Reflecting on my paternal ancestry feels akin to observing a faraway object without the help of binoculars or a telescope. Nearby objects are seen with sharp clarity, while distant objects appear indistinct and indistinguishable. In fact, regarding my Leonard lineage, I can see absolutely nothing beyond Charles Russell Leonard, my 3rd great-grandfather.
What we do know, is that in May of 1834, his mother, Mrs. Sophronia Leonard placed a missing persons ad in The Cayuga Republican, asking for assistance in locating her husband, Russel Leonard, who left to buy land in Michigan Territory the previous November (1833). Anyone with information was to direct it to the post master at Port Byron, New York. This leads me to believe that Sophronia was living in Port Byron in 1834. Is this a fair supposition? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
I have thoroughly researched the Leonards who lived in Port Byron and haven't found any other trace of Russel or Sophronia there. The 1830 census only listed the head of each household but that year, there were about 610 households counted on the census in Mentz. Three of them were Leonards - James, Henry, and Manassah Leonard, who had purchased land on Lot 4 in Throop in 1796. They were blacksmiths and, if I remember correctly, they were descendants of James or Henry Leonard, the Iron Masters.
At any rate, those three Leonard households in Mentz contained a total of 35 people, many of whom were probably Leonards. One of them may have been my 4th great-grandfather, the elusive Russel Leonard, father of Charles Russell Leonard. Unfortunately, I've found nothing to identify him.
For anyone researching people who lived in Port Byron in the late 1700s, you need to know a few things.
First, regarding Cayuga County:
Today, Port Byron is a village in the middle of the town of Mentz, in Cayuga County, New York.
From 1784 to 1791, the locale was considered part of Montgomery County, formed from part of Tryon County.
From 1791 to 1794, the locale was considered part of Herkimer County, formed from part of Montgomery County.
From 1794-1799, the locale was considered part of Onondaga County, formed from part of Herkimer County.
Since 1799, the locale has been considered part of Cayuga County, formed from part of Onondaga County.
Regarding Port Byron:
The town of Mentz was incorporated as Jefferson in 1802. It was much larger than it is today.
The town's name was changed from Jefferson to Mentz in 1806 (or 1808).
Ira was formed from part of Mentz in 1821, Montezuma was formed from part of Mentz in 1859 and Throop was formed from part of Mentz, Aurelius and Sennett the same year (1859).
Port Byron is a village in the center of the town of Mentz. The village was called Bucksville until about 1825, when the name was changed to Port Byron. The name change was made soon after the Erie Canal was built through the village (1820), making it a "port". Today it is the Erie Canal Lock 52 Complex, a park listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Port Byron is located on an important route used by westward travelers from New England. The New York Central Railroad, constructed in 1853, went through Mentz, north of the village of Port Byron. The old Montezuma Turnpike (Route 31) passes through the center of Port Byron and the New York State Thruway also runs through Port Byron, virtually parallel to the former route of the Erie Canal, which was rerouted to the Seneca River about 1917.
Port Byron has been home to several men who made a mark on the world. Isaac Singer, founder of the largest sewing machine company in the world, "was a mechanic who had a shop in a saw mill located near the present dam", and Henry Wells, of the world famous Wells Fargo, "had a shop at the corner of Rochester and Main Streets in the rear of the store which Samuel Thomas now occupies. He started the first express company of this great globe." (Source: History of Port Byron and Mentz : from Indian tribes to nineteen twenty-two, by E. H Kerns, p. 6)
About 1823, Brigham Young arrived in Port Byron. (Remember, at the time, Port Byron was, called Bucksville). Young was born in Vermont in 1801, but had lived in Chenango County and in Tyrone, Genoa, and Auburn, before moving to Port Byron, where he sought employment opportunities brought by the newly built Erie Canal. It is said that it was in Port Byron that he converted to the newly established Mormon religion and where he also met a young woman named Miriam A. Works in Port Byron. They were married in Aurelius in Autumn of 1824.
In Port Byron, Young worked odd jobs painting the canal boats, repairing furniture, construction, or whatever he could do., until he was hired full time by Charles Parks, producing furniture, pails, and buckets. He was there two years, until 1825, when he moved to Oswego. (Brigham Young : a concise biography of the Mormon Moses, by Ed Breslin, 2013).
The above newspaper clippings I found while browsing through an old scrapbook shows a photo of Brigham Young's home, and states that it was on Utica Street in Port Byron. The 1939 article states: "In 1844, at the death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, Young was made president of the church, and in 1847, with hundreds of followers, Young moved westward from state to state until he and his clan reached Utah. Here they started the organization of a prosperous community. Young died on Aug. 28, 1877."
Joseph Smith's death was an assassination, which occurred during his presidential campaign. While being held in jail in Illinois on the charge of treason, an armed mob stormed the jail and Smith was killed.
Brigham Young's first wife, Miriam, died at the age of 26 on Sept. 8, 1832, in Mendon, Monroe County, New York, the same place where Brigham was baptized in the Mormon faith. He remarried in 1834 and in 1842 began taking additional wives, as is the practice in the Mormon religion. He was married a total of 56 times and had 57 children. Eight of his wives were Joseph Smith's widows. (Source: Wikipedia)
The Mormon Church, also referred to as LDS, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the organization behind FamilySearch.org. Their website offers genealogists access to important records and resources, as well as a platform to build their family tree online, all at no cost. Just think! If Brigham Young hadn't kept the Mormon church alive after Smith's assassination, the site and library would have never existed!
At the corner of Utica Street (Route 31) and Main Street in Port Byron is a historical marker that reads: "Brigham Young the Mormon prophet lived in the house 100 yards east of here in 1831. He was baptized a Mormon at Mendon, N.Y." Looking east from this marker, it appears the home he lived in can be seen here from Google Street view, behind this parking lot. Can you spot it from the backside of the house? (Zoom in!)
Another historical marker located on Utica Street in Port Byron states the following:
"Abraham Lincoln April 27, 1865. Train carrying Pres. Lincoln's casket stopped at Port Byron Station 1.3 mi. north of here. Station draped with mourning and flags."
President Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, in Washington, D.C., and his body arrived in Springfield, Illinois, on May 3, 1865. His coffin was moved 17 times between 1865 and 1901 "due to construction and fears for the safety of the president's remains. There was actually a plot in 1876 to steal the body and hold it for ransom." (Source)
See a full list of historical markers in Port Byron at hmdb.com.
It's been interesting learning about Port Byron's history, but to me, it's a place that holds a daunting mystery. If time travel is ever invented, I'd go back to Port Byron on November 1, 1833, to find my 4th great-grandfather, Russel Leonard. Then I'd follow him on his journey to buy land in Michigan to see what happened to him. I'd sit next to him on the canal boat if I could, and ask him all about his parents and grandparents. (I've seen "Back to the Future", so I know enough to not interfere, but I'd just really like some answers!) Afterwards, I'd time travel to May 2, 1834 and meet Sophronia at the Cayuga Republican newspaper's office on Genesee Street in Auburn and of course I'd take a lot of pictures and videos of her, Charles, and baby Jenette! I'd ask all about her parents, too. I'd definitely like to stay a while and bring back some answers!
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