John Lease ¹

   Other names for John were John Leis,⁵ Johannes Lies and John Lieswurden.

  General Notes:

Was a soldier in the War of 1812

Quoted Text: Oley Twp; Shows John Leis, age 73 with wife Mary age 70. Also shows Mary Leis age 17 living with them (probably a granddaughter). And Levi Minker age 27 (carpenter) who worked for John.


John Lease, was also a native of the Keystone State, while his father was a German by birth, and a Revolutionary soldier. He was a day laborer and it was his rule to begin work early and to keep steadily at it as long as he could see, or till three stars were visible in the sky. He rounded out a useful life at the age of eighty-four years.

(From Portrait Biographical Album of Sangamon County, Ill, p.503) Note: John could not have been a Revolutionary soldier, as he Was born in 1777. Most likely he was a soldier in the War of 1812. To be researched.

The DAR Patriot Index shows John Lease of Pennsylvania, fought in the Revolutionary War. Born 1 Sept 1754 in PA and died 20 May 1847 in PA. He was married to Sophia. (Source PLeiss@aol.com - Mar 1998) This is not our John Lease. The census information proves he was born in 1777, and the information from the Biographical Album of Sangamon County came from Daniel Diehl, son of Hannah Lease Diehl, so it is most likely accurate.

  Noted events in his life were:

• United States Census: Residence, 1850, Oley, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA. Age 73

"United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M44K-M9T : accessed 26 Mar 2014), John Leis, Oley, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 296, NARA microfilm publication M432.

Also living in the household was Mary Leis, age 17 and Levi Minker, age 27

John married Mary Melot on 24 Jun 1798 in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA. (Mary Melot was born on 7 Dec 1777 in Pennsylvania, USA,⁶ died on 8 Jul 1859 in Pennsylvania, USA ⁷ and was buried in Hunter Burial Grounds, Oley, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA ⁴.)