Leonard was born in England, a son of John Leonard of
Paddington.[1] He was educated at
London University, where he qualified BA, and left for
Western Australia aboard the emigrant ship Will Watch with his wife and a small family, arriving in February 1852. He preached his first sermon at the
Independent church,
Perth, on 29 February 1852.[2] His wife Mary Ann Leonard, née Rose (1830 – 14 April 1852) died a few months later.[3] He married again, to Anne Douglas, née Smithers (c. 1815 – 26 April 1908),[4] widow of Captain Harrison Douglas (1818 – 30 June 1852),[5] on 26 April 1854[6] and without waiting for a replacement (it took four years),[7] moved in 1856 to Bentley, in the hills near
Gawler, South Australia,[8] where, on top of his clerical duties, he ran a farm. He left the ministry in 1861[9] to conduct a school in Bentley; and in 1869 took over E. P. Nesbit's boys' school at
Angaston.[10]
Family
A brother, J. H. Leonard, was a professional painter in oils, based in London, and Rev. Leonard assisted him by finding a market for his work in
Adelaide.[11] Professor Read, vicar of Mitcham, South Australia, was a brother-in-law, but details are hard to come by. Read was in 1878 allowed to resign rather than face a tribunal over a morals issue.[12]
Leonard died after a long illness; his remains were interred at the Angaston cemetery with those of his wife. His children included:
James Leonard Jun. ( – ) was in 1878 a clerk with the
Bank of South Australia at
Georgetown.[13] He married Florence Joice Gason on 6 August 1878, and transferred to Gawler in 1880.[14] but was soon proven insolvent[15] and was forced to resign. He died before 1908.[4]
Mary Ann Emily Elizabeth Leonard (12 September 1856[16] – 1886)[17] married Henry Player (1853–1923) on 7 February 1877.[18]
Joseph John Henry Leonard (c. 1863 – 19 November 1929)[19] was born in
Gawler, South Australia.[20] He was admitted to the civil service as a cadet in 1879,[21] and posted to the Colonial Architect's office. A self-taught artist, he achieved some success as a newspaper illustrator in Adelaide and Sydney.[4][22] He signed his work in various ways, including "Leo" and "J. H. Leonard", so may be confused with that of his perhaps more illustrious uncle.
Mrs Leonard had three children from her marriage to Douglas: a son, born 3 January 1852,[23] who may have died in infancy, and two daughters: Mary Douglas (c. 1844–1875) and Anne Douglas, who married (veterinarian) Dr J. W. Horton ( – 26 July 1903)[24] and had at least four children.[25]
Rev. Leonard's sister Annie Leonard married Rev. T. W. Charlesworth (c. 1823 – 15 December 1879) in Perth on 5 March 1854.[1] They moved to South Australia, living at
Sandy Creek,
Keyneton, and Angaston, where he practised
homeopathic medicine.[26]
Their son James B. E. Charlesworth (18 October 1856 – 11 August 1929) was a first-class cricketer.[27]
Notes and references
^It has not been found for what (if anything) this initial stood. His tombstone omits it entirely.
^
ab"Family Notices". The Inquirer (Perth) supplement. Vol. XIV, no. 715. Western Australia. 8 March 1854. p. 1. Retrieved 26 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia. Rev. Leonard brother-in-law to Rev. T. W. Charlesworth, Ph.D.
^"Family Notices". The Inquirer (Perth). Vol. XII, no. 619. Western Australia. 5 May 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 26 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^
abc"Obituary". The Chronicle (Adelaide). Vol. 50, no. 2, 593. South Australia. 2 May 1908. p. 44. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Fremantle". The Inquirer (Perth). Vol. XII, no. 628. Western Australia. 7 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Gawler". The South Australian Advertiser. Vol. III, no. 800. South Australia. 9 February 1861. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"News of the Week". The Bunyip. No. 208. South Australia. 6 March 1869. p. 2. Retrieved 27 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"News". South Australian Register. Vol. XLI, no. 9339. South Australia. 19 October 1876. p. 4. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Assignment". The Gawler Standard. Vol. III, no. 121. South Australia. 1 May 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 27 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"The Kapunda Herald". Kapunda Herald. Vol. XV, no. 1153. South Australia. 15 July 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Family Notices". The Inquirer (Perth). Vol. XII, no. 602. Western Australia. 7 January 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 27 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.