James W. Leas ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

James W. Leas - Short Bio James Leas was born in Covington County, Indiana, in 1832 to Thomas Chapman Leas and Jane [Walker] Leas. He was the third of four children they had. James's father died (apparently) while the children were very young as he was not living with the family by the time they moved to Iowa. The Leas family apparently moved along with the Hardins (Prudence [Walker] and William) and the Tryers (Rebecca [Walker] and John Francis) to Iowa, perhaps as early as 1839/40.

In 1856 Jane, Mary Jane (Versey), and James Leas were living with the Tryers. At different times, various Leas family members lived with other extended Walker family members in New London.

James was a veteran of the Civil War, but before that conflict began he had married Celia Willeford <willefordcelia.html>, the daughter of Samuel Willeford and Rhoda Jackson (both of Kentucky). The Willefords were part of a family that were early white settlers to the area of Henry County, Iowa which later became Mount Pleasant. Celia was born in about 1839(?). She and James were probably married in about 1851(?) and a list of their known descendants includes: Emily J. Leas, born in about 1852 in Iowa; Samuel W. Leas, born in about 1854 in Iowa; Mary G. Leas, born in about 1857 in Iowa; George W. Leas, born in about 1859 in Iowa; Susan A. Leas, born in about 1861 in Iowa; Sarah A. Leas, born in about 1863 in Iowa; Edith Leas, born in about 1867 in Iowa; Laura Lease, who was born after 1870 (? or perhaps before 1852) and died in 1936. Laura married Levi Hale, the grandson of John Lee <leejohnp.html>. Levi was born in 1852 near Mount Union, Henry County, Iowa and died in 1922. They had a daughter, Nellie Hale, who was born December 15, 1883 (?). She died September, 1966, in Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa. Nellie married Arthur McCosh. Laura and Levi also married John Arnold Hale, who was born March 5, 1893 and in July 1981 in New London, Henry County, Iowa.

James Leas died in 1915. (Note: Sometimes the Leas family name is spelled "Lease")


From the web page, http://www.brumm.com/genealogy/walkers_moyers/alpha_walkers/leasjamesw.html

James married Celia Willeford, daughter of Samuel Willeford and Rhoda Jackson, about 1851. (Celia Willeford was born about 1839 in Iowa, USA and died in 1897 ³.)