| The Highland
Township Historical Society THE LEONARD FAMILY |
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Jonathan Leonard, the son of Silas Leonard, played a prominent role in the early history of Parma, New York; holding a variety of offices such as fence viewer and assessor. He and his wife, Persis Hencher, were the first couple to be married in the town on February 7, 1807. With hard currency (coin) scarce on the frontier, Jonathan Leonard found himself six cents shy of the dollar normally charged to perform the ceremony. Handing over what money he had he asked the magistrate to "Marry us as far as it will go," and the resulting union lasted nearly 60 years. With a booming voice that could be heard "as far as a steam calliope" he became a Captain in the local militia during the War of 1812 [Note 1]. In 1835-36 Jonathan Leonard purchased several parcels of land in Highland township. A copy of one of his land patents is seen below. Jonathan himself, however, never relocated to Michigan, but remained in Parma where he died on January 4, 1868, at age 91. It was instead his sons - William H. Leonard, Jason Leonard and Harvey Leonard - who joined the ranks of Highland's earliest pioneer families [Note 2].
Note 1 - Among those who served in Captain Jonathan Leonard's company during the War of 1812 was future Highland pioneer Michael Beach.
Note 2 - Heman Leonard, another son of Jonathan Leonard, also came to Michigan circa 1836; eventually settling in Grand Rapids. Heman's son, Charles H. Leonard, was the inventor of "The Leonard Cleanable" - one of the earliest refrigerators with a porcelain interior, removable metal shelves and self-closing latch. By 1925 the Leonard company held 20 percent of the refrigerator market, turning out 1000 units per day. In 1926 it was acquired by and merged into Kelvinator.