Personal Memories of Max Leonard by Robert Leonard

Written by Robert P. Leonard, Son of Clair Leonard and Blanche Ellison, Grandson of Leopold and Zoe Ellen (Powell) Leonard, and Nephew to Max Leonard.
November 15, 2003

The earliest thing I remember about Max was that he had polio at an early age.  It was something that none of us wanted to get but Max was the unfortunate one.   I remember how there was no cure at the time we were growing up and they did not know how to treat it for sure.  I remember the ‘Iron Lung’ that kids would have to go into for hours or days at a time.  This was the so called cure for polio but it did not.  The doctors didn’t know that exercise and heat would be the best things to save the legs and body from the deterioration effects.  A women Doctor or nurse was the first to prove this and she had to convince others of the correct treatment in the early days.  Max did not get the treatment he needed and lost most of the control of his leg.  I don’t know if it is correct to mention all of this but it was a very tough thing for Max and his parents to deal with at the time.

Max did not let the polio hold him back.  Max must have known that the use of his mind was going to be his biggest asset for the rest of his life and profession.  Max graduated from Carbon High and then went on to the University of Utah where he obtained his degree.  He must have been a teacher after he graduated, at Carbon High School.  He taught Geri (Cima) Turnbull and others at the High School.

Max taught several years at the High School and then must have applied to the Government Civil Service for a job and got a position as an Educator.  The government as I recall sent him, eventually, to England in the early 1950’s.  This would have been not to long after World War II.   I remember him going to England and the next thing I remember was that he was married to an English girl (Jean Morley).  I was told by my father Clair (brother to Max) that Max was doing well and was advancing in his work as an educator.  Next thing I remember, Max was transferred to Germany and took his family to live in Wiesbaden, Germany.  I had no idea where that was until later.

The Leonards of Lynn: A Case Study of the Integration of Outsiders Into a Puritan Community

This research paper was written by Tod Shacklett for a history class in June 1997.

Popular mythology conjures up images of Puritan New England as a pious, homogenous, agrarian community, a "Citty upon a Hill" intended to inspire the English homeland to turn to Puritan ways. (1) However, Puritan New England was more than a collection of small, agrarian communities. The harbors of New England supported shipping and fishing industries, and abundant timber and ore supplies inspired the Puritans of North America to pursue a colonial version of the English iron industry. These new American Ironworks required skilled labor; it was not possible simply to take the offspring of Puritan farmers and merchants and turn them into iron workers. The experienced, skilled laborers needed were mostly recruited from England and, generally, were not Puritans. Stephen Innes describes these iron workers as having "had a long, and apparently well-earned, reputation for stout-hearted truculence and profane living." (2) How, then, did these most un-Puritan individuals function in Puritan Society?

Essex County Court records concerning the Leonards, a family of immigrant iron workers, will be examined as a case study of the social integration of outsiders into a typical Puritan community. The Leonards do seem to epitomize the "truculent and profane" iron workers that Innes describes. The court cases involving the various Leonard family members often seem to be of a different, darker character than other, perhaps more typical, cases. While most Puritan lawsuits involved boundary lines and bad language, the Leonards were brought before the court charged with arson and highway robbery. As skilled and thus valued iron workers, the Leonard family was tolerated for pragmatic reasons. But the level of toleration shown by the community seemed to go beyond mere pragmatism. Even though the Leonard family was never fully integrated into the Puritan community, they were none the less accepted as members of that community.

The Puritans of New England were not renowned for their willingness to accept outsiders into their communities. According to The book of the general lauus and libertyes concerning the inhabitants of the Massachusets, individuals, and whole towns, were statutorily prohibited from allowing any stranger to reside within the jurisdiction for more than three weeks without permission from a magistrate. (3) As an illustration, in May 1663 John Emery was charged with harboring Quakers, and "also was presented on suspicion of breaking the law in entertaining Mr Greenland four months." (4) A cursory reading of the Essex court records reveals that Greenland was a doctor who was singularly unsuccessful in controlling his carnal lust. A more detailed recitation of his exploits is unnecessary here, but as a stranger to the community, Greenland's behavior made him undesirable to that community, and the community had an interest in, and took action toward, securing his removal. In fact, six citizens even went so far as to file an additional suit against Emery, "[f]or breach of a town order of Newbery, in entertaining Mr. Greenland to the great prejudice of the town." (5) But why would a community that refused to tolerate an amorous physician extend toleration to a family of rude, profane iron workers? The answer may lie in some combination of the Leonards' relationship to the church and the relative scarcity of the iron working skills that they possessed.

History of Jemima Wimmer Powell, Utah Pioneer

The most part of this history is material supplied by a Great grand-daughter Mary Powell Blackburn, which was taken from an old record book in 1930 by Mary who found it at the home of Charles Wimmer, now deceased.

Other information from a family group sheet submitted by Jay Prince, and a few personal memories of a Grandson, Samuel Powell. This history written for Mary Blackburn— by Nora Lund D.U.P. historian 1970.

Born - 14th March, 1814 - Lisbon, New Castle, Henry Co. Indiana.

Died - 13th Dec. 1893— At her son Robert's ranch-near Price, Carbon County, Utah

Buried in Salem, Utah County, Utah.

Married - James Powell

Information furnished and history filed by Mary Powell Blackburn - Granite Park Camp, South Center Salt Lake County

(My Great Grandmother) Jemima Wimmer Powell was born 14 March, 1814 in Lisbon, New Castle, Henry County, Indiana. She was number 5 in a family of 11 children, born to Peter and Elizabeth Shirley Wimmer. The group sheet lists her brothers and sisters as Robert, born in Penn., all the rest who were born in Indiana were as follows: John P, Jacob, Polly, Susannah, Peter Martha, Elisabeth, Ellen and William. Only four out of this large family grew maturity and married, these were Robert, John and Susannah and of course Jemima. We have no death dates recorded for the other members of the family with the exception of Susannah, who married Simeon J. Comfort, no doubt in Hancock County, Ill. She was just 22 years old when she died, 2 April, 1840.

Jemima was taught the rudiments of home making by her mother, so was well prepared to take on the  responsibilities of a home of her own when she married James Powell in 1334 in Indiana. She was 20 years old and he was 25, having been born 13 Oct. 1309 in North Carolina. He was the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Powell.

Jemima's parents, Peter and Elizabeth Wimmer became converted and were baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were thoroughly convinced of the truths of the gospel, and felt they were making the right choice, but just being members of this unpopular religion meant trouble, and they had plenty. Jemima and James didn’t join the church then.

The History of Emmett and Madge Leonard and Their 64 Years Together

By Madge Leonard

Emmett was born in Price, Utah, on April 22, 1907, to Zoe Ellen and Leo Leonard. He was the second of nine children. They lived in Peerless, Utah, a coal mining town and the children were bused to school in Price, Utah, about 25 miles away.

I was born in Orangeville, Utah, August 12, 1908 to Annie and John Irving Jewkes. l was the second of five children. My father and mother moved to Wattis, Utah, a mining town where Dad worked in the coal mines mining coal. I finished high school in Wattis. The family then moved back to Orangeville and I stayed there and worked in an ice cream and candy store and also went to beauty school.

During that time Emmett's parents moved back to Price while he remained in the mining camps and worked in the coal mines. Leo, Emmett's father, had a ten-piece orchestra. Emmett and his brothers, Lee and Clair all played in it. Emmett played the saxophone. They were called "The Night Hawks." They played for dances all over Utah and other states for 10 - 15 years. That's where I first met Emmett, I was sixteen and he was seventeen. They were playing for a dance in Helper, Utah. My friends and I were there having a good time. The music was great. I looked up and saw Emmett and thought he was a tall, good-Iooking guy, so I winked at him. When the dance was over he came over to talk to me and to my surprise he was short, but still good—looking. (I was never going to marry a short guy.)

We went together for a while, but on one date we had to go to a dance and he called and cancelled saying he had to work. It just happened that Birdie, Emmett's sister, came and asked if I was going to the dance. I said, "No." She insisted, saying. “If you get a date, you take me. And if I get one, I'll take you."

Birdie got a date and he had a friend, which made it nice for me. Surprise, there at the dance was Emmett dancing with a new girlfriend. Well, that was enough of that two-timing guy, I thought. Needless to say, we started going together again two months later and on October 27, 1927, we got married in Orangeville, Utah.

A History of Leo Pold and Zoe Ellen (Powell) Leonard

Written By Clair Leonard in 1987 

What I remember about my parents:

Although I had many a licking and grabbed by the hair of the head when I tried to get away from my mother, it was because I did not do what I was told to do at the time. Playing came first with me, as it does with all kids, and when a woman has a baby every two years her strength and nerves are not in the best shape.

Dad was more easy going, and was a good provider, but mother was the money manager. When I was a teenager and would have a run in with my mother, I would go up and stay with my grandmother Powell. My mother was the 8th child of Sarah Jane and John Powell, born December 6, 1887. She met Leo P.  Leonard at Sunnyside. Utah while working at her sister Florence's Boarding house. They were married June 17, 1904 and had nine children - seven boys, and two girls.

Mother was quite high strung and could get quite hysterical, and would become a screaming female when something unexpected would happen. A good example of this behavior is one that I will never forget. We were out in Carbon Co. in 1919 when a cloud burst happened. It rained so hard that Price River was flooding over its banks and the fire truck came down past our house at 2 a.m. with siren and fire bell blasting, and a string of cars behind.

Mother started screaming, "What's happening". Dad went out and down to the river to find out what had happened. It seems that a young couple had been parked to close to the river bank which had caved in and took them and their car into the river. I don't know if they ever did find them. As Dad talked with people. They were all afraid the Scofield dam was going to break. The next morning they put a train of cars together, loaded the cars down with men, scrapers and horses, and sent them up to the dam to save the dam. Clark and I both tried to get on but they kicked us off.

Personal History of Stanley Floyd Leonard written by himself

Written by Stanley in 1994
Born June 23, 1915, Price, Utah
Early in the morning of June 23rd, 1915, I was born to Leo B. and Zoe Ellen Powell Leonard, in Price Utah. I was number six out of what was to be a family of nine children -- seven boys and two daughters.

My father was born and raised in Kamas, Utah. He was a kind man, hard—working, dedicated to his family - working really hard to see that we had the food and clothes we needed.

My mother was a native of Price and lived there nearly all her life. She was a very strong personality, with a great deal of good common sense. She was a competent planner and could get things done that needed to be accomplished. Mother and father always kept our home very attractively, as it was one of the nicest homes in Price at that time.

One of the earliest experiences I can remember (when I was approximately three years old) is the night my family arrived home from Idaho. We pulled into the railroad station at Price. It was dark, wet, and cold. Years later, I talked to mother about these memories and she said that it had to have been when we came home from visiting Dad, who was working in Idaho. I can also remember a lot of people at the station.

We lived in Peerless for nine or ten years. While there, Max and Jack were born. It was my job to wash the diapers and, boy, were there a lot of them! Some wash days, usually Saturday, I headed for the hills and hid. A boyhood friend, Ken Howard, and I would take enough food to get by for the day. We would come slinking back at night, only to be rewarded with a good spanking.

I had little odd jobs to earn money, such as pass bills for a dollar, or work at the company store for a new pair of shoes, bananas, or whatever. We would have to go to Mutual and Sunday School at Spring Canyon. I joined the Boy Scouts in Spring Canyon, where I would have to go alone at night. It was scary coming home at 10 o'clock and I would run all the way. But at Christmas time, I was always the one who had the privilege to go up in the mountains to get our Christmas tree at Peerless. I didn't have to go far, just up a mile or so but the snow could be quite deep at times.When we moved back to Price, I remember that I got sick and had to stay with Dad and Birdie in Peerless, where I could be close to the company doctor.

Memories, Anecdotes, and Reflections on my Father Leo P. Leonard

Recorded April 25, 1991 by Max G. Leonard, seventh child of Leo P. Leonard.

Leo P. Leonard was born October 28, 1882 in Kamas, Utah, the youngest of five children of George Bradford Leonard and Julia Hillock. He married Zoe Ellen Powell of Price, Utah in 1904. He died March 1963 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This is not a short biography of my father because I have not been able to collect sufficient data on his long and eventful life to do it justice. What I have recorded here are a few of my most vivid memories and anecdotes and some reflections about his impact on my life over a period of approximately 37 years from 1926, when I was slightly over three years of age until March 1963 when he died.

One of my first recollections of my father was meeting him after work as he came off the Peerless Mine tipple, walking with him to the miner’s bathhouse where he bathed before going home and sitting on one of the benches used by miners to undress while he removed the coal dust and sweat from his body with the other miners working that shift. The odor of sweaty bodies mingled with steam and soap are still clearly etched in my memory. It seemed, however, that no amount of soap and water completely removed the coal dust that collected on my father’s and the miner’s eyelashes and eyebrows, and around the fingernails. This contrast of white faces against dark eyebrows and eyelashes made a distinct impression on a three year old; Our walk home from the bath house was always enjoyable because dad would hoist me up on his shoulders and I could sit there and ask him all kinds of questions about his job as a Tipple Foreman and Weigh Boss, which he always patiently answered.