John Solomon Leonard

John Solomon Leonard is identified in the supplied family line as Barbara’s 10th great-grandfather. The supplied life dates are October 1609 to 1 May 1671. However, the accompanying historical notes principally concern a man called Solomon Leonard of Duxbury and Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and also identify a son named John Leonard, born about 1645, who married Sarah Chandler. These materials should be reconciled before the detailed account is assigned with certainty to John Solomon Leonard.

John Solomon Leonard is listed in the supplied relationship path as the father of Solomon Leonard and as Barbara’s 10th great-grandfather. His supplied life dates are October 1609 to 1 May 1671.

The accompanying family-tree notes contain an extensive account of Solomon Leonard, described as an early settler of Duxbury and Bridgewater in Plymouth Colony. Those notes state that Solomon Leonard was born about 1610 in or near Monmouthshire, England, and may have emigrated by way of Leyden in Holland. They further state that he was probably married before 1640 to Mary, whose surname is not known. Because the notes also name John Leonard, born about 1645 and married to Sarah Chandler, it is not certain whether all of the account applies to the present subject or to an earlier generation.

According to the records quoted in the notes, a “Solomon Lenner” was promised land on the Duxbury side on 7 May 1638 in recognition of service, and was granted 25 acres there on 4 February 1638/9. A 1643 list of Duxbury males able to bear arms included Solomon Leonard. On 16 September 1645, “Solomon Lenner” of Duxbury exchanged property with Morris Truant; the land involved was at Blew Fish River.

The notes describe Solomon Leonard as one of the original proprietors and early settlers of Bridgewater. A 4 March 1658/9 Plymouth Colony record placed him among the Bridgewater men who served on an inquest concerning an unidentified Englishman found in the Tetacutt River below Nemaskett.

Estate records quoted in the notes show that on 1 May 1671 Samuel Leonard confirmed to his brother John Leonard a 50-acre parcel that their father, “Sollomon Leonard” of Bridgewater, had intended for John before his death. On 27 October 1675, the Plymouth court ordered the distribution of the estate of “Sollomon Leonardson,” deceased, and granted administration to his eldest son, Samuel Leonardson. The associated administration bond identified Samuel as a carpenter and his father Solomon Lenardson as a weaver.

The supplied notes identify the children of Mary and Solomon Leonard Sr. as Samuel, John, Jacob, Isaac, Solomon, and Mary. They state that John Leonard was born about 1645 and married Sarah Chandler, daughter of Roger Chandler. This identification conflicts with the supplied name and life dates for John Solomon Leonard and therefore remains uncertain.

Historical context

The records cited in the supplied notes place the Leonard family in the early settlements of Duxbury and Bridgewater in Plymouth Colony. Bridgewater was granted by the court in 1645, received an Indian deed dated 23 March 1649, and was incorporated as a township in 1656, according to the notes. The settlement was described as compact, with house lots near the town river for mutual protection.

The notes also describe the disruption caused by King Philip’s War beginning in 1675, including defensive measures in Bridgewater and the loss or removal of records in the region. Since the estate proceedings for Solomon Leonard began in October 1675, this period may help explain why surviving documentation is incomplete, but it does not resolve the identity conflict in the supplied material.

Sources & research

Manning Leonard, Memorial: Genealogical, Historical, and Biographical of Solomon Leonard, 1637, of Duxbury and Bridgewater, Mass. Southbridge, Massachusetts, 1896.

John A. Goodwin, The Pilgrim Republic. Ticknor & Co.

Plymouth Colony Records of Deeds, Book 3, page 199.

Plymouth Colony court and deed records, as quoted in the supplied family-tree notes.

Official Website of the Hopkins-River and Related Families, “This is the Solomon Leonard Family Page,” Joann River, West Jordan, Utah; presentation copyright 2009; last updated 10 September 2009.

“Early History of Bridgewater, MA,” as referenced in the supplied family-tree notes.