGaugheys and adj to James Robinson.

In 1850 there was another Joseph A. Leech, b. 1810 in SC, living in De Soto Parish, Louisiana. He seems most likely to be the son of David, also of Lawrence, or perhaps David's brother, although his name does not appear among the children in the succession papers of John Leech. At least one of this La. Leech's children was said to have been born in Lawrence Co. ca 1838.

David Leech, son of John Leitch and his Family

David Leech appears in the 1820 state census of Lawrence Co. Ala from which we surmise that he was born before 1800. With a wife under 21 and a single child, a son, he appears to have been recently married. He was next door to John Leitch, his father. David and his wife, Nancy, had a son named Malcolm J. Leech, who died in 1841 and was buried in the Courtland, Ala public cemetery. (Failing to find a Malcolm in the Leech family, one would suppose the name may have come from the boy's mother.)

You may recall that the 1820 Lawrence Co. (state) census showed John Leitch and David Leech in adjacent houses. The 1830 census shows John Leech, but not David Leech living in the same neighborhood in Lawrence County. We find David Leech in Franklin County, Tenn living next door to Mynas B Feemster. Some time after 1830 Minus B. Feemster moved down to Marshall County Ala briefly and then on westward to Pontotoc County, Miss. David moved back to his old neighborhood in Lawrence Co. Ala.

David appeared in the 1840 Lawrence Co. census and died some time after 1846 either in Alabama or in North Mississippi. We have no evidence that he ever lived in Mississippi. However the one record we have found of David Leech after the census was as a witness in two 1846 deeds in Lafayette Co. MS. Both of them concern the purchase and subsequent sale of a piece of property by David's son-in-law, Abel Johnston/Johnson:

Lafayette Deeds: 1846 Leech David and S.W in Lafayette Co. MS were witnessess to a deed from W.H.Carothers, admin of Samuel M Carothers decd of Lafayette Co. to Able Johnson 165a, known as a fractional part of Sec. 13 of Twp 8, Range 4W of the base meridian of the Chickasaw survey for $150, $75 in one year and $75 a year later. David Leech was named as joint security for the bonds. In probate court 3rd Mon in Aug. in 1846. Able was the highest bidder at the auction of this property. He sold the property back to W.H.Carothers 14 Oct. 1846, for same price with same two wits. (This farm was about a mile NW of Oxford.)

Two other Lafayette Co. deeds relate to David Leech's family. In 1849 John A.Leech, believe to be the son of David Leech, bought in Lafayette Co. Mississippi for $100 the SE quarter of Sec. 16 Twp 9 Range 2W from John Davis and his wife Julia. (Deed Book E, p. 518; this is on Roll 5 of Jackson films.)

Some 10 years later John A. Leech of Izard Co. Ark sold the above parcel for $250 to George W. Oliver. This section is just north of state road 6 from Oxford to Pontotoc or Oxford-Cornish road, about 7 miles se of Oxford on Pumpkin Creek. (It's interesting to speculate whether this George W. Oliver may belong to the family of Dr. James Oliver who had married Martha, daughter of David Leech Esq.)

In Izard Co. AR in 1860 John A. Leech entered 80 acres and 120 acres in Sec 2 of Twp 18N Range 11W; in 1861 he entered 80 acres in Sec. 11 of the same Township.

Family of James M Leech

The writer's great grandfather was James McGrady Leech, son of David Leech. (Family members believed that James McGrady Leech was born in Coffeeville, Miss., fought in the Civil War, and had 13 brothers and sisters. However the census and military records together indicate that he was born in Lawrence Co., AL in 1834.)

The census entries for David Leech (1820-40) and of Mrs. Ella B Leech (1850) when combined suggest a family of about the right size to agree with the above:

1820 Leech David Ala Lawr state census page 21. One male over 21, one male under 21, one female under 21. It thus appears to be a man with a wife and one minor son.

1820 Leitch John Ala Lawr state census page 21. one male over 21, one male under 21, one female over 21, two females under 21

1840 Leech David Ala Lawr census 183 ntl males: 1 male -5 could be Minus B 1 females -5 could be Lucy C 2 males -10 could be James M and Wm A 1 male -15 2 females -15 could be Sarah 2 males -20 could be John A and Samuel W. 1 female -20 1 male -30 Could be Malcolm (1820-41) 1 male -40 Could be Joseph A. Leech 1 male -50 could be David 1 female -50 David's wife.

1841 Leech David and Nancy Ala Lawrence burial of son Malcolm J. Leech in Courtland Public Cemetery. Born 1820; Died Dec. 11, 1841. (Since Nancy was Malcolm's mother and still David's wife in 1841, it seems certain that she was the mother of the larger part of his family.)

That is the last datum found on David Leech in Lawrence Co. (See above for description of his appearance in Mississippi.) A family that appears to be his appears in the 1850 census in Lafayette Co., AL:

House 1039:
Mrs. Ella (E.M.) Leach 45 $200 born in S.C.
Sarah 20 born AL.
Wm A 18 laborer born AL
Jas M 16 laborer born AL (the writer's great grandfather)
Lucy C 14 born AL
Minus B. 12 Male AL (as in Minus Feemster, 46 year old minister)
Eliz. N.V. 10 born AL

House 1040:
S.W.King, 24, b. AL
Marg T. [Leech] 25
David T. 2

In these three houses we have David Leech's widow and 8 of his children. In the home of Rev. Minus B. Feemster is another:

In 1850 John A. Leach, 26, was living in the home of Rev. M.B.Feemster in Pontotoc County. He certainly appears to be an older son of David Leech. Recall that in 1830 David Leech was in Franklin Co. TN, next door to Rev. Feemster--probably a cousin.

Joseph A. Leech was living in DeSoto Parish in LA. 1850 DeSoto Parish LA census: household #527
J A Leech 40 m planter $800 SC
Margaret 40 f KY Margaret 16 f Miss Intha 13 f AL Levi W 12 m AL Sarah E " 11 f AL John A 8 m Miss Francis " 4 f LA
Information about this family was provided by Margaret Whitehead .

Nowhere have I found any documentary evidence of the composition of David Leech's family. It was discovered over a period of years putting together bits and pieces, here and there, beginning with family tradition that James M. Leech had 13 siblings. I list it here with some additional data gathered in support:

David Leech b. ca 1790 md Nancy, who was apparently the mother of most if not all of his children. He died ante 1850 with widow Elizabeth (Ella)(E.M.) The latest record I have of her suggests she was born ca 1797. (This may have been Nancy; I have no way of knowing.)

Children of David Leech:
1. Joseph A Leech of DeSoto Parish LA (the 1850 census gives his age as 40) (His parentage has to be a bit uncertain.)
2. Samuel W. Leech ca 1818 , married Lucinda .A. ca 1828
3. Malcom (1820-41) buried at Moulton in Lawrence Co. AL
4. Margaret King ca 1823 wife of S.W.King son of Samuel T. King.
5. John A. Leech ca 1824 became a Cumberland Presbyterian minister.
6. Sarah ca 1830 born AL. , (did she marry Wm R. Lewis?)
7. Wm A ca 1832 laborer born AL
8. James M ca 1834 laborer born AL (the writer's great grandfather)
9. Lucy C ca 1836 born AL wife of Harvey F. King
10.. Minus B. ca 1838 Male AL (as in Minus Feemster, 46 year old minister)
11. Eliz. N.V. ca 1840 born AL wife of William Finus King

In 1853 John A. Leach was witness to the will of Mrs. J. M. (Eliz. B.) Lewis in Lafayette Co. Miss. (In 1860 John A's brother W.A. and Wm R. Lewis had moved together to Craighead Co. AR. and John A., a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, had moved to Izaard Co. AR with his King cousins)

We see Mrs. Ella Leach in MS no more, but in the 1860 Lafayette Co. census on page 086 a J.M.Leach is found living in household #570, the home of a 55 year old farmer named Jos Goodwin from Kentucky. The household included machinists, mechanics and laborers: J.M.Leach, 28, laborer, born in Tenn. His birthplace doesn't agree with the 1850 son of Mrs. E.M.Leach, nor does his age, but otherwise it looks like the man.

The 1860 census indicates that various members of David Leech's family were living in 3 states:

James M.Leech and Samuel W. Leech were living in Lafayette Co. MS. James M. was in Household 570, in what appeared to be a boarding house operated by Joseph Goodwin.

John A. Leech, 36 was living in Izaard Co. Ar.

And this from June Martin:
The 1860 census, Union Township, Izard Co., AR,
King, Samuel W., age 35, born AL
Margaret, age 37, born AL
Martha, age 10, born MS
Rhoda, age 8, born MS
Mary A., age 5, born MS
Elizabeth, age 60, born TN S.W.'s mother Eliz. Farr King
Mary E., age 21, born KY S.W.' sister
William [Finis], age 17, born KY S.W.'s brother

The rest of the family had moved with Wm R. Lewis to Craighead Co. Ark.

William A Leech may be single or a widower at this time. In 1852 a William H. Leech had married Catherine Harris in Itawamba Co. MS.

Next door to W.A.Leech's family is another that appears to be related to or at least associated with the Leech's: House 184:
Wm. R. Lewis 36 M TN Farmer 7000 3700
Sarah Lewis 30 F TN (It seems likely this Sarah is the Sarah Leech, 20 that we found in Lafayette Co. MS in 1850, sister of William A. Leech (above).
Benjamin Lewis 7 M
TN Thomas Lewis 5 M TN
Josephine Lewis 4 F TN
Nancey Lewis 2 F TN

The reader may recall that in 1853 John A. Leech witnessed the will of Mrs. J. M. (Eliz. B.) Lewis in Lafayette Co. Miss. Here are the details of Mrs. Lewis' will: Will Book 1 pages 85-87, Packet #595, dated 28 June 1853 exor son, William B. Lewis; son-in-law, James M Dooley (married to dau Eliz F) wit: John A Leach, Leroy B. Gaston, Samuel B. Parks names son Wm B, dec son John Allen Lewis (Son-in-law to be appointed guardian of John's two daughters, Josephine Angeline and Mary Allen

It appears that "son Wm B" is the "Wm R" found here in the 1860 Craighead Co. AR census in Jonesboro, adj to the brother of the John A. Leech who signed his mother's will in 1853 in Lafayette Co. This is borne out by the coincidence of the name Josephine as his daughter as well as his brother John's daughter.

From Cousin Virgil King came the following:
In 1870 William Finis King, youngest son of Samuel Thomas King, was living in Izaard Co. In his home were his wife Narcissa Leech, son David (5 months old) and mother in law Elizabeth Leech.

The records of the Confederacy offer considerable detail about the career of James M Leech (and also his brother, Minus B. Leech): Miss. 19th Regiment Co. E: James M Leech Pvt. in Capt. J.W.C.Smith's Co. of Miss Volunteers. joined May 15, 1861. ........... Apr 6, 1863 detailed on Pioneer Corp. made his escape from Germania Bridge, but lost arms and accouterments. ............................ Jan 4, 1865 Deserter's report: Clarksburg W Va: age 30, 5 ft 8 in. blue eyes; born Lawrence AL. residence Lafayette Co, Miss. enrolled Oxford Miss May 1861 reported Dec. 18 at Beverly Brigade: Harris remarks: took the oath and released Dec. 24

(This deserter's report looks like more than the words imply, perhaps a general rout at Clarksburg in which a unit dissolved. James seems to have found his way back to Beverly. Perhaps there was no unit for him and he was sent home. Or perhaps it was more like a surrender and a parole. Which army was at Beverly on Dec 18? At any rate the war was approaching its end. Grant faced Richmond and Sherman occupied Savannah. James M Leech had served for almost four years when the end came for him.)

(The "deserter's report" was a key document enabling the writer to trace his ancestry from AL to MS. It provided the only record of James M Leech's birthplace and pointed clearly to the movement of the Leech family from Lawrence Co. AL to Lafayette Co. MS.)

It appears that James M Leech and his younger brother, Minus B. Leech, enlisted in different states:

From "THE ROSTER OF CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS; 1861-1865"; Volume IX Broadfoot Publishing Company; Wilmington, North Car: p. 62 Soldiers with the SURNAME of "LEECH": FROM ARKANSAS - Leech, Minus B. 13th Infantry, Company I. In all liklihood the son of David Leech, who had gone to Arkansas with his step-mother and his older brother, W.A.Leech. Another older brother, John A. Leech was in Izard Co. AR about this time.

FROM MISSISSIPPI Leech, James M. 19th Infantry, Company E- My great grandfather

In 1877 James M Leech married Ella B. Hendricks in Lafayette Co. MS: 1877 Marriage Bonds: Jas M Leech and A.B.Harding for $200 condition that Jas M Leech and Miss Ella B. Hendricks to wed. Before E Andrews Lafayette Co. clerk of court made oath of statutory age. William E. Andrews Clerk issued license. 26 March, 1877 rite of Matrimony celebrated between Mr. Jas M Leech and Mis Ella B. Hendricks. signed by Jas N Boon.

As described above the 1850 Lafayette Co. census showed James M Leech with 4 siblings--two sisters and two brothers. Two older men may be presumed to belong to this family also, Samuel W. and John A.
Note that Samuel W. was associated with David Leech, probably David's son, in the Able Johnston deed in Lafayette Co. in 1846. In 1850 S.W. had his own household, and it was next door to Ms. Ella Leach and her 5 listed children. John A Leech appeared in a Lafayette Co. deed in 1847. In 1850 he was in the Pontotoc residence of Rev. Minos B. Feemster.

Reading Stephen Ambrose's biography of Merither Lewis I learned that young men "often got their education by boarding with teachers, almost always preachers or parsons.." It seems likely that David Leech may have gone to Franklin Co. TN to facilitate the instruction of his sons by his cousin, Rev. M.B.Feemster. Some years later, when both families had moved to North Mississippi, John A. was boarding with Feemster, shortly before he was licensed as a Cumberland Presbyerian Minister.)

In 1850 S.W.Leach in Laf, next door to Mrs. E.M.Leach, born AL, wife Lucinda A, aged 21 b S.C.

1860 Miss Laf census p 7 household 43: Samuel Leach 35 farmer AL with Lucinda 32 from S.C. Louisa 11 from Miss. Benj 5 from Miss. Lander ? from Miss. this is Paris Post Office.

1860 King James 36 SC Miss Laf census 008 household 42 (next door to Samuel Leach, brother of James M Leach.) This is James King, son of Benjamin King, not the James Farr King, son of Samuel Thomas King and Elizabeth Farr and husband of David Leech's niece, Mary Clarissa Johnston, whom I erroneously reported earlier. The two men were cousins.

1870 Leach S.W. Miss Laf (Oxford) census 750 S.W. Leach 52 L.A. 42 L.A. 21 B.J. 15

My grandfather, Bernard Odell Leech, was born in 1879 in Taylor, MS, a few miles southwest of Oxford in Lafayette Co.

According to the 1880 census James M Leech, 47, born in MS had wife Ella and son Bernard. James was said to have been born in MS and both of his parents in AL. Ella is said to have been born in MS, her father in AL and her mother in MS:

1880 Miss Yalobusha Co. census Twp Water Valley (Taylor and Water Valley are quite close, although in different counties) Leech James M 43 born MS Leech Ella A 22 born MS Leech Bernard 10/12, born MS

The 1890 census was unfortunately burned.

Some time before the turn of the century James Leech and family moved from rural Mississippi to the city of Memphis. No doubt then as now people leave the country to make their fortune in town.

1900 Tenn Shelby census ed. 102 sheet 10, line 42 Leach James, age 66; Shaw St., Memphis. Born 1833 in Alabama. carpenter (house), literate, a renter Leach Ella E b. May 1857 age 43 mother of 2 children, 1 living Bernard O son born July 18, 1879; aged 20, born in Miss laborer (riveter iron) literate.

Two daughters were born in Memphis: In 1903 Mary Maud Leech. In 1921 she married Robert L. Clayton. In 1904 Minnie Mae Leech. In 1920 she married Vernon H. Bray. The Brays had 3 children: Vernon, Jr., born 1923 Betty Jean, born ca 1927, died of diphtheria at age of 3. William, born ca 1942 in Glendale, CA.

Ca 1936 Vernon and Minnie Mae Bray moved from Memphis to Glendale CA. Soon thereafter Minnie Mae's parents followed them. They were members of the Broadway St. Methodist Church. Life was better for the family than it had been in depression days in Memphis. In 1953 most of the Leech family were in California: the Brays and the two Clayton grandchildren, Margaret having moved there in 1942 and Larry serving in the U.S.Navy.

The Bray family is subject for another discourse.

© 2001 Larry Clayton
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