Veterans Day

Veterans Day started as Armistice Day after World War I. This is my grandfather's letter home written the next day.

In 1954, November 11 became the day to honor all veterans. Here are my veterans:

Vietnam my cousin

Korea my Dad

World War II my Dad and Uncle, my Father-in-law and his brother. A cousin who was taken prisoner and received Combat Infantry Badge

World War I my grandfather, and my grandmother's brother (who possibly served his tour in Africa)

Civil War
Benjamin Griffith 140 Reg’t Indiana Infantry enlisted September 15, 1864
John Leachman 54th Kentucky
Charles Brooks 155 Illinois Infantry enlisted February 15, 1865
John H. Cate 3rd Tennessee Infantry enlisted February 1862, captured London, Kentucky August 1862
Elijah Cate (John’s son) 3rd Tennessee Infantry enlisted January 1863 died May 1863
Andrew DeShields 2 Reg’t Missouri Infantry enlisted August 7, 1862

Revolutionary War

Richard Lewis
Joseph Spangler

Seems like William Rodman Benson and Henry Arney should have served in the Civil War based on their ages and locations. They were both in Arkansas, although Henry went to Illinois and then came back after the war. There are also lots of Shamblin from Tennesse that served in the Civil War so probably some of those are related somehow.

Dancing with the Stars and Cloris Leachman

I had always heard that Cloris Leachman was somehow my distant cousin. I thought I would see if I could confirm this without spending too much time on it. A quick look at wikipedia showed that she was born in Des Moines, Iowa to Cloris Wallace and Berkley "Buck" Leachman. (And that she was Miss Chicago in 1946 and her website is http://www.cloris.com/.)

Then family trees on Rootsweb showed Berkley's father as Robert Parker Leachman and his father as William Leachman. This same info was found on the Census records. I then got out my Leachman genealogy compiled by the unknown cousin supposedly trying to get into the DAR.





There is William Leachman, brother of my gg grandfather, Leonard Leachman. William and Leonard are the sons of Leonard Leachman and Sarah Sanford.

I had previously posted the obit for William's wife, Sarah.
http://youlookirish.blogspot.com/2008/03/sarah-parker-leachman.html

If I was really clever I could tell you exactly how Cloris and I are related, what cousin how many times removed. But I do know her gg grandfather and my gg grandfather were brothers.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

I'm a Yankee doodle dandy
A Yankee doodle do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam born on the 4th of July

We all know the song. When we were little my brother and I always thought it was so cool that Leonard Leachman was born on July 4, 1776.

This is according to Leachman genealogy that my grandmother had. My Dad said it was done by a cousin trying to get into the DAR. Unfortunately it does not have the cousin's name.

Leonard (my great-great-great grandfather) married Sarah Sanford in 1804 and they had 11 children. Baby number four was Leonard who married Pauline Lewis, whose anniversary articles are posted below.

Happy 4th

To Leonard and Pauline

These are copied from Pauline Leachman's scrapbook

Newspaper articles about her grandparent's anniversaries.

Wish I had the gold and silver nugents :)

William Leachman and The Frontiersman

Copied from Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 7, Number 4 dated April 1972 contributed by Robert Jobson of Jeffersontown, Kentucky

“Regarding the article on Leachman Family Bibles in Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 5, Number 1, July 1969, I thought it appropriate to bring to your attention the following story which I have extracted from various sections of The Frontiersman, a narrative by Allan S. Eckert….

Simon Kenton, born April 3, 1755, in Price William County, Virginia (now the northeastern section of Fauquier County), fell in love at the age of 15 with Ellen Cummins, three years his senior. She, however, did not reciprocate and married in 1770 William Leachman, born 1750, son of Sam Leachman. In 1771, Simon, previously beaten in a fight with Leachman, beat Leachman unmercifully and, thinking him dead, departed for the Middle Ground and his place in Kentucky history. He changed his name to Simon Butler, by which name he was known until 1780, when he learned that Leachman was living. Meanwhile, due to Leachman's bloody appearance and Simon’s disappearance, Leachman was tried for his murder but was acquitted.

William and Ellen had a son born 1772, and she died a few months later. William with his son removed to Kentucky in December 1784, and settled at Simon Kenton’s Station on Lawrence Creek, where he was given land by Simon. He hung himself April 1, 1804.”

I borrowed The Frontiersman from the library. I did not read all 400 plus pages but enough to decide that the summary does match the book. The funny thing is the author spells Kentucky as Can – tuck – ee. Which reminded me of the Ben Stiller spoof from Last of the Mohicans.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=66350
Watch all the way to the end where he says “Can-tuck-ee”

The Leachman Bible, which I posted earlier, says Sampson Leachman went to Kentucky with Simon Kenton.

Leachman Family Bible

Harrison Leachman and Helen Viola Leachman

I scanned these for someone, so I thought I would go ahead and post them.

Sarah Parker Leachman

I scanned this for someone, so thought I would go ahead and post it.

Judge Robert Leachman

It's like a little kid's matching game.

I have this photo album of Lewis Leachman's most of the pictures are not identified. I have his daughter, Pauline's scrapbook.

The photographer's mark says Anniston, Alabama. Never heard of it, not found any family in Alabama. And then Pauline's scrapbook has an obit for Judge Leachman who had gone to live with his daughter in Anniston.

I remember one time my Grandmother had gone to New Orleans or the Mississippi Gulf Coast on a trip. While shopping in a department store, the clerk was named Leachman. My

grandmother asked her what her grandparents names were and

she did not know! All she knew was Grandma and Grandpa.

I bet she was this guy's great great great great granddaughter.

Marriage of Lewis Leachman and Almira Griffith

From Pauline's scrapbook, the marriage of my great grandparents:

Married- At the residence of Wm. Griffith, near Vevay, August 25, Mr. Lewis V. Leachman and Miss Almira Griffith by Rev. W. E. Morris; Both parties from Carroll County, Ky. May many flowers of happiness be strewn along their pathway - Vevay Times.
Yes, but what's the use of doing things up that way; why did'nt you let us know beforehand, and have a real good old fashioned wedding, and invite all your friends, including the Democrat? These post nuptial congratulations are not as satisfactory to us, but they none the less sincere.

I believe William is Almira's Uncle. They married in 1887. By this time, Almira's mother had passed away.

Pauline Leachman's scrapbook

For some unknow reason, I have my Great Aunt, Pauline Leachman's scrapbook. The book itself is her brother's Atlas Science Tablet and she pasted newspaper clippings over the pages.
Scanning the whole book was my first thought, but it would take a while and some of the paper is so discolored I'm not sure it would scan. Here is a list of what I have, if you are interested an article, let me know.

Lewis Leachman and Shawnee, Oklahoma Masonic Lodge
Leechman brother in Falls City, Nebraska
Mrs. J. R. Stout or Fannie Belle Leachman obit
Robert T. Leachman obit
Mrs Sarah (Parker) Leachman obit
Letter written by George W. Scott to the newpaper in memory of Leonard Leachman
Dr. W. T. Leachman "no hope for recovery"
John T. Blackburn and Lula Craigmyle marriage
Mrs Mattie Leachman and Frank Lewis marriage
Mr Congdon and Cora Leachman marriage
Leonard Leachman and wife Pauline celebrate 63rd anniversary
Robert Blake obit
Mary Louise (Griffith) McCreary obit
Leonard Leachman obit
Pauline (Lewis) Leachman obit
Mrs W. T. Leachman not missing
Leonard and Pauline Leachman Golden Anniversary
Masonic Lodge #107 and 523 Dec 1940
Drawing cut from the newspaper of Hon. F. M Griffith
Grace Mankey and Mr. H. Leachman marriage
Helen Viola (Leachman) Welsh obit
Mary (Montgomery) Searcy obit
Gertrude Lacey and William Clark marriage
Asbury Ames obit
Judge Robert Leachman obit

And so it begins

I began researching my Family Tree around 2003. I heard the best way to start was by getting your grandparents birth, death and marriage records. So, I did that and that got me started. I then found I could get a login from my local library and go on Heritage Quest and look at the Census records. So far, I have found a few cousins through Rootsweb.com that were also researching.

I also come from pretty descent line of pack rats so I have my Great Aunt's scrapbook full of mostly Leachman obits and a few news stories. My Aunt had a trunk with two old albums of pictures labeled mostly Bensons and Arneys. And then several boxes of unlabeled pictures. I have an album my Great Grandfather had. Most of the pictures are unlabeled but have the photographer's city state. I believe most of these are Leachmans and Griffiths maybe a few Lewis' and Huckleberrys thrown in for good measure.

After I started finding a few things, I had too much paper floating around so I put everything in notebooks. Then I decided I needed a "title" for my genealogy. I have red hair and green eyes and am very fair. ( I take offense to the term pale; that implies you are sick and I am not.) So I settled on "But ... you look Irish." Trust me, I get that alot. So far I have come back to Switzerland on a few lines so maybe I am predominately Swiss. Or maybe I am just Heinz 57 with red hair and green eyes. The Barbie pictured is Princess of Ireland that I bought a Target for $20.00 (Don't you just love Target?) She is the first Barbie I ever saw with green eyes and red hair, and not red like a crayon.

I will try to post a few of the more interesting ( well, to me anyway) finds. Thanks for dropping by. And as my great aunt used to say, "Don't wait til I'm dead to come see me again!"

Amy