Christmas
Leonard
(1846-1905)
Christmas Leonard was born on -- what else
-- Dec. 25, 1846, in Fayette County, PA, the son of Benjamin
and Sarah (Harbaugh) Leonard.
"Chris" married Fannie Elizabeth Rankin (1851-1935), the daughter of Joseph and Susanna (Hensel) Rankin. They had five children – Chauncey A. Leonard, Homer R. Leonard, Sadie Rush, Ella Manley and Mabel E. Leonard. They resided in Stewart Twp., Fayette County.
The Uniontown newspaper said he "always was a strong robust man and always a hard worker…." He was a member of the Meadow Run Methodist Episcopal Church.
Chris's father and brother in law George Potter were "the first to manufacture splint chairs on Meadow Run," says the 2000 book, The Explorer's Guide to the Youghiogheny River Gorge, Ohiopyle, & S.W. Pennsylvania's Villages, by Marci McGuinness and Bill Sohonage. Later, Chris and his brother Reuben "kept his business going long after [the father's] death."
Fannie was considered "one of the most widely
and highly esteemed residents of the mountain district…." A Uniontown
newspaper once said she was "a devout Christian and beloved by everyone whom she met. She had been a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church since early girlhood."
Chris was afflicted with kidney disease, which seems to have been common in the Harbaugh family. In 1903, his kidneys began to fail, and a newspaper reported that:
...after consulting a physician it was found he was suffering from Bright’s disease or diabetes and the disease had taken such a hold on his system that all the doctors could it, it seemed they could only give him relief. He spent awhile at the Uniontown hospital but the doctors give him no hope, and it was only on account of his iron constitution that he lived as long as he did.
(Uniontown
Hospital is seen here in a rare old postcard view.) Chris died on Jan. 16,
1905, after about two years of suffering with the illness. He was buried in the
Belle Grove Cemetery (today known as Irwin
Memorial Cemetery) near Ohiopyle.
Fannie died at home at age 84 on Feb. 7, 1935,
from the effects of a stroke. She also was buried at Belle Grove, and a lengthy
obituary was published in the Uniontown newspaper.
Daughter Mabel was a 1923 graduate of what is now California University of Pennsylvania. According to the Uniontown Evening Standard, Mabel "taught school for 42 years in the Mountain School, beginning at the age of 16 in a one room school house. She had also taught in Redstone Twp."
Son Homer R. Leonard married Anna Sproul. They lived in Ohiopyle, and had nine children -- Robert Leonard, Olbert "Ollie" Leonard, Helen Leonard, Russell Leonard, Fred Leonard, Elwood Leonard, Warner "Beanie" Leonard, Ray S. "Deacon" Leonard and Lawrence Leonard.
In
1994, a photograph of daughter Sadie Rush, standing at the Meadow Run Methodist
Episcopal Church, was published in the book, Yesteryear in Ohiopyle and
Surrounding Communities, Vol. II, compiled by author Marci Lynn McGuinness.
Grandson Odbert "Ollie" Leonard was a coal miner and member of the UMWA for six decades. According to the Uniontown Herald-Standard, Ollie "served as Stewart Township Supervisor for 18 years, was a Board member of the Ohiopyle-Stewart Community Center, a member of the Advisory Board of the Penn Highlands Teens for Christ and had served as President of the Irwin Memorial Cemetery." Ollie's wife, Alberta (Lowery) Leonard (1919-2005) "served as Stewart Township Secretary for many years and was a member of the Ohiopyle Grange No. 1933," said the Herald-Standard.
Grandson
Ray S. "Deacon" Leonard (1914-2007) married Dorothea V. Bowers ( ?
-1997). They are not thought to have had children. Ray served as mayor of
Ohiopyle for a dozen years, and was a charter member of the Ohiopyle Volunteer
Fire Department. He also received a Purple Heart for wounds received in France
during World War II. Said the Uniontown (PA) Herald Standard, "As a
businessman Ray operated his own saw mill, Ray Leonard Lumber, for many years,
and was also skilled in wood working, leaving behind many beautiful pieces for
others to enjoy for years to come. Ray had many accomplishments in his life to
be proud of and he told stories about them to all who would listen. He was very
proud of the time he gave to serve our country in the United States Army."
Dorothea passed away in 1997. Ray outlived her by a decade. He died on New
Year's Eve 2007, at age 93. He was laid to rest in the Normalville Cemetery.
Copyright © 2001-2006, 2008 Mark A. Miner