From The History of Lewis County, New York; with biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, by Franklin B. Hough, 1883, we can learn a fair deal about the Leonards of Lowville, Lewis County, New York.
The first that is known of this family name is John Leonard, who lived in Springfield, Mass., and who is supposed to have emigrated from Bilstan, county of Stanford, England, about 1639. The first adventurers from England to this country who were skilled in the forged iron manufacture were two brothers, James and Henry Leonard, who came to the town of Raynham, Massachusetts, in the year 1652, which was about two years after the first settlers had established themselves upon this spot. In that same year these brothers built here the first forge in America. Henry not long after moved from this place to the Jerseys, where he settled.
James, who was the progenitor from whom sprang the whole race of the Leonards here, lived and died in this town [Raynham]. He came from Pontipool, in Monmouthshire, England, and brought with him his son Thomas, then a mere lad, who afterward worked at the bloomery art with his father in the forge.
Within a mile and a quarter of this forge was a pond known as Fawling Pond, on the north side of which once stood King Philip's house, where he used to spend the hunting season. Philip and these Leonards were on friendly terms and often traded with each other. Such was Philip's friendship that when his war broke out in 1675, he gave strict orders to his warriors never to molest the Leonards. During that war, two houses near the forge were constantly garrisoned, and one of these was built by James Leonard long before King Philip's war.
The generations of the family were John Leonard, 1 ; Josiah, 2; Reuben, 3; Elias, 4; James Harvey, 5.
James Harvey Leonard was the father of James L., the subject of this sketch. He was born in West Springfield, Mass., September 22, 1780, and died in Syracuse, N. Y., March 14, 1845. He came to Lowville with his cousin, Stephen Leonard, in 1804, on horseback from Skaneateles, N. Y., where they had been employed as clerks in stores. The rude aspect of the country at first discouraged them, but they were made of sturdy material and determined to stay. James H. began business in Lowville in 1804, and in January, 1805, was joined by Stephen Leonard. This firm became widely known through Northern New York. They supplied rations to troops passing through the country, and in embargo times were largely engaged in business transactions with Canada. James H. Leonard continued in the firm just a quarter of a century. He was a prominent and public spirited man, and among the foremost in every measure of public utility. He was an original trustee of the Lowville Academy, and an elder in the Presbyterian church. He was also postmaster at Lowville many years. His remains were interred at Lowville. His wife was Mary Parish, daughter of Captain John Parish, (lost at sea,) of Branford, Conn. They were married in May, 1805. She was born July 10, 1785, and died in Lowville, May 19, 1871, aged 86 years.
From an humble beginning as a merchant's clerk, and with no advantages or opportunities derived from patronage or influence of others, but gifted with foresight and financial tact which proved adequate for his station, he gradually acquired, by a course of honorable dealing and prudent management, what is regarded with us as a large estate. Naturally liberal, enterprising and public spirited, he every year found new occasions for the promotion of some new measure of public utility, and he appeared to take an honest pride in witnessing and promoting the prosperity of every interest which tended to advance the moral, intellectual and social condition of those around him. His influence was felt throughout the growing spheres of his business relations, and our people had learned to place confidence in his opinions and to seek his aid and counsel in whatever tended to the public good.
James Loren Leonard was the fifth and youngest son of James Harvey Leonard, and was born in Lowville on the 5th of June, 1821. Of the five brothers and three sisters, but one, Mr. Francis K. Leonard, now remains of this family.
The subject of this sketch received his education at the Lowville Academy, and is remembered as an industrious student, especially fond of mathematics, obedient and attentive to all his duties. The limited means of his father, arising from a pecuniary loss, prevented him from attempting a more extended course of study, and at the age of seventeen he entered the store of J. P. Ellis, at Carthage, N. Y., as a merchant clerk. A few months after, he entered the store of the late William L. Easton of the village of Lowville, as a clerk, and after serving about seven years in this capacity became a partner with a one-third interest in the establishment. With a natural aptitude for financial management that expanded to meet the growing spheres of his opportunities, Mr. Leonard at an early stage of his business career, began to lay those foundations of confidence and esteem in the public mind which time only served to strengthen and confirm.
While with Mr. Easton, Mr. Leonard entered the Bank of Lowville and on the 11th day of April, 1840, he appeared as book-keeper. He was appointed teller on the 19th of June, 1841, and on the 1st of April, 1846, he was elected cashier. He was chosen Vice-President, April 19, 1855, and on the 19th of September, 1857, became President of the bank. This office he held at the time of his death.
For several years Mr. Leonard had a pecuniary interest in the clothing store at Lowville, conducted by D. A. Smith. This interest had previously been represented by his brother-in-law, Mr. Loren M. Brown, at whose death he assumed it. At an early period of his connection with the bank, he began to buy up stock as opportunities offered and his means allowed, until nearly the whole was owned by himself and Mr. Easton, and finally, in 1856, Mr. Leonard purchased the larger interest of his associate and became almost sole proprietor of the institution.
At an early period in the history of the bank, a part of its capital had been invested in the State bonds of Arkansas, and subsequently fell to a merely nominal value, and in consequence of this decline, the bank stock was for several years much depressed, and although its credit was maintained, the stockholders received no returns from their investments. By prudent management this error was gradually retrieved, and the capital, placed on a sound basis, began to yield its due returns to its owners.
The financial crisis of 1857, was felt by the Bank of Lowville, in common with all others, and led Mr. Leonard to apply for the appointment of a receiver to close up its business; but the general suspension of banks throughout the country, which occurred simultaneously stayed the proceedings, and as the assets were much above its liabilities, no serious apprehensions of ultimate loss were entertained. The injunction was granted by Judge Hubbard on the 1oth of October of that year, and dissolved by Judge Denio on the 27th. The Hon. De Witt C. West was, during this brief period, the Receiver. As a proof of the confidence of his fellow citizens in the integrity of Mr. Leonard and in the stability of his bank, it should in this connection be recorded that at a public meeting held in Lowville on the 13th of October, it was agreed to receive the bills at par as usual, and no serious embarrassment occurred in consequence of this momentary shock. The bank did not commence a single suit against its customers during the crisis and lost no debts from discounts during that period. Of Mr. Leonard's business habits, financial tact in the management of the bank of Lowville, and public and domestic life, the writer of a notice in the Lewis County Democrat of January 30, 1867, who is understood to have been the Hon. D. C. West, says:
"Since his connection with the chief financial institution of the country, his reputation and acquaintances have been co-extensive with the country, and indeed in some of his financial operations he discharged practically some of the duties which but for the enlarged confidence reposed in him by the county officials would more properly have devolved upon the county officers themselves. His management as a banker was commendable. With a sharp eye to the interests of its owners, it is believed that no undue advantage of necessitous creditors was ever taken by him. We remember no "Dummy" or other devices (which occasionally degrades the true banker, into the shaver and usurer) on the part of Mr. Leonard as a condition for loans, and his honorable management in that respect gave a high character to his business operations."
Of the bank of Lowville, in operation as the chief financial institution in Lewis county, since July 1, 1839, Mr. Leonard was teller from June 19, 1844, to April 1, 1846, and cashier from last named date to September 19, 1857. In 1852, he became the purchaser and was interested in stock of the late I. W. Bostwick to the extent of six hundred and twenty-nine shares : and in 1853, to one hundred and eighty-five shares, or about $37,000, and after that period became the owner of the entire capital stock of the bank, except in so far as requisite to maintain its organization.
The Valley bank was organized in 1851, with a circulation of $60,287 and the Bank of the People in 1852, with a circulation of $40,480, by Mr. Leonard as individual banks at Lowville. The former was disposed of and the latter wound up voluntarily. These banks were all organized under the general State banking laws of New York.
Successful in the rapid accumulation of wealth, he was a leading contributor to almost every subscription paper here circulated. To the religious and educational institutions, like the men of our town preceding him, he was the firm friend, undaunted by opposition, undismayed by disaster. Usually placid, he gradually controlled those associated with him without difficulty. Associated and active in almost every enterprise of a public character, his loss even at this time cannot be over-estimated to this county in a business or social point of view. He left no issue. For a brief period only glided the smooth current of domestic joy. A wedded life of a few months closed by the untimely death of his youthful bride. To his aged mother (now deceased) and more immediate relatives and friends, his constant solicitude and charities were given ending only with existence. Fond of travel, and partaking largely of the National spirit which carried our country through the crisis of the Rebellion, he was one of the few from this country at the restoration of the flag exercises at Fort Sumter, the review of our armies at Washington at the close of the war, visiting also Richmond in its desolation and the unleveled and abandoned defenses about Petersburg. The dangerous financial condition of the country in the winter of 1859 and '60 alone prevented his journeying through the South and to the Isthmus, and he was looking forward to the relief from active business in a brief period, when he might have perhaps indulged his declared wish to travel on the Continent.
James L. Leonard was no common man. This will be more apparent when we consider that he died young. Had he been permitted to go on accumulating his strength for twenty years to come as he had for the last ten, he would have become a power in the land. His will met few obstacles it did not conquer. He could enjoy the convivialities of social life without becoming degraded by its dissipations. He could devote himself to the duties of religion without being a bigot. He could rapidly accumulate wealth and still keep his heart and hand open as day for meeting charity. In a word, he could live for himself much and still live for others more. No such life as his is ever lost to the world.
When a man dies, some sort of subtle influence seems to follow it which vivifies he coming years with the spirit of progress. Already the citizens of Lowville have taken fresh interest in the improvements which he projected, and had near his heart, and seem to accept them as trusts which they must execute in accordance with his wishes. Through many discouragements and trials, he pursued his even course along the rugged way which leads from poverty to affluence-unsullied by passion, untarnished by guile-and was stricken down in life's meridian with his labors seemingly half accomplished; yet in his two score and seven he accomplished much more than most men do who are blessed with their three score and ten. Mr. Leonard conducted his business to the common advancement of his own interests and those of the public generally, and as his means increased his native generosity and public spirit expanded to meet the growing impulses of a noble soul. The erection of a session room in 1853, and the latter costly renovation of the Presbyterian church of Lowville are largely due to his beneficent aid and early counsels. In 1860, Mr. Leonard took an active part in the enlargement of the building of the Lowville Academy, setting a noble example by a heavy subscription, lending funds from his ample means sufficient for the occasion, and devoting much time to business details.
The publication of the history of Lewis county by F. B. Hough, in 1860, was almost entirely due to Mr. Leonard, who, with persevering industry, and entirely without expectation of pecuniary reward, secured a subscription sufficient to justify the expense of the undertaking. His mind was admirably fitted to enjoy historical inquiries, and he took especial pleasure in the collection and preservation of memorials of the early settlement of the county. His files of county newspapers were almost complete, and his knowledge of the local and personal history of the town and county was extensive. The formation of a County Historical Society was a subject he had much at heart. Plans were often discussed with those of a kindred spirit, and there is no occasion to doubt but that a suitable hall for a public library and cabinet, and for the preservation of memorials of the pioneers of our valley, would have been erected within a few years, and mainly at his own expense, had his life been spared. His lamented death before the execution of any part of the plan should impose upon surviving friends a kind remembrance of this intention and lead to its realization at the earliest practicable period. Upon the outbreak of the late war few persons felt a deeper interest in the final triumph of the National arms. He was an ardent patriot in spirit, and confident in the final issues of the right. His private aid to those enlisting in the services was frequently bestowed entirely without ostentation, and often known to none but those receiving it. He was one of a committee appointed at an early period in the town of Lowville to raise funds for the support of the families of soldiers and he subsequently served on other committees formed to promote the success of the cause. At an early stage in the conflict he expressed his confidence in the stability of our government by advancing money for its stock when pecuniary means were most needed, and the final issue of events most doubtful. The stocks eventually proved to be a highly remunerative investment, but they were taken in the darkest hour of the Republic, when to the common observer lowering clouds and thick darkness overhung the future and cast a dismal gloom over the present.
Although thus incidentally enriched by the war, he will never be mentioned with those who watched the tide of events and waited till success was manifest and doubts were dissipated. He reasoned correctly that bonds and obligations upon property or against individuals were only good so far as government gave origin and effect to laws for their enforcement, and that whatever tended to weaken or destroy this, aimed at the vital elements of the social compact and hastened to aid the speedy and certain overthrow of every institution and of every interest. Mr. Leonard was from the first, an earnest advocate of measures tending to secure the construction of a railroad through the valley, urging its importance upon every occasion, hiring engineers to run partial lines in search of feasible routes, and liberally subscribing for all expenses of preliminary measures. A few months before his death he was appointed in conjunction with Senator O'Donnell and Hon. De Witt C. West as a committee to ascertain the final terms of the Utica and Black River Railroad Company for extending their line to this village, and had his life been spared he would have labored with untiring zeal for the promotion of this measure. His death cast a heavy load of responsibility upon his associates and the public. He constantly regarded this road as destined to become a good investment, and had he lived he would probably have proved the sincerity of these opinions by a liberal subscription to its stock.
In 1865, after fruitless efforts to procure a telegraphic connection with this village, Mr. Leonard, upon his own account, made a contract for the erection of poles between Lowville and Port Leyden, and was about procuring the wires when the Montreal Telegraph Company, judging from this proof of confidence that the line would be remunerative, assumed the contract and completed the communication. He had previously made unsuccessful appeals to the proprietors of connecting lines, and had it not been for his enterprise Lowville might not yet have realized this great public benefit. For many years he had cherished the project of a Rural Cemetery adjacent to our village, and about 1861, he purchased the then only available grounds for this purpose. A few days before his death the measure was again brought forward under his encouraging advice. Preliminary meetings were held and the day but one before his death he conversed long and cheerfully with a friend on this subject. An Association was finally formed on the evening of the day he died, and it became the sad duty of loving friends, as the first business transaction to pass resolutions of sorrow at the sad bereavement occasioned by his death. On opening his will he is found to have bequeathed lands for cemetery purposes, and to have provided that the income arising from the sale of lots should be entirely expended in improving and beautifying the grounds.
Mr. Leonard was for many years a member of the Presbyterian church and society, and at the time of his death was a trustee in common with his generous and earnest friend, Giles C. Easton, who died on the evening of the same day with Mr. Leonard, and who had been closely associated through life in various social and business relations. United in life and in death, the names of James L. Leonard and Giles C. Easton will long claim the grateful remembrance of our citizens. Upon the death of Isaac W. Bostwick, in 1857, Mr. Leonard was chosen a trustee of Lowville Academy, and he was one of the most active and laborious members of the Board. Having repeatedly given for the benefit of the academy, he provided in his will for a further bequest of $10,000, and a residuary interest of one-fifth in his estate to aid its endowment. During the last few weeks of his life, Mr. Leonard was excessively burdened with business cares. The completion of a noble block of buildings at a central point in the village of Lowville, intended in part for his bank, an unexpected complication of business from an endowment for others which he was called upon to meet, and above all, a constant and exhausting solicitude for the health of his aged and feeble mother, with whom he watched with the tenderest devotion, proved altogether too much for a constitution not naturally rugged, and for several days before he gave up business he was a fit subject for a physician's care. On Sunday, the 20th of January, 1867, he was obliged to acknowledge himself too sick to leave his room, and his symptoms assumed the form of typhoid fever with congestion. He was still unwilling to take active medicine, and he said he could not afford to be sick least his mother should need his care.
His condition was not considered dangerous until Friday, when he became delirious. Diphtheritic symptoms appeared and he rapidly sank until death closed the scene at four o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday, the 26th of January, 1867. Mr. Leonard was married on the 25th of January, 1858, to Miss Mary M. Willard, only daughter of General Joseph A. Willard, of Lowville, who died on the 11th of August, following their marriage. Mr. Leonard never again married, and to the last, evinced toward the parents of his loving bride, that tender regard which proved the earnestness of his affection and the permanent impression which this loss had occasioned. In the spring of 1865, Mr. Leonard made an excursion to Charleston, South Carolina, as one of a party on board the steamship Oceanus, to witness the raising of the American flag upon Fort Sumter. Before leaving home upon this journey, he drew up a will which was found among his papers after his death, and which was to govern the distribution of his estate. Had this instrument been reviewed a month before his death, his increasing means and more recent events might have led to a somewhat different disposition of his estate. As it was, the citizens of his native county, town and village, had lasting and substantial reasons for cherishing a lively gratitude for his munificence and a tender regard for his memory.
Source: History of Lewis County, New York; with...biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, by Hough, Franklin Benjamin, 1883 [Link]
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