52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 15: THE QUESTION OF SARAH CONANT

I haven't seen much for  8x great grandfather John Leach. There's actually more about his wife Sarah, because she was the daughter of Roger Conant, one of the founders of Salem Ma. While I haven't found any record of a marriage, it seems to have been accepted by many genealogists. Author Frederick Odell Conant lays out the argument for it in his A History and Genealogy of the Conant Family in England and America, Thirteen Generations, 1520-1887:

4. Sarah" {Roger), born about 1628; married John, son of Lawrence and Elizabeth Leach. Although there is no direct documentary evidence to prove that she married John Leach, the circumstances indicating such a marriage are considered sufficient to warrant the statement; viz.: 1st, John Leach's wife was named Sarah; 2nd, there is no record of the marriage of either of them to anyone else; 3rd, John Leach was a near neighbor of Roger Conant; 4th, John Leach's eldest surviving child was John, and there were at least four daughters, one of wThom was named Mary, who, at the time of Lot and Roger Conant's death, was unmarried; 5th, in Lot Conant's will Mary Leach is called kinswoman; and in Roger Conant's will she is mentioned in connection with his granddaughter, Rebecca; he also mentions his daughter, Sarah, and her son, John, and four daughters. Lawrence Leach came to New England in the fleet with Higginson, in 1629; took the freeman's oath 18 May, 1631, and died June, 1662, aged about 82.

John Leach had a grant of land 1637, and was made freeman 1681 (Savage).
 
Sarah Leach was admitted to the First Church, 1648, and dismissed to the Beverly church, 1667; she died about 1681.

Children of John and Sarah (conant) Leach:
i. John, bapt. 3 Sept., 1648;
ii. John  twins bapt. Nov., 1648 , married and had family.
iii.Sarah twins bapt. Nov., 1648
iv. Rachael, bapt, 6 Apr., 1651.
v. Sarah, bapt. il June, 1652.
vi. Elizabeth, bapt. 27 Nov., 1653.
vii. Mary, bapt. 8 Sep., 1654; m. 2 Mch., 1080, Thos, Field, and probably then received the cow or heifer left her by Lot Conant, 1674, "at her being married or leaving my wife."
viii. Richard, bapt. 15 June, 1656, d. y.
-pp135-136
A History and Genealogy of the Conant Family in England and America, Thirteen Generations, 1520-1887: Containing Also Some Genealogical Notes on the Connet, Connett and Connit Families Private print. [Press of Harris & Williams],  Portland, Me. 1887

The marriage is also listed in the profile for Roger Conant in The Great Migration Begins page 454

I have a double descent from Roger Conant through his son Lot, who is my 8x great grandfather through my Perkins>Packard>Dunham line. My 2x great grandparents Asa Freeman Ellingwood and Florilla Dunham were 6x cousins through their shared descent from Roger Conant.  

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 14:LAWRENCE LEACH OFSALEM, MA. PT 2

Usually I find the wills of ancestors over at AmericanAncestors.org, But in the case of my 9x great grandfather Lawrence Leach it was in the book The Probate Records of Essex County And it's not really a proper will, but rather a statement to witnesses about how he wanted his estate handled:,

Larance Leach Aged 85 years or thereabouts beinge parfitt in memory neer a yeare befoe his death expressed himselfe vnto vs whose names are heervnder written in the disposing of that wch hee had, we beinge vrgent with him to make his will his expressions to vs was this first he said that he did owe thirtie || pounds || for the mill & his will was that his wife should pay his debts and when his debts ware paid that shee should take all hee had. John Porter John Bacheller

Proved in Salem court 25: 4: 1662 by the witnesses and Elizabeth wife of the deceased appointed administratrix. Essex Co. Quarterly Court Files, vol. 8, leaf 33.

Inventory of the estate of Lawrence Leach of Salem, deceased, taken by John Porter and Jacob Barney: His wearing apparell, 3li.; 2 feather bolsters, 1li.; 3 feather pillows, 12s.; 1 Coverlet & 2 Ruggs,1 li. 10s.; 2 blanketts, 1li. 5s.; a Fether bed & 2 flocke beds, 3li.; 2 paire of sheetes, 1li. 10s.; 3 pillow beares, 6s.; 3 small table clothes, 10s.; 1 single sheet, 4s.; a bedsted and a Chest, 1li. 10s.; 5 Chaires, 15s.; 3 barills, a tub & 8 trays, 1li. 5s.; a table, a forme & 3 dishes, 6s.; 3 old brasse kettles & a skillet, a Chafindish & 1 Candlestick, 2 Iron pots & a skillet, 1li. 6s. M. ; 1 Iron kitle & a morter, 2li. 10s.; a spirit & a dripping pan & a frying pan, 10s.; 6 pewter dishes, 1li.5s; a Baskett with other Lumber, 5s.; 2 Cowes, a heyfer & a Calfe, 12li.; 5 small swine, 4li. ; the howse, with 2 acres of land with the orchard, being parte of the said 2 acres, 30li.; a mill, 40li.; 20 acres of land not improved on Ryall side neare John Baeheler, 10li.; 15 acres of meadow neare John Porters farme bought of Mr. Downing, 20li.; a Bible with another Booke, 5s.; total, 138li. 14s. 8d. Essex Co. Quarterly Court Files, vol. 8, leaf 34. pp288-9

The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts: 1635-1664  Essex Institute, Salem, Ma. 1916

I never saw anything like this before now.Usually when one of my ancestors died intestate there were people appointed by the probate judge to take an inventory of the estate and then determine how it would be divided up among the heirs. It seems like all that was skipped over in the case of Lawrence Leach.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 14:LAWRENCE LEACH OFSALEM, MA. PT 1

My 7x great grandmother Sarah (Leach) Herrick's grandfather was Lawrence Leach. I found an
entry for him in one of William Richard Cutter's genealogy books:

The immigrant ancestor of the family in America. Lawrence Leach, came from England and was settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1629. He was proposed as freeman 1630, was a member of the first church in Salem before 1636, and that year received a grant of a hundred acres of land from the town. He died in Salem, June 4, 1662. \Vhen he came to this country he was accompanied by his wife Elizabeth and their sons John, Richard and Robert, leaving their eldest son Clement in England. A son Giles was born in Salem. Lawrence Leach held several important offices in Salem and appears to have been a man of influence in the town. It is said that more than ten thousand of his descendants are now living in America, although no definite genealogical effort has been made to trace them, Captain Richard Leach, son of Lawrence, died in 1647, leaving a son John, who inherited his grandfather’s farm on the Rial side.-p365

Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Volume 1 Lewis historical Publishing Company, 1908

The rest of the entry covers his son Robert's descendants. He moved south to Bridgewater in Plymouth Colony, where he probably knew my Packard and Forbes ancestors who also lived there. I'm descended from Lawrence's son John Leach.

I've found a transcription of Lawrence's will and will post that next.

To be continued...