Allen Family History

Research Report

[marsh012904 / 0346] 22 March 2004

Research was requested to identify the life and ancestry of Truman Leonard and his wife Roxanna Allis. According to previous research Truman was born 23 March 1784 at Worthington, Hampshire, Massachusetts, to Ezra and Hannah (Marsh) Leonard. He married Roxanna Allis on 1 June 1811 at New Caanan, Columbia, New York, or Hampshire, Massachusetts. He died 24 February 1846 at Chatham, Medina, Ohio. The objective of this research project was to focus on the ancestry of Truman Leonard’s mother, Hannah (Marsh) Leonard, and the ancestry of his wife, Roxanna (Allis) Leonard.

According to previous research Hannah (Marsh) Leonard was born about 1762 possibly at Worthington, Hampshire, Massachusetts. She married Ezra Leonard, who was born 30 June 1755 at Preston, New London County, Connecticut. They had at least one child, Truman Leonard, who was born 23 March 1784 at Worthington. She died about 1787. Research began by consulting several large genealogical databases. These included Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Pedigree Resource File, and Ancestry World Tree.. None of these databases, which combined contain over 2 billion names, listed any new information about Hannah (Marsh) Leonard.

Hannah Marsh and Ezra Leonard were married around 1780 in either Connecticut or Massachusetts. Several marriage records databases at Ancestry.com were searched, such as: Connecticut Marriages to 1800, Connecticut Marriage to 1850, Massachusetts, Town Marriage Records, and Massachusetts Marriages to 1800. These electronic databases did not contain any information about their marriage.

The Family History Library has thousands of compiled family histories among its holdings, with 258 of them containing information about various Marsh families. Each title was examined for relevance to the Marsh families of Connecticut or Massachusetts during the eighteenth century. Those which appeared to have relevance were: The Marsh Family Chronicles of 1978, The Ancestors and Descendants of F. A. Marsh and Ivy Crites, Genealogy of the Family of George Marsh, Who Came From England in 1635 and Settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, The Marsh Antecedents and the Descendants of Erwin Sheldon Marsh and Kate Sanderson Marsh, Marsh Genealogy B Giving Several Thousand Descendants of John Marsh of Hartford, Connecticut, 1636-1895: Also Including Some Account of English Marshes, and a Sketch of the Marsh Family Association of America, and Our Marsh Family in America, 1635-1995. The ancestral names of Ezra and Hannah (Marsh) Leonard were not found in these published family histories.

We next turned to local records of Worthington, Hampshire, Massachusetts, where Hannah Marsh was born about 1762, and her son, Truman Leonard, was born in 1784 at Worthington. The Vital Records of Worthington, Massachusetts, to The Year 1850 was consulted for any events pertaining to Ezra and Hannah (Marsh) Leonard and the following abstracted [document #1-9].

Births

3 June 1782: Louis, child of Captain Ezra Leonard 23 March 1784: Truman, child of Captain Ezra Leonard 20 October 1786: Prentice, child of Captain Ezra Leonard 11 August 1795: Mervin, child of Captain Ezra Leonard 30 October 1796: Rachel, child of Captain Ezra Leonard

Deaths

13 February 1792: Rachel, wife of Captain Ezra Leonard, in 38th year

This Rachel may have been Ezra's second wife, but these vital records did not include any of Ezra Leonard's marriages. The birth records prove Ezra was in the Worthington area from at least 1782 thru 1796. During that time, Hannah allegedly died in 1787, Rachel died in 1792, and he must have married another woman with whom he had at least two children, Mervin in 1795, and Rachel in 1796.

The available historical records for Worthington, Massachusetts, were consulted. The Secular and Ecclesiastical History of the Town of Worthington: From its First Settlement to the Present Time did contain Leonard and Marsh entries, but nothing which would link the two families together. The Family History Library has two indexes referencing historical Worthington publications containing Leonard and Marsh listings. These were Index of Names in Papers on the History of Worthington, Massachusetts and Index of Names in The History of Worthington, Massachusetts Settlement to 1874 by James C. Rice. After an exhaustive search, the only location found for the History of Worthington to 1874 was one non-circulating copy at the New England Historical Society library in Boston. If so desired an onsite researcher could examine this publication for any pertinent information.

At this point in the research, it became necessary to find any original document which mentioned Hannah as the wife of Ezra Leonard. According to family records, Ezra died 15 April 1823 at Williamsfield, Ashtabula, Ohio. Ezra's will and probate records were found and the following abstracted [document #10-13].

7 March 1822: Ezra named his wife, Dorcas; sons, Truman and Prentis; daughters, Lois and Rachel; executor, Marvin Leonard.

10 June 1823: Ezra's will proven in court. Appraisers appointed were Jonathan Tuttle, Levi Leonard, and Samuel Morse.

21 April 1824: Marvin Leonard, executor of Ezra Leonard's estate gave account and among others reported the following had received settlement: Truman Leonard, Prentice Leonard, Lousis Tuttle, and Rachal Fobes. This account was recorded 25 June 1825.

These probate records indicated Ezra's last wife was Dorcas, whom it is assumed was the mother of Mervin and Rachel Leonard. Ezra's daughter, Lois, may have married a Tuttle and his daughter, Sarah, may have married a Fobes. The marriage and death records of Ezra's children may show their parent's names; therefore the direction the research focused on finding their records.

According to family records, Truman Leonard and Roxanna Allis were married 1 June 1811 at New Canaan, Columbia County, New York or in Hampshire, Massachusetts. He died 24 February 1846 at Chatham, Medina County, Ohio. The Family History Library marriage records for Columbia County, New York, begin in 1824 and the death records for Medina County, Ohio, begin in 1867, both of which are too recent for this study.

Roxanna (Allis) Leonard was born 15 September 1786 at Chester, Hampshire, Massachusetts. However, there is no Chester in Hampshire County. There is a Chesterfield in Hampshire County, and a Chester in Hampden County.

Vital Records of Chester, Massachusetts, to The Year 1850 did not contain any listings connecting Truman Leonard to Roxanna Allis. The vital records of Chesterfield, Hampshire County were examined for any mention of an Allis and Leonard connection; however, nothing was found.

All available Hampshire County histories were examined; however, none of them contained any information linking the Allis and Leonard families. Available biographical publications did not contain any information on the Allis or Leonard surnames.

Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Pedigree Resource File, and Ancestry World Tree, were consulted for any new information which would link Truman Leonard to Roxanna Allis. Nothing was found in these databases or the sources referenced that provided sufficient evidence for their marriage.

The Family History Library has thousands of compiled family histories among its holdings, with 22 of them containing information about various Allis families. Each title was examined for relevance to the Allis families of Connecticut or Massachusetts during the eighteenth century. Those which appeared to have relevance were consulted, but none of them contained any references to Roxanna Allis or Truman Leonard.

Conclusion

Previously unknown information was located that provided additional genealogical evidence. Thorough analysis of the evidence and clues found thus far, combined with further research, may enable the identification of Hannah Marsh's parents.

In addition, many available sources were consulted in the search for documentation linking Truman Leonard and Roxanna Allis as husband and wife. When adequate evidence is found for their marriage, research can continue by locating documentation connecting Roxanna to her proposed parents, Lemuel and Rebecca (Davis) Allis.

In pursuing information found during this research project, the following searches should be conducted:

The Family History Library has two indexes that reference historical Worthington publications containing Leonard and Marsh listings. These were Index of Names in Papers on the History of Worthington, Massachusetts and Index of Names in The History of Worthington, Massachusetts Settlement to 1874 by James C. Rice. After an exhaustive search the only location found for the History of Worthington to1874 was one non-circulating copy at New England Historical Society library in Boston. If so desired an onsite researcher could examine this publication for any pertinent information. Contact could also be made with the Berkshire Genealogist Indexing Committee for any information they may have as to a location of these publications.

Research should continue by locating the marriage and death records for Ezra Leonard's children. These records may show the names of their mother.

All Marsh probate records for Worthington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts could be examined for any mention of a Hannah Marsh.

Documentation should be found that would provide adequate evidence for the marriage between Truman Leonard and Roxanna Allis. This may be accomplished by examining available birth, marriage, and death records of their children.

It is a pleasure to assist you in researching and documenting your family history. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions.

Life Sketch of Truman Leonard, Sr. and Roxanna Allis:

Truman Leonard, Sr. was born on 23 March 1784 in Worthington, Hampshire, Massachusetts, the son of Captain Ezra Leonard and Hannah Marsh Leonard. He was one of three known sons born to this union. On 1 June 1811 he married Roxanna Allis, the daughter of Lemuel Allis and Rebeckah Davis. Roxanna Allis is also believed to be from Hampshire County, Massachusetts as family records indicate she was born there on 15 September 1786. She was the fifth of six known children, three boys and three girls. Truman and Roxanna were the parents of twelve children: seven girls and five boys, all of whom lived to adulthood. Their names were: Emeline, Ebenezer, Ezra, Dorcas, Lavinia, Truman, Roxanna Alice, Benjamin Franklin, Harriet Amelia, Louisa Parthenia, John Chatfield, and Sarah Ann Leonard. All are recorded as having been born in Middlesex, Yates, New York.

Sometime in 1811, probably before his marriage, Truman Leonard, Sr. left Massachusetts and moved to Ontario County, New York, where, like so many other New Englanders, he sought a new life of economic opportunity. At Middlesex, among the Finger Lakes, the family was only a few miles from the center of early Mormon activities. Stories of a gold bible, discovered in a hillside by one Joseph Smith, Jr., spread by word of mouth throughout the district. Excerpts of the translated record soon appeared in Obediah Dogberry’s Palmyra Reflector in 1830 and then the book itself was offered by missionaries going door to door.

The new religion, however, did not catch up with the Leonard family in New York. In 1835 Truman Leonard, Sr., sold his improved 148-acre farm for $4,221 and moved on to Chatham, in Medina County, Ohio, where he started over again on a 396-acre spread. It would be another eight years before his investigations and the visit of Noah Packard, an itinerant Latter-day Saint preacher, would lead some members of the family to accept baptism. Packard’s proselytizing apparently attracted the interest first of Harvey Edwards, husband of one of Truman’s daughters, Dorcas. His son, Truman, was baptized in the Black River on 25 March 1843, followed quickly by a younger son, John. In the ensuing months, others of the family followed these three into the Mormon Church. Eventually Truman Leonard, Sr., probably his wife, and five or six of their other eleven children became members.

A growing number of believers in Chatham soon created the need for a regular church organization. Therefore, a small branch was formed in September 1843, with Truman Leonard, Jr., as presiding elder. Then only four months later, he answered a missionary call to Ohio and New York and left the branch presidency to his father.

While his son, Truman, later moved on with the saints to Nauvoo, Truman Leonard, Sr. and his wife Roxanna, stayed behind in Ohio where both later died there in 1846.

Much of the information used to compile this sketch of Truman Leonard, Sr., came from the article, “Truman Leonard: Pioneer Mormon Farmer,” written by Glen M. Leonard which appeared in the summer 1976 edition of the Utah Historical Quarterly.