my 8g-grandparents
Josiah LEONARD was born 28 Mar 1658 in Springfield, MA, and died 15 Feb 1688/89, in Springfield, MA, at age 30. His parents were John LEONARD and Sarah HEALD. Josiah was almost 18 when his father was killed by Indians, during King Philip's War.
Sarah DUMBLETON was born 5 Jan 1654/55 in Springfield, MA, and died 3 Jan 1693/94 in Westfield, MA, just 2 days before her 39th birthday. Her parents were John DUMBLETON and Mercy, possibly MARSHFIELD. After her husband's untimely death, Sarah married Thomas ROOTE or ROOT, on 25 Jan 1692. (Thomas was also my 8g-grandfather, through one of his sons by a previous marriage. They were both grandparents of Elisha ROOT, my 6g-grandfather. See the Thomas ROOTE page.) Sarah was 37 and Thomas about 61 when they married. They had twin girls, Thankful and Mary/Mercy, on 12 Nov 1693, and Sarah died when the twins were less than 2 months old.
Springfield was founded in 1636, part of Connecticut Colony until it joined with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640. Springfield was in Hampshire County, formed in 1662, and was in the southern part of Hampshire, that became Hampden County, MA in 1812.
On 6 Feb 1676/77, Josiah LEONARD was granted 30 acres near Sawmill Brook.
Sarah had 3 children with Josiah LEONARD and 2 more by Thomas ROOTE. Her daughter Mary LEONARD married her stepfather's son, John ROOTE/ROOT. Mary and John were 5 and 15 when their parents married, so they probably lived in the same household for some time. They were my 7g-grandparents. See the John ROOT page.
1 Sarah DUMBLETON b: 05 Jan 1654/55 in Springfield, d: 03 Jan 1693/94 in Westfield
+ Josiah LEONARD b: 28 Mar 1658 in Springfield, m: 19 Dec 1678 in Springfield, d: 15 Feb 1688/89 in Springfield
......2 Josiah LEONARD b: 21 Oct 1680 in Springfield, d: 14 Feb 1748/49 in Springfield
...... + Ruth ALLEN b: 05 Jan 1679/80 in Northampton, MA, m: 16 Dec 1702, d: bet. 1748–1766 in Springfield
......2 Sarah LEONARD b: 16 Sep 1682 in Springfield, d: 24 Apr 1702
...... + Joshua POMEROY b: 24 Sep 1675 in Deerfield, MA, m: 1 May 1700 in Deerfield, MA, d: aft. 1729
......2 Mary LEONARD b: 12 Mar 1686/87 in Springfield, d: 03 May 1766 in Westfield
...... + John ROOT b: 25 Dec 1676 in Westfield, m: 14 Apr 1703, d: 01 Oct 1744 (son of Thomas ROOTE and Mary SPENCER)
+ Thomas ROOTE b: 1648 in Farmington, CT, m: 25 Jan 1692, d: 16 Aug 1709 in Westfield
......2 Thankful ROOT b: 12 Nov 1693 in Westfield, MA, d: 04 Jul 1739
...... + John PARSONS b: 23 Jul 1693 in CT, m: 20 Jun 1716, d: 07 Feb 1773 in Enfield, Hartford, CT
......2 Mercy ROOT b: 12 Nov 1693, d: bef. 1709
1. Josiah LEONARD was born 21 Oct 1680 in Springfield, and died 14 Feb 1748/49 in Springfield, at age 68. He married on 16 Dec 1702 to Ruth ALLEN, born 5 Jan 1679/80 in Northampton, MA, and died between 1748 and 1766 in Springfield. They were both 22 when they married. They had 7 children, of whom 2 died in infancy.
Josiah's will was dated 9 Jul 1748, and proved 17 May 1749. He named his wife, Ruth, and sons Josiah, Abel, Ruben and Jonathan. He was a carpenter, and left the tools of his trade to his son, Ruben.
On 6 May 1766 Ruben LEONARD petitioned for distribution of land left to him and his brother. This shows that his mother was deceased. She died between 14 Feb 1748/49 and 6 May 1766.
1 Josiah LEONARD b: 21 Oct 1680 in Springfield, d: 14 Feb 1748/49 in Springfield
+ Ruth ALLEN b: 5 Jan 1679/80 in Northampton, MA, m: 16 Dec 1702 in Northampton, MA, d: bet. 1748–1766 in Springfield
......2 Josiah LEONARD b: 11 Oct 1703 in Springfield, d: 10 Jun 1761
...... + Sarah DAY b: 03 Nov 1709 in Springfield, m: 25 Feb 1729/30
......2 Abel LEONARD b: 22 Nov 1706 in Springfield, d: 03 Apr 1770
...... + Elizabeth LEONARD b: 19 Mar 1708/09 in Springfield, m: 12 Jun 1729
......2 Sarah LEONARD b: 14 Nov 1709 in Springfield, d: 16 Nov 1709 in Springfield
......2 (daughter) LEONARD b: 14 Apr 1711 in Springfield, d: 14 Apr 1711 in Springfield; stillborn
......2 Ruth LEONARD b: 24 Apr 1713 in Springfield, d: 12 Dec 1715 in Springfield
......2 Deacon Ruben LEONARD b: 25 Nov 1716 in Springfield, d: 25 Aug 1805 in West Springfield
...... + Miriam DAY b: 04 Mar 1717/18 in Springfield, m: 22 Dec 1739 in Springfield, d: 07 Aug 1791 in West Springfield
......2 Jonathan LEONARD b: 24 Jan 1719/20 in Springfield, d: bef. 03 Jun 1759
...... + Eleanor DAY b: 10 Dec 1725 in Springfield, m: 04 Jun 1747
2. Sarah LEONARD was born 16 Sep 1682 in Springfield, and died 24 Apr 1702, age 19. She married on 1 May 1700 in Deerfield, MA, to Joshua POMEROY, born 24 Sep 1675 in Deerfield, MA. She was 17 and he was 24 when they married. Sarah had 2 children: the 1st died after 3 days, and Sarah died 4 days after birth of the 2nd.
Joshua married 5 times, with Sarah as his 1st. He was a survivor of the Deerfield Massacre of 29 Feb 1704, in which his 2nd wife was killed. [AAP, pp. 159-60] Joshua had 6 children, of whom 3 or 4 died in infancy.
After escaping the Deerfield Massacre, Joshua settled in Dorchester, Norfolk County, MA, perhaps in the part of Dorchester that became Stoughton in 1726.. He was made Constable of Dorchester in 1712.
1 Joshua POMEROY b: 24 Sep 1675 in Deerfield, MA, d: aft. 1729
+ Sarah LEONARD b: 16 Sep 1682 in Springfield, MA, m: 01 May 1700 in Deerfield, MA, d: 24 Apr 1702 in Deerfield, MA
......2 Elizabeth POMEROY b: 29 Mar 1701, d: 01 Apr 1701
......2 John POMEROY b: 20 Apr 1702 in Deerfield, MA
+ Esther m: Abt. 1703, d: 01 Mar 1704 in Deerfield, MA; killed by Indians
+ Repent WEEKS b: 22 Feb 1675 in Dorchester, MA, m: 04 Feb 1707/08 in Dorchester, MA, d: 22 Jul 1714 in Dorchester, MA
......2 Mary POMEROY b: 11 Sep 1710 in Dorchester, MA
...... + Samuel CLAPP m: 10 Nov 1733 in Norton, MA
......2 Sarah POMEROY b: 10 Feb 1712 in Dorchester MA, d: 14 Aug 1731
...... + John PATTON b: 08 Nov 1706 in Cambridge, MA, m: 10 Dec 1730, d: 1769
......2 (daughter) POMEROY b: 1714, d: 1714
+ Mary BLAKE m: 02 Jun 1715 in Dorchester, MA, d: 19 Mar 1718
......2 Hannah POMEROY b: 27 May 1716 in Dorchester, MA, d: 11 Sep 1716 in Norton, MA
+ Mary CLAPP m: 01 Oct 1718
3. Mary LEONARD was born 12 Mar 1686/87 in Springfield, died 3 May 1766 in Westfield, age 79. She married on 14 Apr 1703 to John ROOT, born 25 Dec 1676 in Westfield, died 1 Oct 1744, age 67. John was a son of Thomas ROOTE and Mary SPENCER. She was 16 and he was 26 when they married.
As mentioned above, Mary and John were step-siblings, and they were my 7g-grandparents. See the John ROOT page.
4. Thankful ROOT was born 12 Nov 1693 in Westfield, MA, still living in 1709. She married John PARSONS on 20 Jun 1716, and had at least 3 sons. [HM, Vol. I, p. 271]
1 Thankful 2825 ROOT b: 12 Nov 1693 in Westfield, MA, d: 04 Jul 1739
+ John PARSONS b: 23 Jul 1693 in CT, m: 20 Jun 1716, d: 07 Feb 1773 in Enfield, Hartford, CT
......2 John PARSONS b: 22 Apr 1724 in Enfield, MA (later CT), d: 14 Mar 1769 in Windsor, CT
...... + Elizabeth BARRETT m: 30 Apr 1747, d: 06 Mar 1758
......2 Moses PARSONS
......2 Thomas PARSONS
5. Mercy ROOT was born 12 Nov 1693 in Westfield, MA, twin sister of Thankful, and probably died before 1709, as she is not mentioned in her father's will.
[AAP] History and genealogy of the Pomeroy family : colateral lines in family groups, Normandy, Great Britain and America; comprising the ancestors and descendants of Eltweed Pomeroy from Beaminster, County Dorset, England, 1630 (1912) by Albert Alonzo Pomeroy
[HM] Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs (1911) by Cuyler Reynolds
[HMB] The first century of the history of Springfield; the official records from 1636 to 1736, with an historical review and biographical mention of the founders (1898) by Henry Martyn Burt, Vol I Vol II
Updated 23 Jul 2021 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.